WEBVTT - Talking Vision 739 Week Beginning 29th of July 2024 0:00:13.158 --> 0:00:18.948 From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's 0:00:18.948 --> 0:00:20.928 your host, Sam Coley. 0:00:23.388 --> 0:00:26.598 Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And 0:00:26.598 --> 0:00:29.538 for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness 0:00:29.538 --> 0:00:30.678 and low vision. 0:00:30.678 --> 0:00:35.378 People with disabilities have their disabilities created by the ignorance 0:00:35.378 --> 0:00:38.828 and intolerance of the world around them, not by themselves. 0:00:38.828 --> 0:00:41.288 And I think the more we can do to bring 0:00:41.288 --> 0:00:44.438 forward the really great capabilities of people who are in 0:00:44.438 --> 0:00:47.048 the blindness and low vision community, to have them being 0:00:47.048 --> 0:00:49.778 first choice for jobs and living in an environment that 0:00:49.778 --> 0:00:52.898 really suits and is built for them. It's just a 0:00:52.898 --> 0:00:55.178 really important challenge for all Australians. 0:00:55.208 --> 0:00:59.308 Welcome to the program. We've got a jam packed show 0:00:59.308 --> 0:01:03.028 for you this week with some big news from Vision 0:01:03.028 --> 0:01:07.768 Australia CEO Ron Horton, who will be finishing up as 0:01:07.768 --> 0:01:12.358 CEO as of the 2nd of August. You'll hear from 0:01:12.358 --> 0:01:14.968 Ron later on in the show as I catch up 0:01:14.968 --> 0:01:18.508 with him on Talking Vision to take a look back 0:01:18.508 --> 0:01:23.408 over the past 11.5 years, but also look to the 0:01:23.408 --> 0:01:26.918 future and find out what perhaps may be next in 0:01:26.918 --> 0:01:30.428 store for him down the track. But before you hear 0:01:30.428 --> 0:01:34.478 from Ron, I catch up with Daniel Fenech, the director 0:01:34.478 --> 0:01:40.358 of the Blind See, a documentary featuring blind surfer, cyclist 0:01:40.358 --> 0:01:45.788 and Paralympian Matt Formston which will be coming out in August, 0:01:45.788 --> 0:01:50.068 so make sure to check your local cinemas. I hope 0:01:50.068 --> 0:01:58.738 you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Kicking off 0:01:58.738 --> 0:02:02.488 the show this week, I chat with Daniel Fenech. I 0:02:02.488 --> 0:02:06.388 began the conversation with Daniel by asking him to give 0:02:06.388 --> 0:02:09.748 an overview of his documentary, The Blind See? 0:02:10.198 --> 0:02:13.458 Sure. So the Blind See is a documentary. It's about 0:02:13.458 --> 0:02:18.078 former Paralympic cyclist and four time world champion para surfer 0:02:18.078 --> 0:02:21.138 Matt Formston, who a lot of your listeners are at 0:02:21.138 --> 0:02:24.048 Vision Australia might have heard of before, is quite proactive 0:02:24.048 --> 0:02:26.808 with the VA community. So this is a documentary on 0:02:26.808 --> 0:02:29.418 Matt's life. But, you know, as part of, I guess, 0:02:29.418 --> 0:02:32.298 the adventure of of following somebody to do a documentary, 0:02:32.298 --> 0:02:35.598 we actually followed him on his journey to go big 0:02:35.598 --> 0:02:39.638 wave surfing. So we took Matt to Nazaré where he 0:02:39.638 --> 0:02:42.158 surfed what turned out to be a world record wave 0:02:42.158 --> 0:02:44.558 for a male visually impaired so far. 0:02:44.588 --> 0:02:49.508 Oh my God. Okay. Yeah. That's amazing. Tell me about 0:02:49.508 --> 0:02:52.838 that world record wave that Matt was involved with. I'm 0:02:52.838 --> 0:02:55.628 pretty sure not only myself, but a lot of the 0:02:55.628 --> 0:02:59.258 listeners out there, probably full of questions like, you know, 0:02:59.258 --> 0:03:01.878 how does that even happen? How do you set up 0:03:01.878 --> 0:03:05.328 the opportunity for, you know, something like that to even 0:03:05.328 --> 0:03:06.288 come about? 0:03:06.438 --> 0:03:09.798 Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was that caught us by surprise, actually. 