S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host, Sam Colley.
S2: Hello everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision.
S3: The biggest thing, I think, for the blind, low vision
S3: climate is having a site guide that can read the
S3: wall for them and guide them up that wall, the
S3: best and most efficient way possible. And that's where Ben
S3: comes in, not just as my coach, but also as
S3: my guide. Who can. We basically develop a strong communication
S3: bond to help me get the supply off that wall
S3: as possible.
S2: Welcome to the program. This week we feature the second
S2: of our para climbers heading to the AFC Para Climbing
S2: World Cups later this year, starting in the USA and
S2: moving over to Austria and then France later in the year.
S2: His name is Jason Water. You may have heard him
S2: on the show before. He's joining me today with his
S2: coach and sighted guide, Ben Dalby. You'll hear from them
S2: very shortly, so make sure to stick around and then
S2: after you hear from Jason and Ben Leon from the
S2: libraries on the show, to tell us a little bit
S2: about some events coming up in the Vision Australia library.
S2: And to finish off today, we hear from Jason Gibbs.
S2: He's telling us all about 100 K your way, a
S2: way to get fit and active over the month of April,
S2: while also raising vital funds for Vision Australia. I hope
S2: you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Last week
S2: we heard from Sarah Larkham, who was heading along to
S2: the FSA World Cups later this year in Salt Lake
S2: City as part of the Australian para climbing team. Well,
S2: today we've got a second member of the team. His
S2: name is Jason Water. He's a name you may be
S2: familiar with if you're a long term listen to the show.
S2: He's been on the show a few times. He joins
S2: me today alongside his sighted guide and coach Ben Dalby,
S2: to chat about power climbing and how to get involved. Jason. Ben,
S2: welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.
S4: Thanks for having us.
S3: Yeah, thanks. Good to chat.
S2: Tell us a little bit more about yourselves and involvement
S2: in para climbing. Jason will come to you first.
S3: Okay, well, I've only I'm new to the scene of climbing.
S3: I started training with Ben less than a year ago,
S3: and I fell into it because I took one of
S3: my personal training clients to a climbing gym where Ben worked.
S3: And when I saw my client go up the wall,
S3: I thought, I'll have a try too. So I did,
S3: and from there I haven't looked down since. Um, but yeah, it's, um,
S3: been quite an experience. And then after I've done that,
S3: I thought, I'm going to look into this to see
S3: what sporting avenues there were. And so happens that there
S3: was a para climbing division to it. And there is
S3: also a blind category for it. So I decided straight
S3: away then that I have to compete and so reach
S3: out to Ben. He jumped on board. So yeah, jumped
S3: on board to help. And here we are now, ready
S3: to compete in the New South Wales and Act state
S3: titles and going hopefully on to Innsbruck in Austria.
S2: Fantastic. And, um, Ben will come to you now.
S4: So my history with climbing goes back about 11 years.
S4: I started climbing when I was a teenager, started coaching
S4: maybe 4 or 5 years ago. I started setting climbs
S4: 2 or 3 years ago. I've started building climbing walls,
S4: building climbing holds. So I'm very much enmeshed in the
S4: climbing community. And now I'm also coaching. And Jason, a
S4: vision impaired climber and planning and coaching, oversees site guidance
S4: for him. So sort of very much involved in almost
S4: all aspects of climbing at the moment. And it's very
S4: exciting to be able to go overseas and sort of
S4: do what I love.
S2: Now we've heard a little bit about para climbing itself,
S2: but Jason, could you tell us a little bit about
S2: some specifics to para climbing for people who are blind
S2: or have low vision in particular, people may be wondering
S2: if there are sort of any differences, what sort of
S2: adaptations and aspects there are to that.
S5: Sure.
