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: It's very easy to forget that other people face the
S3: same challenges as you, especially when you're going through day
S3: to day life. And it's great to just hear from
S3: other people and individuals about the experiences they've had, whether
S3: they are similar or different to yours. I love talking,
S3: I love socializing, I love listening to people's stories, and
S3: for me, 100%, that's what I love about radio and
S3: also having my voice out there being heard, especially on
S3: important topics. You know, I love the fact that I
S3: can have my voice heard, and it's such a wonderful
S3: experience to be part of radio.
S2: Welcome to the show and Happy New Year and great
S2: to be back with you for 2024. We've got a
S2: fantastic show in store for you this week as I
S2: catch up with Lizzie Eastham. Now, Lizzie is one of
S2: the new hosts of Studio One with Sam Ricard in Adelaide.
S2: She's been involved for quite a while, but now it's
S2: official she is the co-host with Sam and we look
S2: forward to hearing from her in the future on the
S2: airwaves in Adelaide. That conversation is just around the corner,
S2: so make sure to stay tuned for that one. Then,
S2: after I chat with Lizzie, Sarah from the library joins
S2: me to have a chat about some upcoming events and
S2: some new releases in the library for people to have
S2: a raid. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of
S2: Talking Vision. I'm here today with Lizzie Eastham, who joins
S2: me today from Adelaide. Now, Lizzie, apart from being an
S2: accomplished cyclist and singer, is also one of the hosts
S2: of Studio One on Virgin Australia Radio in Adelaide. And
S2: she joins me now to have a chat all about it. Lizzie,
S2: welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.
S3: Yeah, and thanks for having me, Sam. It's great to
S3: be here.
S2: Now, um, Lizzie, firstly, um, just starting off with, um,
S2: how long have you been involved in radio?
S3: So actually started working in community radio in 2015. I
S3: was part of a radio network here in South Australia
S3: called Radio Adelaide, and I was part of a youth
S3: and disability themed show called Access All Areas, as well
S3: as five other young people with disabilities. And we covered
S3: issues and topics that were, uh, hot or uh, um,
S3: of contention in the disabled community at the time. So
S3: I did that for about two and a half years.
S3: And then obviously I started again in Vision Australia, uh,
S3: in 2022. So yes, for quite some time.
S2: Okay. And is there a story behind how you got
S2: involved with Virgin Australia Radio in Adelaide?
S3: Yes. So I actually was a guest speaker at an
S3: Irish Circle event for people who had left donations in
S3: their wills for seeing eye dogs, and because I'm a
S3: seeing eye dog handler, I was asked to speak at
S3: that event and Sam Rickard, who is one of Vision
S3: Australia's radio presenters, was also co-hosting the event and I
S3: got to speaking with him and the couple of other people,
S3: including Michael Dunn, who runs Guest of Honour here in Adelaide,
S3: and I just got a foot in the door. I
S3: had a couple of chats with some amazing people who
S3: ran the station down here in Adelaide, and I started, um,
S3: as a semi-regular co-host of Studio One with, uh, Sam
S3: and Matthew when he was part of the show.
S2: Oh, wonderful. And we'll get onto Studio One in a second. But, um,
S2: just briefly, you mentioned that you're a seeing eye dog handler,
S2: and you've got your seeing eye dog, Lacey, in the background,
S2: and she's quite the personality, as I've heard. So how
S2: long have you both been together?
S3: Uh, so we've been together since July of 2015. She's
S3: just turned ten on the 1st of January, and we've
S3: had many adventures together. So many adventures. I've got hours
S3: worth of stories I could probably tell. But I won't
S3: go into too many because. Right. It's just.
S2: Have you got a favourite one?
S3: Uh, I don't know. I do have one. Uh, a
S3: mischievous one. Uh, she we went to the shops not
S3: long after I got her, and we graduated together, and
S3: me and my grandmother were looking over some cakes to
S3: get for afternoon tea. And the next thing we know,
S3: a package had clattered to the floor. And Lacey had
S3: looked up with us with a dollop of cream on
S3: her nose, and this looked as if to say I
S3: didn't do it, and she'd actually eaten the cream bun
S3: out of the container.
S2: Oh my God. Uh, yeah. That's it. Oh well, no,
S2: she's certainly a bit of a character. But, um, speaking
S2: of characters, I'm sure there's quite a few characters involved with, um,
S2: Studio One. So you're officially joining forces, as you've mentioned, with, um,
S2: Sam Richard there. And, you know, what are you looking
S2: forward to the most?