0:03:09.798 --> 0:03:12.228 So when we set out to make this film, we 0:03:12.228 --> 0:03:14.898 were actually planning on shooting it exclusively in Australia. There's 0:03:14.898 --> 0:03:17.508 plenty of great spots all along the East coast. And 0:03:17.508 --> 0:03:20.478 what unfortunately happened for us is, you know, obviously weather 0:03:20.478 --> 0:03:22.968 changes and things. We didn't get the swells that we 0:03:22.968 --> 0:03:25.298 were looking for. So that year in pre through Covid 0:03:25.298 --> 0:03:28.118 we didn't get the monster winter swells that normally happen. 0:03:28.118 --> 0:03:29.858 And then the following year when we did get into 0:03:29.858 --> 0:03:32.648 production didn't happen either. And I turned to Dylan Longbottom 0:03:32.648 --> 0:03:34.598 who's our kind of Mr. Miyagi of the movie. He's 0:03:34.598 --> 0:03:37.358 like a big wave legend. He's a surfboard shaper, makes 0:03:37.358 --> 0:03:39.698 all the, you know, the big wave surfboards. You know, 0:03:39.698 --> 0:03:41.948 for all the pro big wave surfers like Chumbo and Justine. 0:03:41.948 --> 0:03:44.018 So I turned to Dylan. I go, mate, we're not 0:03:44.018 --> 0:03:45.548 really having any luck in Australia. Do you think we 0:03:45.548 --> 0:03:48.578 can get married to Nasreen back alive? Dylan thought for 0:03:48.578 --> 0:03:52.558 a minute. Oh, yeah, 100%. So, you know, we, you know, scrambled. 0:03:52.558 --> 0:03:55.648 A month later, we're on a plane off to Portugal, 0:03:55.768 --> 0:03:57.778 and we get there and like the whole lead up 0:03:57.778 --> 0:04:00.748 to it, there was like, weather reports saying, Big Mama's coming. 0:04:00.748 --> 0:04:02.518 Big Mama's coming. And for those who know, who don't 0:04:02.518 --> 0:04:04.348 know how it kind of works, they're big. Mama is 0:04:04.348 --> 0:04:06.508 like the big 100 foot wave that everyone dreams of. 0:04:06.508 --> 0:04:08.578 So we had two weather systems that were going to 0:04:08.578 --> 0:04:10.588 collide and create Big Mama, and we're going to get 0:04:10.588 --> 0:04:12.478 like The Ride of a life. And Matt was like 0:04:12.478 --> 0:04:15.468 training hard. He's doing his breath holes and his toe 0:04:15.468 --> 0:04:17.358 training and everything that he had to do to prepare 0:04:17.358 --> 0:04:19.728 himself because he, you know, it was coming. And it 0:04:19.728 --> 0:04:22.398 turns out Big Mama didn't come. And there was just 0:04:22.398 --> 0:04:25.668 this monster mash up of storms and whitewash, and we 0:04:25.668 --> 0:04:28.128 actually couldn't get Matty out onto the water until the 0:04:28.128 --> 0:04:32.238 last day, which was extremely stressful. So when we finally 0:04:32.238 --> 0:04:34.368 did get out there, Marty had a pretty good run. 0:04:34.368 --> 0:04:37.438 And that last wave, um, we saw it. We all 0:04:37.438 --> 0:04:40.318 just could not believe what we saw. And Maddy picked 0:04:40.318 --> 0:04:42.838 up a world record. You know, we had it measured 0:04:42.838 --> 0:04:44.968 and we had it certified and yeah, picked up a 0:04:45.118 --> 0:04:48.268 Guinness World Record for the largest wave surfed by a 0:04:48.268 --> 0:04:52.318 vision impaired male at 50 something feet, which is a 0:04:52.318 --> 0:04:54.898 five story building. So he was surfing a five story 0:04:54.898 --> 0:04:56.668 building at about 70km an hour. 0:04:57.208 --> 0:05:02.448 Oh my God. That's incredible. And, yeah, you've got something 0:05:02.448 --> 0:05:04.908 else in store for us on the end of that 0:05:04.908 --> 0:05:05.508 as well. 0:05:05.568 --> 0:05:08.598 Yes, yes, yes. One of the things that was really interesting, 0:05:08.598 --> 0:05:10.578 because I don't serve, one of the things I found 0:05:10.578 --> 0:05:13.098 really interesting was that apart from riding the wave, one 0:05:13.098 --> 0:05:16.098 of the best moments when you're surfing is those conversations 0:05:16.098 --> 0:05:17.838 you have out back with your mates. So you paddle 0:05:17.838 --> 0:05:19.218 out the back and you're sitting on the board and 0:05:19.218 --> 0:05:20.988 you're waiting for your set to come. And those are 0:05:20.988 --> 0:05:23.928 some of the best moments and memories people have. Waterproof 0:05:23.928 --> 0:05:27.278 microphones don't really exist, and the kind of coming through now, 0:05:27.278 --> 0:05:31.238 but we rigged up some specialist microphones that could record locally, 