S3: Well, as I said, I'm pretty new to the sport,
S3: so I don't know all that much. But what I
S3: do know for the blind and low vision, we have
S3: three categories that we do. Most of the sports. So
S3: we except for the exception of B4. So there's the
S3: B1 category, which is those who have the least sight
S3: and they would generally wear a blindfold whilst climbing. Then
S3: the B2 division, which is my category and that is
S3: those with some vision. For me there's no vision, my
S3: left eye and very, very central vision in my right eye.
S3: And then you have B3 again. For my understanding, they
S3: set the climb accordingly to the vision impairment. So for
S3: B1 the climb might be a lot easier than it
S3: is for a base rate climber. Again, that's my understanding.
S3: That could potentially all use the same climb. But the
S3: biggest thing I think for the blind low vision climbers
S3: is having a site guide that can read the wall
S3: for them and guide them up. That will be the
S3: best and most efficient way possible. And that's where Ben
S3: comes in, not just as my coach, but also as
S3: my site guide. Who can. We basically develop a strong
S3: communication bond to help me get that wall as possible.
S3: Also for my understanding is the ropes they use is
S3: quite different. So mainstream climbers will do what they call
S3: lean climbing, where you've got to clip yourself in at
S3: intervals up the wall, whereas the para climbing community or
S3: para climbing teams, they will use a top rope. So
S3: you're secured from the top so there's no clipping in.
S2: And Ben, had you done any work with blind or
S2: low vision athletes before you met Jason?
S4: No, not really. I had seen a couple low vision
S4: climbers in the gym before, but never really anything with them.
S4: I had seen a few other things coming through the
S4: gym as well. One is got an amputated leg, another
S4: one who was wheelchair bound but never actively coached them,
S4: never actively coached anyone with any sort of disability. And
S4: to Jason, what's.
S2: The learning curve been like as a sighted guide? What
S2: sort of been really you've taken like a duck to
S2: water or what else has been kind of a challenge or,
S2: you know, what sort of that experience been like for you?
S4: Yeah, it's been good that I've been climbing for so long,
S4: and I've been coaching for so long because a lot
S4: of the skill. Giving good advice on how to climb
S4: up through the roof, but it has been much harder
S4: than a normal coach client, because I have to sort
S4: of adapt to Jason's current knowledge and ability about climbing.
S4: So if Jason was like a climber before having gone blind,
S4: I think it would have been a whole lot easier
S4: because he had already had quite a good intuition for climbing.
S4: But because Jason's come to it after already lost a
S4: lot of his vision, we have to sort of start
S4: from absolute basics and really build up our communication style
S4: and his knowledge around climbing and sort of add complexities
S4: to our own language as we're going. So we're both
S4: sort of learning from each other as we go and
S4: both adapting our communication style as we go, which is
S4: quite interesting, but it's quite challenging as well.
S2: Oh for sure. And Jason, what sort of been the
S2: process for you that you and Ben have settled upon?
S2: What sort of the way that you've decided that seems
S2: to work for you both really? Well?
S3: Well, I think it's something we're constantly trialling and error
S3: and basically adapting and adjusting here and there. But I
S3: think really what was working for us is more of
S3: the playful side of it where you get we can
S3: get pretty jocular about things, but I think for us,
S3: the best way of communication, we've tried to use these
S3: less as best. So Ben's trying to teach me more
S3: to climb intuitively and then call when I need it,
S3: or when he sees me struggling. Um, my biggest issues
S3: are with my feet because, again, not just with the blindness,
S3: but with the diabetic neuropathy. I don't have great sensation
S3: in my feet and arms and legs and hands and stuff,
S3: so I don't have that proprioception. And if I'm not
S3: feeling secure, then Ben will remind me that my foothold
S3: is secure or the grip is secure. Again, just bringing
S3: on that reassurance. But yeah, again, I think like it's
S3: always changing the way we are communicating.
S4: Yeah, I think it's a bit early days to say
S4: that we have any sort of communication style that's set
S4: in stone. Um fair enough. Yeah. Constantly sort of revising
S4: it and adapting it as we go.
S2: And Jason, how can people get involved in para climbing
S2: if they're interested in getting active and having a climb?