S3: I'm looking forward to some of the topics that we're
S3: doing this year and speaking to some really awesome people. Uh,
S3: we're doing a lot more about sport this year. Um,
S3: and we're doing an episode on dating in a few weeks,
S3: I believe. So I just look forward to speaking to
S3: different people each week and covering topics that are of
S3: importance within the blind and vision impaired community.
S2: Um, there's some there's quite a bit of, um, similarity between, um,
S2: Studio One and Talking Vision. But to give listeners a
S2: bit more of an insight, could you give us a
S2: background on what, um, Studio One is all about?
S3: Yeah. So we look at life through the, uh, through
S3: the point of view of blind and low vision people.
S3: So we cover topics that are experienced in day to
S3: day life, such as the traveling. And last year we
S3: did a show called puppy or the stick as an example.
S3: So we looked at the pros and cons of the
S3: cane versus a guide dog. Um, we've done shows on
S3: cooking fashion, so it's just all about the day to
S3: day experiences of people who are blind or have low
S3: vision and how we navigate certain situations, whether it be socially, professionally, um, in. Sports, dieting, cooking,
S3: all that, sort of, you know, um, things that, you know,
S3: you wouldn't usually think about, but just issues that blind
S3: and vision impaired people often have a lot of trouble
S3: with or have funny stories with. It's not all serious.
S3: We do actually talk to a lot of funny people
S3: and have some great stories. It's a great part of
S3: that show.
S2: Now that's super important to have. Definitely a bit more
S2: of a lighthearted angle on things because, you know, sometimes
S2: life can get a bit too serious and a bit
S2: full on. So it's great to have that balance there.
S2: And as I understand, there's a few more sort of
S2: themes with all the the shows rather than talking vision,
S2: which is a bit more sort of interview based and
S2: current affair based and a bit of a different focus.
S2: So that's interesting how they both complement each other quite nicely. Now,
S2: as you've said before, you have been involved in radio
S2: since some 2015. So what do you enjoy the most
S2: about radio and what sort of being the biggest sort
S2: of life changing thing for you?
S3: Oh, I would have to say the people meeting different people,
S3: talking to new people, just getting other people's perspective on life,
S3: it's very easy to forget that other people face the
S3: same challenges as you, especially when you're going through day
S3: to day life. And it's great to just hear from
S3: other people and individuals about the experiences they've had, whether
S3: they are similar or different to yours. And I just,
S3: I love talking, I love socialising, I love listening to
S3: people's stories. And for me, 100%, that's what I love
S3: about radio and also having my voice out there being heard,
S3: especially on important topics. You know, I love the fact
S3: that I can can have my voice heard and, and
S3: it's such a wonderful experience to be part of radio.
S2: Um, it is for sure. And outside of radio, though,
S2: you also have quite a few strings to your bow. You've, um,
S2: also recently participated in the nationals in para cycling. So
S2: tell us a bit about that and how that went.
S3: Yeah, that was a lot of fun. So the Parasailing
S3: Road Nationals are held were held in Ballarat this year
S3: in Buninyong from the 3rd to the 7th of January.
S3: On the 4th of January we had our time trial.
S3: So I compete in the women's tandem category. Um, we
S3: came fourth in the time trial, had a few mechanical
S3: issues which cost us some time, unfortunately, but I'm very
S3: happy to say that we actually got a bronze in
S3: the road race, the 41 kilometre course with a lot
S3: of climbing, and we did really well. I'm super stoked
S3: with how we went. My pilot and I have only
S3: been training together for a year and it was just
S3: great that we could get out and set some personal
S3: records and just be a really strong team, and also
S3: get to know other tandem riders as well.
S2: Um, that's fantastic news for that. Um, that bronze medal.
S2: That's really cool. Now, you've said there that you've been
S2: together with your pilot for one year, but how long
S2: have you been tandem cycling all up?
S3: Well, on and off since about 2013. So back in 2013, uh,
S3: on cycling had a para cycling development programme out at
S3: the velodrome in Jetzt cross here in Adelaide. So I
S3: was part of that. Um, I had a track pilot
S3: and we trained together once a week on the track. Uh,
S3: then later that year I got involved with a road
S3: program that's no longer around, but it was one of
S3: the only places outside of the South Australian Institute of
S3: Sport that, uh, trained tandem cyclists. Uh, I'm talking I
S3: had a few years off because of moving and different
S3: life circumstances, but I got back into it again in
S3: June of 2022, and I haven't looked back ever since.