0:05:31.238 --> 0:05:34.028 so we actually waterproof these microphones and sent the boys 0:05:34.028 --> 0:05:36.668 out back with these microphones on. So one of the 0:05:36.668 --> 0:05:39.308 things about this film is it's all about inclusion. Well, 0:05:39.308 --> 0:05:41.498 that's one of our key themes. And you get to 0:05:41.498 --> 0:05:44.018 see people from all over the world with all different 0:05:44.018 --> 0:05:47.048 skill sets, helping me achieve his dream. And one of 0:05:47.048 --> 0:05:50.288 the ways we demonstrated that was having those microphones. And 0:05:50.288 --> 0:05:51.688 I don't even know if there is a movie out 0:05:51.688 --> 0:05:54.148 there yet where you can hear so clearly what goes on. 0:05:54.148 --> 0:05:56.038 But you can, you know, you can hear them cheering 0:05:56.038 --> 0:05:58.618 and psyching Maddie up and all those moments that lead 0:05:58.618 --> 0:06:01.198 up to riding that wave. And you can see how 0:06:01.198 --> 0:06:03.298 hard it is because because you were invited into that 0:06:03.298 --> 0:06:05.368 world and you're part of that journey. And that's something 0:06:05.368 --> 0:06:06.928 that we're quite proud of as well. It's like you 0:06:06.928 --> 0:06:09.388 get to peer behind the curtain and see, like everything 0:06:09.388 --> 0:06:11.038 that goes on, which is exciting. 0:06:11.068 --> 0:06:13.888 Speaking of those little sounds you pick up and all 0:06:13.888 --> 0:06:17.078 that sort of thing, you've been quite involved with quite 0:06:17.078 --> 0:06:19.988 a few people on the soundtrack. A lot of indie 0:06:19.988 --> 0:06:23.648 artists and a lot of people who've contributed to the 0:06:23.648 --> 0:06:27.008 music for the film. So tell us a bit about them. 0:06:27.398 --> 0:06:30.638 Yeah, yeah. So obviously the sound design is extremely important. 0:06:30.638 --> 0:06:33.338 We've got a great review, someone saying that this film 0:06:33.338 --> 0:06:35.618 has to be heard just as much as seen. We 0:06:35.618 --> 0:06:37.208 put a lot of effort into the sound and obviously 0:06:37.208 --> 0:06:40.108 the guys at massive were incredible. We have a composer 0:06:40.108 --> 0:06:43.168 who composed a couple of like the key moments in 0:06:43.168 --> 0:06:45.748 the film, like pivotal emotional scenes with being an indie film, 0:06:45.748 --> 0:06:48.598 our budgets were like tiny, tiny, tiny. So one of 0:06:48.598 --> 0:06:50.488 the things that I did was I reached out to 0:06:50.488 --> 0:06:52.558 a whole stack of indie musicians that I like and 0:06:52.558 --> 0:06:54.448 I follow, and I said, hey, look, you've got this 0:06:54.448 --> 0:06:56.248 track here or that track there. It's beautiful, you know? 0:06:56.248 --> 0:06:58.288 How do you feel about it being in a movie 0:06:58.288 --> 0:06:59.878 because it fits so well. And a lot of these 0:06:59.878 --> 0:07:01.468 musicians were like, well, if you like that, I've got 0:07:01.468 --> 0:07:03.708 this whole library of just like little ditties and things. 0:07:03.708 --> 0:07:05.988 So the majority of the film, I'm quite proud of 0:07:05.988 --> 0:07:08.418 this because we're an indie production company. It's an indie film, 0:07:08.418 --> 0:07:11.598 but the majority of the music was produced by indie 0:07:11.598 --> 0:07:14.418 musicians as well. So unsigned artists who are out there 0:07:14.418 --> 0:07:17.088 week after week just peddling their music and their career, 0:07:17.088 --> 0:07:19.488 you know, got an opportunity to have their music played 0:07:19.488 --> 0:07:21.618 at the Sydney Film Festival in a few weeks. We're 0:07:21.618 --> 0:07:23.268 playing at the Sydney Opera House. Like they get to 0:07:23.268 --> 0:07:25.068 have their music on one of the biggest platforms in 0:07:25.068 --> 0:07:27.168 the country, and we're so stoked we can all come 0:07:27.168 --> 0:07:28.058 together for this. 0:07:28.238 --> 0:07:32.138 Yeah. That's amazing. Hopefully it launches a few careers. Yes. 0:07:32.138 --> 0:07:35.348 Keep our fingers crossed there for sure. Now, Dan, I 0:07:35.348 --> 0:07:38.978 want to go back to that relationship between you and 0:07:38.978 --> 0:07:42.548 Matt in particular. Had you known Matt for quite a while, 0:07:42.548 --> 0:07:44.588 how did you get connected up with him? 0:07:44.588 --> 0:07:46.718 Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'd known Matty for quite a while. 