S3: Yeah, that's a great question, because I really don't want
S3: to be the only one in the blind category in
S3: my division competing against myself the whole time. So there
S3: are a number of ways you could probably get involved. Um,
S3: I found out through my local gym who put me
S3: on to adaptive climbing. Victoria, I do know there's also
S3: adaptive climbing in New South Wales, and I potentially think
S3: there's also one out based out in Queensland. But my
S3: best recommendations for that would be Google search adaptive climbing.
S3: Also look at para climbing and then talking to your
S3: local climbing gym. There's bound to be someone there that's
S3: going to help you out and point you in the
S3: right direction. And if you look at the Australian Sports
S3: Climbing website and contact them, they will definitely be able
S3: to help you out.
S4: I'm not sure if Jason had any idea when he
S4: went to Gravity Works, that he'd be able to find
S4: a coach, and eventually a site guide to help them
S4: compete overseas, but you'd be surprised by how helpful gym
S4: staff can be like. The climbing community is amazing. They
S4: always surprised me with how generous they are going to
S4: be with their time and their skills. They can just
S4: be so vast, so it's always worth asking someone.
S2: Now, Jason, I understand there's a way for people out
S2: there to support the para climbing team. So tell us
S2: a little bit about that.
S3: I'd like to say that you can support the Australian team.
S3: There is a Sports Foundation in Australia page that you
S3: can go and provide a small donation and contribute to
S3: getting the team over to these World Cups and any
S3: small donation small. I just always encouraged and grateful for.
S2: And of course, the um, ifSc World Cups are coming
S2: up shortly and the first one in Salt Lake City. So, Jason,
S2: what are you looking forward to there, and how do
S2: you think the team will go?
S3: Well, I feel that some of our team members are
S3: going to crush it there. I definitely think, um, Sarah
S3: Larkin is going to do extremely well. I'm also hoping
S3: for the others going over there to do pretty good.
S3: They are pretty adept climbers and they look good on
S3: the wall. Far better than me, that's for sure. I
S3: won't be attending Salt Lake City. We had a few
S3: hurdles when it comes to insurance and all my medical conditions,
S3: but we will be looking at taking part in Innsbruck,
S3: which is in Austria, and that will be at the
S3: end of June, July. So I've got a bit of time,
S3: and I've also got a chance to see how the
S3: rest of the Aussie team fare in the World Cup
S3: in Salt Lake City beforehand, and I will be definitely
S3: cheering them on from home. Yeah, it's very exciting.
S2: And Ben, what are you looking forward to over the next?
S2: You know, a few months with the mates there?
S4: I am very keen to see the Germans. Brook I
S4: mean it's it's a massive gym, um, with like the
S4: best resources around the world. And the competition wall outdoors is, like,
S4: quite spectacular. So, like, I, I can imagine that it's
S4: going to look way cooler in person. And then you
S4: can ever imagine on the screen or online. So I'm
S4: very much looking forward to.
S2: That in this book is a fantastic town as well
S2: to visit and. Obviously super alpine and super mountain oriented.
S2: So that's absolutely I could be climbing heaven. So that's
S2: really exciting to head along there and check that out.
S2: Now Jason, what is the best way for people to
S2: follow along with the Australian para climbing team as they
S2: head along to the World Cups? How can people keep
S2: in touch with and keep tabs on what Tom, you
S2: and Ben are up to?
S3: Well, Ben and I are constantly posting on social media
S3: about our little shenanigans, about what we're doing to lead
S3: up to it. Best way to follow it, I would say,
S3: is through social media outlets. So looking up sports climbing
S3: Australia and sports climbing Victoria also adaptive climbing Victoria will
S3: have some. And looking at the ifSc website, social media
S3: pages and YouTube channels, I believe Ben would be more
S3: in it to look.
S4: I think probably probably Jason as well. Jason weiter 99
S4: zero and myself at Druid holds on Instagram. There's yeah.
S2: Yeah. Now we always like a good Instagram.
