Episode 8: Fiona Garrivan, celebrant and podcast host of Deadly Serious Conversations talks about death and dying with foresight and kindness.  

Fiona shares the stories of her childhood, growing up in Northern Ireland during the civil war known as The Troubles. Her life was on a steady path of fitting into the expectations set out for Irish Catholic women in the 1980 and 90s, until she went to Uni in Dublin and met a lovely girl from Australia. This friendship opened up the possibilities of the world to Fiona, and with some action and courage on her part, she changed the trajectory of her life.

Fiona now calls Melbourne home. She is a celebrant for funerals and weddings and has a podcast called Deadly Serious Conversations. Through her work, she noticed that people in Australia often aren’t talking about death, dying and legacy, and so may not know where to start when they lose a loved one. She has created a wonderful library of episodes that looks at all different aspects of death and dying with kindness, respect and compassion. Let’s find out how she got into the tender work of funerals. Also check out Fiona’s Deadly Serious Conversations podcast.

Episode 6: Mathan Ratinam shares his early life story in Sri Lanka, a considered perspective on colonisation, and the joys of architecture and Hip Hop.

This month’s guest Mathan Ratinam shares his early life story in Sri Lanka, his family’s persecution during the civil war, and stories of immigrating to Australia. Come with us as we talk about everything from the harms of colonisation to the joys of architecture, Hip Hop, children, London and Brooklyn, New York.
Mathan beautifully articulates the full-circle moments of his life that have been the fire behind his impressive career. This is an interview that you will not forget. Thank you, Mathan for sharing your incredible story.

Episode 5: Merita Tabain on growing up in the suburbs as a “New Australian”, discovering the 1970’s alternative music scene, and pursing her dreams for life.

When I Was Young podcast features Merita Tabain sharing her journey as the child of new immigrants, growing up in the suburbs of Melbourne in the 1960s and 70s. Merita's story starts with the painful experience of being seen as different at school and moves into the mind-blowing moments of seeing the Sex Pistols on Count Down and discovering Australia's alternative music scene in the 1970s. With all the courage and grit of punk, as a young adult Merita pursued her dreams of travel, higher education and journalism. Over time her career moved into leadership roles in government and emergency management, something her young self never knew would be open to her. It all fits with her belief that "You don't know what life has in store for you.”

Episode 4: Dr Trishima Mitra-Kahn on family violence, sociology and debating, from New Delhi to London and Melbourne.

In this episode Dr Trishima Mitra-Kahn shares her early experiences of family violence and how this set her on a path to research the sociology question, 'Why do some people use violence?'. Come with us as we walk through Trishima's childhood and early adult years in New Delhi, London, and now in Melbourne. Trish is a remarkable person who has spent her whole career working towards a goal of eliminating all forms of family violence. She is now the Chairperson of Body Safety Australia and a Group Director with Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre where she continues to use research and evidence to inform this critical work.

Episode 3: Pat shares the story of his early life growing up in Frankston North in the 1960s.

When Pat was a young lad this was known as a very working-class town, full of commission homes, poverty, alcohol and violence. Pat's story is set in the 1960s and 70s. He talks about navigating the world as a young boy and finding community in sport. With his sharp wit and intelligence, Pat shares how he was able to gain a broader view of the world and set himself on a path out of his low socio-economic roots. Enjoy Pat's story as he shares the hardships, triumphs, wisdom and wonderful people that helped him on his way. 

Episode 2: Kabinga Mazaba shares the beauty, culture and personal heartbreaks of growing up in Zambia in the 1980s.

Episode 1: Vivienne Nguyễn reflects on growing up first in Vietnam and then as a refugee in Australia.

Vivienne Nguyen talks about her early years in Vietnam during the Vietnam/American war, travelling as a refugee first to Malaysia and then onto Australia, living and studying in Melbourne as a young adult, and how she found her feet in both the Vietnamese and broader Victorian communities. Vivienne's journey led her to become a powerful voice advocating for multicultural and multi-faith communities in Victoria as Victoria's Multicultural Commissioner.
Please enjoy Vivienne's story of her younger years.

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