0:07:46.718 --> 0:07:49.658 We both worked together at Optus, which is his day job, 0:07:49.658 --> 0:07:54.558 and I was making content for his Rio Paralympic cycling campaign. 0:07:54.558 --> 0:07:57.258 So that's when I first met Manuel shooting stuff together. 0:07:57.258 --> 0:07:58.848 And and I always said to him, I said, look, 0:07:58.848 --> 0:08:01.878 you've got a really good story. It's pretty inspiring, but 0:08:01.878 --> 0:08:05.088 it's also really interesting and you should really think about 0:08:05.088 --> 0:08:08.088 getting a documentary made. And it turns out I wasn't 0:08:08.088 --> 0:08:09.798 the only person that had been saying it to him. And, 0:08:09.798 --> 0:08:12.108 you know, a couple of years later, I'd moved on and, 0:08:12.108 --> 0:08:13.998 you know, we'd stayed in contact. And he goes, oh, Dan, 0:08:13.998 --> 0:08:15.978 I'm ready to tell my story. And I'm like, dude, 0:08:15.978 --> 0:08:17.678 I think I'm ready to tell it. Because back then 0:08:17.678 --> 0:08:19.988 I was just coming up through the ranks. And, you know, 0:08:19.988 --> 0:08:22.238 I'd sort of gotten a lot better over the years, like, 0:08:22.238 --> 0:08:24.368 can you let me have a crack? And that was it. 0:08:24.368 --> 0:08:26.798 It was just, you know, trust both ways. So it 0:08:26.798 --> 0:08:29.378 sort of took us about a year or so to 0:08:29.378 --> 0:08:32.258 develop the story and get the initial sort of funding 0:08:32.258 --> 0:08:35.528 in place. Um, and then once that first sponsor jumped 0:08:35.528 --> 0:08:37.868 on board, it kind of like it just, you know, 0:08:37.868 --> 0:08:40.238 just sort of like steamrolled after that. And then the 0:08:40.238 --> 0:08:43.888 whole project itself took about four years from start to finish. Wow. 0:08:43.918 --> 0:08:48.688 Okay. Yeah. Yeah, that's pretty incredible. And that's four year journey. 0:08:48.688 --> 0:08:51.478 And then you know, and the start of that was um, 0:08:51.478 --> 0:08:55.348 in amongst Covid and all the curveballs that that threw 0:08:55.348 --> 0:08:58.768 and um, your direction no doubt. But um, so which 0:08:58.768 --> 0:08:59.188 is good for. 0:08:59.188 --> 0:09:01.738 Us for um, because we developed all the pre through Covid, 0:09:01.738 --> 0:09:03.298 so we didn't really have to go anywhere. There was 0:09:03.298 --> 0:09:07.038 no distractions. Oh That was help. That turned out really helpful. 0:09:07.038 --> 0:09:09.228 But yeah, the first shoot was like straight after the 0:09:09.228 --> 0:09:11.478 gates had opened and they let international travel happen. So 0:09:11.478 --> 0:09:13.818 they were like straight out there to get started. Wow. 0:09:13.818 --> 0:09:16.968 That's unbelievable. Give us a bit of an insight into 0:09:16.968 --> 0:09:20.808 those four years, what the process was like there and 0:09:20.808 --> 0:09:23.118 all that sort of thing. What was that like for 0:09:23.118 --> 0:09:23.808 you and the team? 0:09:24.348 --> 0:09:26.148 Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I spent a lot of time 0:09:26.148 --> 0:09:28.428 with Matty just chatting about his story and the legacy 0:09:28.428 --> 0:09:31.498 he wanted to leave. What sort of, you know, messages 0:09:31.498 --> 0:09:33.568 that were kind of important to him, or life lessons 0:09:33.568 --> 0:09:35.398 that were important to him and kind of who was 0:09:35.398 --> 0:09:37.378 in his circle. So as a filmmaker, I was doing 0:09:37.378 --> 0:09:39.928 a lot of that groundwork just to work out what 0:09:39.928 --> 0:09:41.518 the story was going to be and how we were 0:09:41.518 --> 0:09:44.848 going to tell it. And then aesthetically, I spoke to 0:09:44.848 --> 0:09:48.448 Matt at length about movies, too, because obviously Matt's got 0:09:48.448 --> 0:09:51.418 like 3% vision. He's got macular dystrophy. So he only 0:09:51.418 --> 0:09:54.738 sees in his peripherals like maybe how do you watch movies? 