S3: Yeah well we're trying to make it, uh, engaging. Um,
S3: I'm sure we may offend a few people along the
S3: way and we do apologize in advance, but anyone who
S3: knows me knows what to expect.
S2: Yeah, that's certainly true. Oh, thank you so much to
S2: you both. I've been speaking today with Jason Water and
S2: Ben Dalby, chatting to me all about the upcoming para
S2: climbing World Cups and para climbing in general, and building
S2: that partnership between climber and sighted guide. That's obviously so
S2: important for climbers around Australia and the world who are
S2: blind or have low vision. And of course, we encourage
S2: everyone out there to get involved in para climbing. So
S2: definitely keep in touch with them and follow along with
S2: their journey. I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking
S2: Vision on Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio
S2: and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that
S2: conversation there with Jason and Ben, talking all about para
S2: climbing and the upcoming World Cups. If you missed any
S2: part of that conversation with Jason and Ben, or you'd
S2: love to listen to it again. Talking vision is available
S2: on the Vision Style Radio website at RVA radio.org. That's
S2: VA radio.org. You can also find the program on the
S2: podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library.
S2: And now speaking of the Vision Australia Library, here's Leanne. Leanne,
S2: welcome back to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your
S2: time as always.
S6: Great to be with you, Sam.
S2: Now let's hear a bit about some upcoming exciting events
S2: that are happening in the library for the month of
S2: March and April and beyond. So what sort of things
S2: can people look forward to?
S6: Yeah, so we're really looking forward to kicking off our
S6: In Conversation author series for the year on the 25th
S6: of March. We are welcoming the brilliant Alexis writes and
S6: will be in conversation with Astrid Edwards. Alexis, right, is
S6: one of Australia's really most celebrated authors. So she's a
S6: First Nations author. She is a Myles Franklin winner and
S6: a stellar prize winner, and she'll be discussing her most
S6: recent work, a novel titled praiseworthy, which is in production
S6: and will hopefully be in the library very soon. But
S6: praiseworthy has just been longlisted for the 2024 Stella Prize
S6: and has been really described as quite a groundbreaking novel.
S6: So yeah, she's a brilliant Australian writer, very important Australian writer,
S6: telling important stories from a First Nations perspective.
S2: And what else can people look forward to checking out
S2: over the next little while?
S6: Sure. So we are continuing with our regular Treat Yourself
S6: book chat, which is always a lot of fun. So
S6: this is a group of library members who get together
S6: with our librarians to discuss different genres of writing. Last
S6: month in February, we met on Valentine's Day and we
S6: spoke about romance writing, which was a delight. But next
S6: month in April will be getting together on the 15th
S6: of April to look at science fiction, which can be
S6: a bit of a polarising genre, probably not the most
S6: popular genre among our readers generally, but I do know
S6: we have a few very dedicated sci fi fantasy fiction
S6: readers in our library, so this one's especially for them,
S6: but also for any of our members who might be
S6: interested in expanding their reading lists.
S2: Okay, and speaking of reading lists, I'm sure there are
S2: quite a few popular reads over the past year, so
S2: it's a bit early to kind of have a look
S2: back over 2024. But of course 2023 has been and gone.
S2: And what were the most popular things from the Vision
S2: Australia library over that time?
S6: Yeah, yeah. So of course we, you know, love to
S6: put together our stats and see what was popular over
S6: the years. I can share with you the ten most
S6: popular downloads from our Daisy audio collection amongst our library members,
S6: in no particular order, but look in the list was
S6: probably one of the most borrowed books across all Australian
S6: public libraries in 2023, and that is Prince Harry's memoir, spare.
S6: So that was a massive force in publishing last year.
S6: So that was one of our most downloaded in our
S6: top ten. We're pretty heavy on kind of crime writing
S6: in fiction Australia library. So we've got a few James
S6: Patterson titles. So Mary, Mary and the Big Bad Wolf,
S6: also a, uh, Sidney Sheldon title morning, Noon and Night.
