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Speaker 1: In some good news, we know that eleven Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: organizations are going to share in eighty thousand dollars as

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Speaker 1: part of a new Northern Territory government grants program to

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Speaker 1: deliver activities for current defense and ex service personnel. These

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Speaker 1: grants aim to help improve health and well being and

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Speaker 1: social connections for the twenty thousand veterans and defense families

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Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory. There's some wonderful initiatives that have

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Speaker 1: been included, including well what are the grant recipients Reeling

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Speaker 1: veterans and the president and founder, Michael Huran, joins me

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Speaker 1: on the line.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Michael, Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, good mate, lovely to have you on the show,

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Speaker 1: and really good to see that you guys are going

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Speaker 1: to receive a grant through this program.

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Speaker 2: Tell us a bit more about about it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so, yeah, it's going to be a great So

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Speaker 3: what we're doing is for two weeks we're going to

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Speaker 3: go out to Shady Camp and we're going to file

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Speaker 3: a lot of family through and just do some family

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Speaker 3: connection through fishing.

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Speaker 1: You do wonderful stuff through fishing and through the reeling veterans.

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Speaker 1: To those out there listening, this morning. You've never heard

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Speaker 1: of reeling veterans. Tell us a bit more about the

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Speaker 1: program more generally and how it works.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's super easy. We enjoy a fish and a

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Speaker 3: beer and yeah, so just come on out, give us

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Speaker 3: the call, come on out, have a chat. We just

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Speaker 3: get stuff off your chest, have a beer, do some

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Speaker 3: bending and yeah, and hopefully make the world a better place.

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Speaker 2: And it's helped like it's helped you, and it's helped

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Speaker 2: so many veterans, hasn't it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, yeah, last year I think bush just right

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Speaker 3: to the edge, like the tipping point. We've just we've

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Speaker 3: just had so many people file through it it's crazy.

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Speaker 3: So but yeah, we've managed to help establish other or

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Speaker 3: fishing veteran organizations around Australia as well, So that's awesome.

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Speaker 1: Now, as part of this, as part of these grants,

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Speaker 1: how much are you guys, reeling veterans receiving.

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Speaker 3: So we get in ten thousand, So we get in

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Speaker 3: the top top tier of money, which is going to

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Speaker 3: help us a lot, because then you think everyone that

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Speaker 3: owns a bad out there understands how expensive boats are

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Speaker 3: to do stuff on the water. But yeah, it's going

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Speaker 3: to be an absolute awesome time. Already we're already fully booked.

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Speaker 3: I think we've got thirty six families coming through and

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Speaker 3: it's completely free.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so good.

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Speaker 1: Tell us about, like in terms of the families that

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Speaker 1: you know that you're hoping to see, or maybe that

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Speaker 1: you know a bit more about what do you reckon

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Speaker 1: it's going to mean to them.

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Speaker 3: I think what's happening is there's a lot of people

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Speaker 3: getting posted in here now and they're just finding it

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Speaker 3: difficult to get out and meet new people. And you know,

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Speaker 3: I could be quite daunting by yeah, by going to

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Speaker 3: places like this and just doing activities, you know, it

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Speaker 3: just breaks the ice a bit. And yeah, it just

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Speaker 3: gets people out and having a chat and you know,

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Speaker 3: just looking after your own mental health because you know,

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Speaker 3: we're live in a crazy world these days and there's

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Speaker 3: a lot going on and we just want to do

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Speaker 3: our little bit.

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Speaker 2: It is such a good thing that you guys do.

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Speaker 1: How many, like, do you have any idea how many

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Speaker 1: people have come and been part of of Reeling Veterans

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Speaker 1: since you started.

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Speaker 3: I couldn't tell you off the top of your head.

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Speaker 2: One hundreds, you reckon.

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Speaker 3: Last year we did around fourteen hundred people. Wow, so

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Speaker 3: that was between here in Townsville.

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Speaker 2: Yep.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, so we're averaging probably taken around eight hundred

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Speaker 3: people in year, eight nine hundred people a year in darn.

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Speaker 2: That is awesome.

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Speaker 1: What year did you start, Michael? I know you and

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Speaker 1: I have spoken before about it, but what year did

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Speaker 1: you start?

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Speaker 3: But it seems like a it does? It really does.

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Speaker 3: We started in twenty and eighteen and we've just got

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Speaker 3: so many programs going now. We've got, like we do,

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Speaker 3: we're into youth now, so we help We're working with

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Speaker 3: disadvantage youth, which is really great to do some mentoring

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Speaker 3: roles around that. We've obviously got our fishing comps that

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Speaker 3: we bring to do the baron Nationals and Girls Gone Fishing.