S2: And had you been involved in sports or exercise things
S2: before you got involved in tandem cycling 11 years ago
S2: now would be.
S3: Yeah, not a whole lot. So I guess as a
S3: kid in primary school, I did cross-country. I loved cross-country running.
S3: It was great. But, um, during high school, more of
S3: an emphasis was placed on academics because I was quite
S3: good at music. So I did a lot of musical stuff. Uh,
S3: you know, I did was a vocal performer. So I
S3: did that on piano and also, um, focused on my schoolwork.
S3: And there wasn't really any time for sports or exercise
S3: outside of that. But when I reached my last year
S3: of school, I, I did a bit of a research
S3: project on. Exercise and the brain and things like that
S3: for psychology and I, I became aware of the importance
S3: of movement and fitness to human beings. And that's when
S3: I really started getting into exercising and training. And then, yeah,
S3: a year later, I started turning cycling. So. Oh, wow. Yeah,
S3: not too much. I haven't always been a sporty person,
S3: but I love it. I absolutely enjoy getting out there,
S3: giving it my all and being the best athlete I
S3: can be.
S2: All right. And you've mentioned there you are also quite
S2: a musical person. You're quite the accomplished singer, as I
S2: understand it. And, um, I should mention you've been involved
S2: with music for quite a while since high school. Was
S2: there one sort of point where you really found out? Oh,
S2: you know, I really I love music, I love singing,
S2: I love, you know, playing instruments and being involved in
S2: the music side of things. Or did it sort of just,
S2: I guess gradually happen?
S3: Well, apparently if you listen to my family and what
S3: they have to say, I've been singing since I was
S3: a toddler. Queen was my favorite band, apparently. Um, and
S3: I would wake up at 2:00 in the morning singing
S3: Queen songs, which I can kind of believe, actually. All right. Um,
S3: but I actually got into singing and playing the piano
S3: when I was eight. Um, I, it was recognized by
S3: the music teacher at my school at the time that
S3: I was quite good. So I've actually been in doing
S3: music and studying it and performing since I was eight
S3: years old. Um, I didn't know what instrument or, um,
S3: I was going to pursue at that time, but it
S3: was realized pretty quickly that I was a good singer.
S3: So I've always gone with singing, and I play a
S3: little bit of piano to accompany myself. But I'm not
S3: the world's greatest pianist or anything.
S2: Oh yeah, because it is really tricky to, you know,
S2: sing and play the piano. I think anyone who can
S2: do both really well, that's an incredible effort of giving
S2: it a crack here and there. But it's it's definitely
S2: not the easiest. So it's great to be able to
S2: do both of them reasonably well at all. So I
S2: can certainly relate with that. So I've been speaking today
S2: with Lizzie Eastham, who is alongside Sam Richard, one of
S2: the hosts of Studio one at Virgin Australia Radio in Adelaide. Oh,
S2: I've had the great opportunity to chat with today all
S2: about it. Let's see. Thank you so much for your
S2: time today. It was great to catch up with you
S2: and hear about all of your work in community radio,
S2: and more recently with Vision Australia Radio in Adelaide with
S2: Studio One.
S3: Thank you and thank you very much for having me.
S3: And if you want to get in touch with the show,
S3: you can email us at studio one at Vision Australia. Org.
S3: Just thought I'd get that in there. Perfect.
S2: That's studio one at Vision shire.org. Thanks so much Lizzie.
S2: Thank you. I'm Sam Kelly and you're listening to Talking
S2: Vision on Vision Australia. Radio associated stations of Disability Media
S2: Australia and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed
S2: that conversation there with Lizzie Eastham from Studio One in Adelaide.
S2: If you missed any part of that interview with Lizzie,
S2: I'd love to hear any part of it again. Talking
S2: vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website at
S2: RVA radio.org. That's RVA radio.org. You can also find the
S2: show on the podcast app of your choice or through
S2: the Vision Australia library. And speaking of the Vision Australia Library,
S2: here is Sarah Bladon to join me right now. I'm
S2: here today with Sarah from the library for one of
S2: the first library chats of the New Year. Happy new year, Sarah.
S4: Happy New year, Sam. So nice to be back 2024.
S4: I don't know how that has happened. Yeah, but wonderful
S4: to be back. Our library has just reopened, so we're
S4: very excited for a big year.
S2: Oh, fantastic. Now, um, we're opening up the new year
S2: with a few programs, so tell us a bit about them.