S6: Alice Peters is another really popular kind of mystery writer.
S6: His novel Saint Peter's Fair is in the list. And
S6: Lee child, who's always kind of a perennial favorite. A
S6: couple of her novels are in that list as well.
S6: So we have Persuader and The Midnight Line. I'm also
S6: nice to see a couple of fantasy novels in there
S6: from Samantha Shannon. Um, so A Day of Fallen at
S6: night and also the song rising.
S2: Okay. Yeah. The, um, the crime and mystery genres are
S2: always a hit with Virgin Australia library readers. Yeah. So
S2: it's not surprising in the slightest to hear that they've, um,
S2: featured right up the top. And I'm sure there'll be
S2: a lot of huge releases coming. Over the next few months.
S2: So next time we catch up, we might have to
S2: hear a little bit more about them. But in the meantime,
S2: if people are interested in joining the Vision Australia library,
S2: what's the best way for them to do that?
S6: So, so you can join online if you head over
S6: to our website Vision Australia. Org forward slash library and
S6: follow the links to join the library. We have an
S6: online form. If you don't have an email address or
S6: just prefer to talk to someone over the phone, you
S6: can also give our team a call so you can
S6: call them on 1300 654 656. There are a really helpful team
S6: and we'll be able to assist you not just in
S6: joining up the library, but also chatting to you about
S6: your different options for how you might like to start
S6: reading from our collection.
S2: That number again 1300 654 656 to give the library a call.
S2: And Leanne with those events, what sort of format are
S2: they running over and what's the best way to register?
S6: Sure. So those programs that I mentioned are in Conversation
S6: and Treat Your Shelf are all running via zoom. So
S6: you can join us wherever you are across the country.
S6: If you're interested in registering, head on over to our website.
S6: So Vision Australia. Org forward slash library. Navigate to the
S6: What's On section and you'll find the direct event links
S6: there where you can register.
S2: I've been speaking today with Leanne from the library, all
S2: about the latest events and taking a look back over
S2: the most popular raids from 2023, in the Vision Australia Library. Leanne,
S2: thank you so much for your time. It was a
S2: pleasure to catch up once again and chat all about
S2: the Vision Australia library.
S6: Always great to be with you Sam.
S2: Over the whole month of April. That's April 1st to
S2: April 30th. People around Australia are encouraged to go 100
S2: K their way in support of Virgin Australia and the
S2: vital services they provide, such as Virgin Australia right here.
S2: And that's where our next guest, Jason Gipps, comes into
S2: the picture. He's one of the key figures in Virgin
S2: Australia Radio, putting his hand up to go 100 K
S2: his way, and it's my great pleasure to be chatting
S2: with him right now. Jason, welcome back to Talking Vision.
S2: Thanks so much for being on the show. Thanks, Sam.
S2: I appreciate the red carpet. That was really nice. Good touch.
S2: No worries. Now, um, Jason, let's get right to the
S2: heart of things. What is 100 K your way?
S7: Yeah, it's a great new fundraiser for Vision Australia. First
S7: year last year, actually. Sam. So, um, Vision Australia launched
S7: the 100 K Your Way challenge, uh, which is effectively giving, uh,
S7: individuals that take part in the opportunity to do 100
S7: KS their way. So that could be doing 100km across
S7: the month, uh, walking or running? Rolling, swimming, however you
S7: want to do it and you can do a mix
S7: of it. So we thought, you know what, we're going
S7: to get behind this, uh, a little bit more this year,
S7: and we're going to come up with our own Vision
S7: Australia radio teams. So your listeners have the opportunity to
S7: join one of our teams. Okay.
S2: And how do the listeners join up in question, Jason. Yeah,
S2: it's really simple.
S7: Sam. You can go to our website, RVA radio.org, and
S7: there's a nice big banner there for 100 K your way.