0:09:54.738 --> 0:09:58.038 So we spoke a lot about what worked for him, 0:09:58.038 --> 0:10:01.128 what didn't work for him. And it kind of shaped 0:10:01.128 --> 0:10:05.058 the way we built the whole edit from those initial conversations. So, 0:10:05.058 --> 0:10:06.798 you know, some of the things that we applied is 0:10:06.798 --> 0:10:09.408 we kept characters to an absolute minimum. So there's still 0:10:09.408 --> 0:10:11.448 a handful of characters, but, you know, there's not too 0:10:11.448 --> 0:10:13.428 many people. And the other thing too, is I actually 0:10:13.428 --> 0:10:15.288 watched a lot of movies without the vision on just 0:10:15.288 --> 0:10:17.948 to put myself in that perspective. So yeah, limiting the 0:10:17.948 --> 0:10:20.228 amount of characters was pretty important. So that way it 0:10:20.228 --> 0:10:22.868 wasn't too disorientating and we used quite a lot of 0:10:22.868 --> 0:10:26.528 observational sequences. So a lot of the cues that Marty 0:10:26.528 --> 0:10:28.178 and I'm sure a lot of your listeners would use 0:10:28.178 --> 0:10:30.248 when you just sort of out and about in public, like, 0:10:30.248 --> 0:10:32.258 you know, you get a feel for a person's personality 0:10:32.258 --> 0:10:34.628 through their mannerisms and their intonation and the way they 0:10:34.628 --> 0:10:37.448 speak and just sort of allowing the scene to have 0:10:37.448 --> 0:10:40.208 those moments. You can kind of bond, I guess, with 0:10:40.208 --> 0:10:43.858 the characters on screen. And then also found that documentaries 0:10:43.858 --> 0:10:45.598 that were just like, you know, one person talks and 0:10:45.598 --> 0:10:47.338 then you cut to another person talking, and then there's 0:10:47.338 --> 0:10:49.948 just overlay vision, but it's just two people, three people 0:10:49.948 --> 0:10:51.898 backwards and forwards talking. You kind of lose track of 0:10:51.898 --> 0:10:54.178 who's who. So we kind of kept all that sort 0:10:54.178 --> 0:10:57.148 of talking head to a minimum. But yeah, we just 0:10:57.148 --> 0:10:59.308 let a lot of the observational sequences happen and we 0:10:59.308 --> 0:11:01.228 spent quite a lot of time in sound design too. 0:11:01.258 --> 0:11:04.798 So the crew over at Massive Music were just incredible, 0:11:04.798 --> 0:11:06.908 the way that they handled the sound design, like a 0:11:06.908 --> 0:11:08.918 lot of detail, like we did, you know, not just 0:11:08.918 --> 0:11:12.068 like the diegetic soundscape when you're outside and in the environment, 0:11:12.068 --> 0:11:14.408 but also things like, we took Matt for an eye 0:11:14.438 --> 0:11:16.838 test for Doctor Sam and just having all the little 0:11:16.838 --> 0:11:19.268 gadgets and gizmos and touching and just all those sounds 0:11:19.268 --> 0:11:21.368 that you would hear. They cleaned a lot of that 0:11:21.368 --> 0:11:23.378 up because we had microphones and they exposed a little 0:11:23.378 --> 0:11:25.538 bit cleaner and all that, but even and then even 0:11:25.538 --> 0:11:27.278 things like when Matt's out on the wave and it's 0:11:27.278 --> 0:11:29.678 really dramatic and all the music stops, you can still 0:11:29.678 --> 0:11:32.438 hear the surfboard slicing through the water, so you still 0:11:32.438 --> 0:11:35.108 can track what's going on. So that was a big 0:11:35.108 --> 0:11:37.208 thing for us, was to kind of make it the 0:11:37.208 --> 0:11:40.238 film as accessible as possible. And then obviously chatting with 0:11:40.238 --> 0:11:42.818 Michael over at Vision Australia, he actually wrote the script 0:11:42.818 --> 0:11:46.178 for the audio description. So having a blind audience catered 0:11:46.178 --> 0:11:48.608 for with this film was pretty paramount for us. 0:11:48.638 --> 0:11:52.088 Oh yeah, and on that topic of audio description, how 0:11:52.088 --> 0:11:55.768 much did you know about audio description before you started 0:11:55.768 --> 0:11:59.758 working with Matt and with Vision Australia and the Blind 0:11:59.758 --> 0:12:03.088 and Low Vision community, was that something you'd always had 0:12:03.088 --> 0:12:05.938 in your mind as a filmmaker? A sort of in 0:12:05.938 --> 0:12:08.848 there as something to, you know, make these sort of 0:12:08.848 --> 0:12:11.518 things accessible? What's that been like? Yeah. 0:12:11.518 --> 0:12:14.338 Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I've never listened to audio description. 