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Speaker 3: Then we've got our TV program where we take them

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Speaker 3: away for you know, over a week and get to

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Speaker 3: Yeah that's more for people that are a bit further

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Speaker 3: you know, have a lot more issues. But yeah, but

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Speaker 3: general day to day we just do. Most days are

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Speaker 3: out on the water. I know I'm out tomorrow on

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Speaker 3: the water, up at four tomorrow morning to go to

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Speaker 3: Shady Camp. So yeah, good.

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Speaker 2: On you, mate, good on you.

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Speaker 1: And you know, and you've got a committee with you

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Speaker 1: as well, don't you and others that are obviously you

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Speaker 1: know that spend a lot of time and put in

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Speaker 1: a lot of effort to really help other veterans and

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Speaker 1: help other families. I know that you've supported a lot

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Speaker 1: of other veterans through mental health issues as well.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, we've got a huge committee now. Actually it's

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Speaker 3: really good. So we've just we've been lucky and getting

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Speaker 3: some other funding around the volunteer grants as well. So

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Speaker 3: this year we're putting fourteen fourteen current and ex serving

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Speaker 3: people through courses. So I think we've got six people

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Speaker 3: doing cocks and courses so you know, whether they choose

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Speaker 3: to you know, when they leave defense, they can then

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Speaker 3: use that skill you know, to drive boats or whatever

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Speaker 3: they want to do. Yeah, so we're just, yeah, our committee,

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Speaker 3: I couldn't do it without them. They're my Yeah, they

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Speaker 3: do more support.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, doing so much like doing your bit, you know,

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Speaker 1: to really make the Northern Territory a better place, particularly

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Speaker 1: for you know, for veterans and defense personnel. You must

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Speaker 1: feel bloody proud of your efforts since twenty eighteen.

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Speaker 3: I do, I do, and it makes it worth well.

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Speaker 3: Some days I have my days and obviously you got

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Speaker 3: your critics and stuff. But you know, yesterday we had

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Speaker 3: a veteran go missing down in Perth that obviously we're

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Speaker 3: first contacted about, and then we got all the other

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Speaker 3: organizations on board and we found him last night. He's

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Speaker 3: getting the help that he needs now, which is absolutely awesome.

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Speaker 3: But then by him, yeah, by help getting this tele

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Speaker 3: of help, we ended up finding another veteran down there

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Speaker 3: that needs help as well. So yeah, you know, you know,

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Speaker 3: we can't help everyone, but we're trying our best to

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Speaker 3: do what we can and just get those ones that

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Speaker 3: are falling through the gaps.

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Speaker 1: Yep, and doing a wonderful job. You know, I think

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Speaker 1: to myself, I remember many years ago, you and I

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Speaker 1: spoke on the show, and you know, you you were

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Speaker 1: talking to me about your own personal experience. You were

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Speaker 1: talking about the experiences that other defense members and veterans

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Speaker 1: have faced and the loss of life, you know, following

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Speaker 1: on from that service. And I tell you what, Michael,

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Speaker 1: it makes me like I actually it really makes me

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Speaker 1: feel happy talking to you this morning and hearing the

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Speaker 1: work that you've done over those years and the impact

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Speaker 1: that you are having in the community.

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Speaker 2: I reckon it's wonderful.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, thank you very much. It's very quindy to say,

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Speaker 3: you know, we really some days, we really feel like

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Speaker 3: we're not making a difference, and some days I feel

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Speaker 3: like we're kick and go.

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Speaker 2: So on you guys, Yeah, good on you guys.

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Speaker 1: It sounds like you absolutely are and I'm pleased that

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Speaker 1: you receive this grant. It sounds like it's going to

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Speaker 1: go a long way and got to help plenty of people.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it will, it will. We'll have to get you

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Speaker 3: out on the water, may show you what we do.

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Speaker 2: Well.

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Speaker 1: I've got a son who's an absolutely keen fisherman now so.

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Speaker 3: Well, so I'm.

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Speaker 1: Sure at some point I'll come and stalk you. Oh

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Speaker 1: you're a legend. Michael Hurran. Lovely to speak to you

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Speaker 1: this morning. Thank you so much for letting our listeners

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Speaker 1: know more about reeling veterans. Hey, if anybody out there

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Speaker 1: listening this morning though, is keen to get in contact

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Speaker 1: with you to find out more to be involved, where

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Speaker 1: should they go to?

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Speaker 3: You can just give me a buzz if you want

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Speaker 3: on my mobile will go to Socials Rule over Socials.

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Speaker 3: We'll go to our own website. You can send me

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Speaker 3: an email you can get in contact, you know, pion mail.

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Speaker 3: Whatever you want to do, we'll be there.

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Speaker 2: Good stuff.

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Speaker 1: Good on your Michael. Lovely to speak to you this morning.

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Speaker 1: I really appreciate you having a chat with me.

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Speaker 3: Lovely speak to you too and you have a great.

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Speaker 2: Day you too, mate. Thank you