S7: You can click on that banner and all the details
S7: are there and effectively are asking if you want to
S7: get involved, get fit across the month of April, uh,
S7: do your 100 K your way. You can join one
S7: of our Vision Australia radio teams. So we will have
S7: a VA Radio Perth team and Adelaide team, a Melbourne
S7: team and a regional radio team. And you can join
S7: whichever one you want. I'm actually based in Melbourne, but
S7: I've decided to be the team captain for my peeps
S7: in Perth.
S2: Let's have a little bit of a chat about the
S2: importance of the funds that will be raised. 300 K
S2: your way. What sort of services does this money go towards?
S7: Yeah, so great question Sam. The 100 K your way
S7: effectively supports people who are living with blindness or low
S7: vision to live the life they choose. In the case
S7: of our Vision Australia radio teams, all funds raised will
S7: go to support the ongoing daily works of our national
S7: radio network. So what we're doing right now cost a
S7: bit of money. Traditionally, we've had a radiothon each year
S7: to encourage our listeners to support what we do by
S7: making a tax deductible donation. And this year, we're kind
S7: of starting with this and giving people the opportunity to
S7: do a little bit of peer to peer fundraising. So
S7: any money that you raise by carrying out your 100
S7: K challenge in the month of April, we'll go to
S7: the general works of Vision Australia Radio. So it costs
S7: us a little over $2.2 million annually to keep what
S7: you're hearing on air, right across our 17 radio services nationwide.
S7: We already know. You already know, because people like Sam
S7: do a great job of telling you weekly on talking
S7: vision of the importance of the service. So it's a
S7: really great opportunity to get fit and get behind a
S7: fundraising cause that will support what we do here at
S7: VA radio.
S2: In regards to the specifics around the websites that people
S2: can head to. Just to wrap up, Jason, what are
S2: the specific locations that people should head to?
S7: Yeah, so just remember our website because we bang on
S7: about it all day. VA radio org. It's a nice
S7: one to remember. You click on the track banner, choose
S7: which team you'd like to join, and then what you
S7: do is you set up your own little personal page
S7: and it's easy as pie. You just follow the prompts.
S7: It takes us about a minute and a half to
S7: set it up, and it'll guide you for the rest
S7: of the way, so you can then ask friends and
S7: family to support you in your cause, and you'll get
S7: little emails along that journey thanking you for the money
S7: you've raised so far. There'll be a chance to win
S7: some prizes along the way, and you can also encourage
S7: others to join the team that you've joined as well.
S7: So you can go your own way and, you know,
S7: walk each day or, you know, have a few big
S7: walks across the month and only do it on a
S7: few occasions. Totally up to you. And if you don't
S7: want to join a team, but you would like to
S7: support the cause with a donation, you can do that too.
S2: Very easy. Oh, wonderful. Okay, so that's 100 K your way.
S2: Taking place over the month of April, the whole month
S2: of April, from April 1st to April 30th, raising vital
S2: funds for Vision Australia Radio and the vital services they provide.
S7: That's right Sam, and you can sign up at any
S7: time and you can donate at any time as well.
S7: So even if you're, you know, leave it a little
S7: bit late and it's the 5th of April, 10th of April,
S7: you can sign up.
S2: Perfect. And every little bit helps. And we look forward
S2: to hearing all the stories of people out there going
S2: 100 K their way and getting fit and active for
S2: a great cause.
S7: Are you gonna do 100 KS? There are.
S2: Possibly, you know, we'll see how we go. I've been
S2: speaking today with Jason Gibbs from Virgin Australia Radio, one
S2: of the key rings. Ladies in going $100 his way
S2: over the month of April from April 1st to April 30th. Jason,
S2: thanks so much for your time today and telling us
S2: all about 100 Koa. Really look forward to hearing all
S2: the stories.
S7: Thanks, Sam. Appreciate your time.
S2: And that's all the time we have for today. You've
S2: been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
S2: Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
S2: So please get in touch anytime on our email at
S2: Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's talking vision or one
S2: word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam
S2: Cowley saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 384 746
S1: or by visiting Vision australia.org. That's Vision Australia call.