0:12:14.338 --> 0:12:16.378 I knew it existed, but I never have, never had 0:12:16.378 --> 0:12:18.328 a need. So I sort of never worried about it. 0:12:18.328 --> 0:12:20.618 So I did watch a few films with it and, 0:12:20.618 --> 0:12:22.328 you know, some of it, some of the films, they 0:12:22.328 --> 0:12:24.848 put out ads and they just seem lazy, you know, 0:12:24.848 --> 0:12:26.978 it's just like a statement here and a statement there. 0:12:26.978 --> 0:12:29.198 And what Michael brought to it is he really brought 0:12:29.198 --> 0:12:32.828 a sense of poetry to like scene descriptions and just 0:12:32.828 --> 0:12:37.268 contextualizing the vision. So even the voiceover artist, she was like, man, 0:12:37.268 --> 0:12:39.458 this is probably twice as long as a normal audio 0:12:39.458 --> 0:12:42.458 description script for me. So there's like, you know, obviously, 0:12:42.458 --> 0:12:43.908 you know, we kind of want to be best in 0:12:43.908 --> 0:12:45.948 class with that kind of thing. But I know Maddie 0:12:45.948 --> 0:12:49.308 doesn't really watch with audio description too much. So as 0:12:49.308 --> 0:12:51.558 much as I understand that it's great for the low 0:12:51.558 --> 0:12:53.478 vision community to have it, there's going to be people 0:12:53.478 --> 0:12:56.928 who don't want it. That's where the observational sequences and 0:12:56.928 --> 0:12:59.028 all those sort of little tricks came into play. So 0:12:59.028 --> 0:13:01.968 that way it's kind of however you want to consume 0:13:01.968 --> 0:13:03.918 this film, you've got an option for you. 0:13:03.918 --> 0:13:07.458 And that's super important because, you know, as we're both 0:13:07.458 --> 0:13:10.478 fully aware, the blind and low vision community is by 0:13:10.478 --> 0:13:14.648 no means a monolith. And myself, as somebody with low vision, 0:13:14.648 --> 0:13:17.468 I sort of consume movies in my own way. And 0:13:17.468 --> 0:13:20.378 as you said, so do many other people out there. 0:13:20.378 --> 0:13:23.858 So that's really interesting to hear. You've had that experience 0:13:23.858 --> 0:13:26.858 as well, talking to quite a few people who do 0:13:26.858 --> 0:13:31.208 interact with these movies a different way. So in terms 0:13:31.208 --> 0:13:35.788 of where people can go and watch the blind, see 0:13:35.788 --> 0:13:38.248 what's the best way for them to do that, where 0:13:38.248 --> 0:13:39.748 should they keep tabs on that? 0:13:39.748 --> 0:13:42.928 Yeah, well there's two ways. Like we've been really, really 0:13:42.928 --> 0:13:46.258 blown away with how many people have gotten excited about 0:13:46.258 --> 0:13:48.778 this film and picked it up. So I would just say, 0:13:48.778 --> 0:13:50.788 you can reach out to your local cinema and check 0:13:50.788 --> 0:13:52.828 to see if it's in there coming soon, you know, 0:13:52.978 --> 0:13:55.198 you know, listed as a coming soon film, but you 0:13:55.198 --> 0:13:57.558 can go to the blind see website and the blind 0:13:57.588 --> 0:14:02.028 see website is the blind see. Com.au forward slash watch 0:14:02.028 --> 0:14:04.728 the film. And we've been working really, really hard. Our EP, 0:14:04.728 --> 0:14:06.618 she's just been so busy just trying to keep on 0:14:06.618 --> 0:14:08.778 top of every new listing that pops up, but she's 0:14:08.778 --> 0:14:11.808 been adding every cinema screening to that website, so you 0:14:11.808 --> 0:14:13.938 can just go straight to our website and jump on 0:14:13.938 --> 0:14:16.038 that tab, and it'll take you to, you know, your 0:14:16.038 --> 0:14:17.868 local cinema and you can jump, you know, from Northern 0:14:17.868 --> 0:14:21.478 Territory or WA or Sydney or wherever. there's listening to 0:14:21.478 --> 0:14:22.558 right around the country. 