S4: Yeah, so we're really excited to have lots of amazing
S4: programs happening in the library again this year. Uh, for
S4: any of our library members that have attended our programs
S4: in the past, you'll recognize some of the awesome things
S4: that we have, some of our regulars, but we're also
S4: having some new and exciting things for 2024. Um, so
S4: our first one is coming up on the 14th of February,
S4: which a lot of people think of as Valentine's Day.
S4: But in the library world, we call it Library Lovers Day.
S4: And we're having a treat your shelf event, which if
S4: anybody has come along before, um, it's just an opportunity
S4: for book lovers to tune in, to chat about books,
S4: but also to get inspiration for your next read. So
S4: please feel free to come along. Whether you've been before
S4: or this would be your first time. Um, you're welcome
S4: to just listen and get some ideas of what to
S4: read next, but we always love to hear kind of
S4: what you're reading, what you'd like to read more of,
S4: and just chat about all those nerdy book things. Um,
S4: and our next event following that is we have an
S4: in conversation. So in conversation, events happen four times a year,
S4: and we have the opportunity to welcome absolutely amazing authors
S4: and creators to chat with us. And it's wonderful for
S4: our clients because you'll get some time, uh, to ask
S4: questions that you might have had kind of burning questions
S4: of an author about their book or their process. Um,
S4: so they really welcome that. So our first one will
S4: be on March 25th, and we're having Alexis Wright come along,
S4: who will be interviewed by Astrid Edwards. Alexis Wright is phenomenal.
S4: She's the author of the prize winning novels Carpentaria and
S4: The Swan Book. She's actually the only author to win
S4: both the Miles Franklin Award and the Stella Prize. And
S4: her latest novel, is praiseworthy, which has recently received the
S4: Queensland Literary Award for fiction. So that will be absolutely
S4: wonderful event that's online. Um, so feel free to register.
S4: Information will be on our library website to come along. And, um,
S4: as always, our programs are completely free. I should mention that.
S2: Oh, wonderful. That's great news.
S4: Yeah it is. And then we know that as much
S4: as we have so many, um, reading lovers in the library,
S4: we also have people that are wanting to write as well.
S4: So we have a great program of writing, uh, different
S4: programs this year. Some of those will be writing for children.
S4: So if you've ever wanted to write a picture book
S4: or write a story for, um, school children, that will
S4: be great. We've got our memoir Writing Back Again that
S4: is popular every single year. We always get more people
S4: than we can fit. Um, so that's an opportunity to
S4: really bring your own story to life, whether it's for
S4: yourself and your family, for your memories, or you'd like
S4: to potentially create something that you could have published. Um,
S4: we will support you to kind of start on that journey.
S4: We'll also this is a new one for 2024 is
S4: flash fiction. Um, so some people might know it as
S4: short story writing, but it's great. Um, and it's hard.
S4: I think people think writing a short story is easy,
S4: but you've got to pack so much into maybe 500 words,
S4: so that's going to be really fun. I'm looking forward
S4: to that one.
S2: Yeah, that's definitely a skill in and of itself. So
S2: looking forward to seeing how that, um, pans out.
S4: Yeah, absolutely. And writing for wellbeing is back again. So
S4: writing for wellbeing was super popular in 2023. Um, it's
S4: an opportunity to use writing, I guess, as a bit
S4: of a cathartic way to share and understand our own
S4: feelings about things. Um, and use it as part of
S4: kind of a wellbeing schedule. So that is a really
S4: lovely program as well for all of these. Um, you
S4: can register your interest on our website or I can
S4: give the details at the end. Um, please feel free
S4: to come along. We would love to welcome new faces,
S4: and we'd also love to welcome back people that have
S4: attended programs before.
S2: Perfect. And. Sarah. There's quite a few exciting new releases
S2: to tell us all about. So what sort of books
S2: are jumping out for you and something you'd love to
S2: get your teeth into?
S4: Yeah, absolutely. We've got lots of great new things. We've
S4: always got new books in the library. A couple that
S4: caught my eye is Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton. Um, now,
S4: a few of you might know Trent Dalton. His book,
S4: Boy Swallows Universe is one of, I think, Australia's most
S4: beloved book. And he's brought out a new book. And
S4: we've also, I noted we've got the new Richard Osman.
S4: So anybody that's enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club, which are
S4: they're described as cosy crime, which I find it of
S4: quite a funny term. Um, but because you don't want
S4: to say it's lovely, but I guess, you know, there
S4: are these, um, crime novels that are very kind of, um,
S4: enjoyable in a way. They're set in a nursing.
S2: Engaging. Yeah.