0:14:22.738 --> 0:14:27.238 All right. Perfect. Well, I've been speaking today with Daniel Fenech, 0:14:27.238 --> 0:14:33.418 director of the Blind See movie featuring blind surfer, Paralympian 0:14:33.418 --> 0:14:44.548 and blind cyclist Matt Formston. I'm Sam Culley and you're 0:14:44.578 --> 0:14:50.088 listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio, associated Reading 0:14:50.088 --> 0:14:55.278 Radio stations and the Community Radio Network. I hope you 0:14:55.278 --> 0:15:00.858 enjoyed that conversation there with Daniel Fenech, director of the blind. See, 0:15:01.338 --> 0:15:06.258 today's interviews will be available in full as interview highlights 0:15:06.258 --> 0:15:11.168 on the Vision Australia Radio podcast feed. Simply head to 0:15:11.168 --> 0:15:16.208 your favorite podcast platform to have a listen. You can always, 0:15:16.208 --> 0:15:20.108 of course, find Talking Vision as well on the Vision 0:15:20.108 --> 0:15:27.518 Australia Radio website at VA radio.org that's VA radio.org or 0:15:27.518 --> 0:15:31.868 through the Vision Australia library. Coming up next I speak 0:15:31.868 --> 0:15:37.198 with Vision Australia CEO Ron Horton. I began my conversation 0:15:37.198 --> 0:15:40.918 with Ron by giving him the opportunity to share his 0:15:40.918 --> 0:15:45.328 immediate thoughts and feelings. Following his decision to step down 0:15:45.328 --> 0:15:48.778 as CEO of Vision Australia very shortly. 0:15:48.778 --> 0:15:51.418 On the 2nd of August. Actually, it's been just an 0:15:51.418 --> 0:15:54.868 enormous privilege to be part of this organisation. It's an 0:15:54.868 --> 0:15:58.818 organisation that serves the blindness and low vision community of Australia, 0:15:58.818 --> 0:16:02.418 and it does so with great distinction very, very well. 0:16:02.448 --> 0:16:05.178 I'm very proud of what our organization achieves. 0:16:05.748 --> 0:16:10.068 And it feels like literally yesterday that we were celebrating 0:16:10.068 --> 0:16:14.358 your ten year anniversary just a year and a half ago. 0:16:14.358 --> 0:16:16.968 That would have been now. So there is a few 0:16:16.968 --> 0:16:20.808 added things, a few added emotions. Now as you move on. 0:16:20.808 --> 0:16:23.788 It's a bit of a mixed kind of feeling that 0:16:23.788 --> 0:16:26.458 you'd be having right now, I suppose, tinged with a 0:16:26.458 --> 0:16:29.428 bit of sadness, but also quite a bit of excitement. 0:16:29.428 --> 0:16:32.218 Oh, very much so. It's 11.5 years for me in 0:16:32.218 --> 0:16:38.038 the organisation, and that's a long time. I've been around 0:16:38.038 --> 0:16:42.268 senior positions in organisations for 27 years now, and the 0:16:42.268 --> 0:16:44.908 hours have been very long and I'm tired and I 0:16:44.908 --> 0:16:48.108 need a break. Um, the The mixed emotions are very 0:16:48.108 --> 0:16:52.248 much that I leave the organization in a brilliant place. 0:16:52.248 --> 0:16:55.668 We have a great leadership team and we have 850 0:16:55.668 --> 0:16:58.038 people who have been my colleagues for some time now 0:16:58.038 --> 0:17:02.118 who do an absolutely amazing job. I'll miss every single 0:17:02.118 --> 0:17:04.908 one of my colleagues, but goodness me, I'm really ready 0:17:04.908 --> 0:17:05.658 for a break. 0:17:05.688 --> 0:17:08.988 Oh for sure. We'll get back to that later on 0:17:08.988 --> 0:17:12.188 and find out just what you might be getting up 0:17:12.188 --> 0:17:15.818 to over that break. But before I do that, Ron, 0:17:15.818 --> 0:17:21.218 Justine Heath will be taking over as acting CEO as 0:17:21.218 --> 0:17:25.028 of the 2nd of August. So could you speak to 0:17:25.028 --> 0:17:28.268 how you're feeling about that and the confidence that you 0:17:28.268 --> 0:17:32.468 have in not only Justine, but the leadership team more broadly? 0:17:32.468 --> 0:17:36.408 Oh, look, Virgin Australia is in very, very safe hands. 0:17:36.528 --> 0:17:39.858 I've known Justine now and worked with her for five years. 