S4: So here are the Thursday Murder Club is what his
S4: series is called. Um, so if you haven't read them,
S4: they're just at wonderful time. Um, I really enjoyed them.
S4: And I also was just. I mean, I don't know
S4: about you, Sam, but I definitely watch too much, um,
S4: TV during the break. And a lot of amazing, uh,
S4: movies and series on Netflix have come from books. So
S4: I wanted to mention a couple that I know have
S4: been kind of trending on Netflix or streaming services. I'm
S4: not sure if that one. Exactly. Um, Lessons in Chemistry
S4: is one of those. So that was actually a book,
S4: and I just read this book. I sold 6 million
S4: copies worldwide. It's an absolute sensation. I know, um, the
S4: author is Bonnie Gamez. Um, and it's about a chemist
S4: called Elizabeth, um, who finds herself somehow, um, as the
S4: host of America's most beloved cooking show. Um, and her
S4: approach to cooking, I guess, is quite scientific and quite different. Um,
S4: but not only does she kind of teach women to cook,
S4: she's really daring them to change the status quo. Um,
S4: it's a really wonderful story. It's set in the 1960s.
S4: Very empowering. Um, but also very funny. So, uh, certainly
S4: for anybody that's enjoyed the TV series, I would encourage
S4: you to go back to the book. Uh, 6 million
S4: people can't be wrong, right?
S2: Yeah, for sure.
S4: And enjoy that. And another one that's been kind of
S4: trending recently is killers of the Flower Moon, which was
S4: a recent movie, I believe, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and it's
S4: actually based on a nonfiction book. So this one's a
S4: little bit heavier and certainly kind of one maybe for
S4: your true crime, um, or non-fiction lovers. Um, it's by
S4: David Grann, and it's about a true story, um, in
S4: the 1920s that the richest people per capita in the
S4: world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma.
S4: And then one by one, uh, members of this family
S4: begin to be killed off. And the FBI then comes
S4: in to investigate what is happening and to uncover a
S4: really a kind of a heinous, uh, number of crimes
S4: and expose a lot of prejudice in America in the 1920s.
S4: So it's quite a devastating and compelling read, a little heavy,
S4: but certainly so well researched. And the book is very readable,
S4: even for kind of non, uh, lovers of fiction. It
S4: reads really, really well and it's such a crazy story.
S4: But definitely if you if you enjoyed the movie or
S4: you're a true crime, uh, enthusiast, that one.
S2: That's quite a lot of those. Uh, as I understand it, we, um,
S2: we get a lot of true crime buffs and people
S2: who love their, their mysteries and their, their crime novels.
S2: So it's always a hugely popular genre in the Australia Library.
S2: So looking forward to seeing, um, that um, continue now. Um, Sarah, just, um,
S2: before we, um, wrap up, let's, um, get a few details. So, um,
S2: we'll talk about those programs before, but also if people
S2: would like to head along and have a look and
S2: borrow a few of those books that we've been chatting about,
S2: where is the best place for them to do that?
S4: Yeah, absolutely. So, uh, our website has lots of information. Um,
S4: so Vision Australia, org slash library. Um, so there you
S4: can register for the library if you're not a member.
S4: We're a completely free library service. We have audio books,
S4: braille books and children's literacy kits. Uh, so please feel
S4: free to join the library. Um, we can support you
S4: to read how you would like to read. And on
S4: that same website, you will find information about the different
S4: programs that we have and an opportunity to register if
S4: you're just after more information, also feel free to email
S4: the library at any time. We're library at Vision Australia.
S4: Org if you had a question about any anything really
S4: to do with the library, whether it's joining or some
S4: of our programs or we even have staff that can support.
S4: If you're just not sure what to read next, or
S4: you want some more information about a particular book or genre, that's.
S2: Library at Vision australia.org library at Vision australia.org to shoot
S2: them an email. Or you can also of course give
S2: them a ring on one three. Hundred 654656. That's 1300 654 656.
S2: For all your library inquiries, I've been speaking today with
S2: Sarah from the library all about the upcoming programs and
S2: some exciting new books coming to the Australia Library. Sarah,
S2: thanks so much for your time today. It was a
S2: pleasure to catch up with you to chat all about
S2: the library.
S4: Thanks so much.
S2: And that's all we have time for today. You've been
S2: listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a production of
S2: Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together. And remember we love your feedback and comments.
S2: So please do get in touch on Talking Vision at
S2: Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org.
S2: But until next week it's Sam. Cool saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Virgin Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 384 74
S1: six or by visiting Virgin australia.org. That's Vision Australia call.