0:17:39.858 --> 0:17:44.268 She is an absolutely marvellous person. She's incredibly talented from 0:17:44.268 --> 0:17:49.098 a business perspective. She understands our culture, she understands blindness 0:17:49.098 --> 0:17:52.788 and low vision. I couldn't be more confident of anybody 0:17:52.788 --> 0:17:56.988 stepping in to that role. In terms of the leadership team, 0:17:56.988 --> 0:18:00.218 you have a marvellous group of people who, in their 0:18:00.218 --> 0:18:05.168 areas of specialization, do an absolutely fantastic job. My part 0:18:05.168 --> 0:18:08.618 for so many years has been to support them, to 0:18:08.618 --> 0:18:11.528 help them succeed, but they've been doing the job. People 0:18:11.528 --> 0:18:13.988 can feel very confident about the crew that's running Vision 0:18:13.988 --> 0:18:15.008 Australia today. 0:18:15.158 --> 0:18:18.158 Now, Ron, we've covered off a little bit on the 0:18:18.158 --> 0:18:21.968 future of Vision Australia right there with Justine and the 0:18:21.968 --> 0:18:25.858 leadership team going forward. But for the time being, I'd 0:18:25.858 --> 0:18:28.708 love to go through a bit of a highlight package 0:18:28.708 --> 0:18:33.208 of the last 11.5 years. There's so many achievements. I'm 0:18:33.208 --> 0:18:36.088 sure we could list off far too many to fit 0:18:36.088 --> 0:18:39.418 in a 15 minute or so conversation. But you know, 0:18:39.418 --> 0:18:42.838 things like the Life Ready Program, know your vision, all 0:18:42.838 --> 0:18:45.868 those sort of things, all the initiatives that you've been 0:18:45.868 --> 0:18:49.188 so heavily involved with. What's been the feelings around that 0:18:49.188 --> 0:18:52.368 and being able to be involved with those things that 0:18:52.368 --> 0:18:55.758 have helped so many people around Australia in the blind 0:18:55.758 --> 0:18:57.258 and low vision community. 0:18:57.288 --> 0:19:00.648 It's funny, Sam, that when you are moving day to day, 0:19:00.648 --> 0:19:04.848 you don't recognize what's been achieved. But over more than 0:19:04.848 --> 0:19:08.418 a decade now, the organization has grown remarkably. I think 0:19:08.418 --> 0:19:11.208 probably the first thing that I would mention is our 0:19:11.208 --> 0:19:15.598 transition to the NDIS And I started in January 2013, 0:19:15.598 --> 0:19:20.008 and in June 2013 the government launched the NDIS and 0:19:20.008 --> 0:19:24.628 it was launched in Newcastle and in Geelong. And we 0:19:24.628 --> 0:19:29.098 adopted a process of demonstration sites. We had no idea 0:19:29.098 --> 0:19:31.798 what the NDIS was going to look like, nor did 0:19:31.798 --> 0:19:34.558 the NDIS as it happened. So we just said to 0:19:34.558 --> 0:19:37.938 the people in those two locations, do whatever it takes. 0:19:37.938 --> 0:19:41.628 There are no rules. And that worked brilliantly for us. 0:19:41.868 --> 0:19:43.698 A couple of years later, we put in a great 0:19:43.698 --> 0:19:48.258 information system to support our organization. We did some rebranding. 0:19:48.258 --> 0:19:50.088 We used to be purple and green and now we're 0:19:50.088 --> 0:19:53.328 yellow and blue. That's right. Yeah, they're much more fashionable colors. 0:19:53.328 --> 0:19:53.928 Certainly. 0:19:53.928 --> 0:19:56.478 There was of course, the Covid times as well, which 0:19:56.478 --> 0:19:59.418 were very, very difficult for everyone. But our organization thrived 0:19:59.418 --> 0:20:02.888 through that. We kept going and did 95% of our 0:20:02.888 --> 0:20:05.768 service hours that we were previously doing before Covid with 0:20:05.768 --> 0:20:09.518 an enormous amount of telehealth. And then you mentioned Life Ready, 0:20:09.518 --> 0:20:13.028 and you mentioned know your Vision. Both are marvelous projects. 0:20:13.028 --> 0:20:16.838 The Life Ready program really does it for kids. Kids 0:20:16.838 --> 0:20:20.708 from the age zero, from from their their birth right 0:20:20.708 --> 0:20:25.718 through to their early 20s focused on getting them into jobs. 0:20:25.888 --> 0:20:28.348 I have such a lot of confidence in the people 0:20:28.348 --> 0:20:30.238 that are coming through those programs that they're going to 0:20:30.238 --> 0:20:32.278 get out there and make a big impact on life. 0:20:33.178 --> 0:20:35.878 The last one you mentioned, no, your vision is very 0:20:35.878 --> 0:20:39.058 much about our older Australians, and we expect that over 0:20:39.058 --> 0:20:41.278 the next decade, there's going to be about a 30% 0:20:41.278 --> 0:20:44.248 increase in the number of people who need our services 0:20:44.248 --> 0:20:47.458 and the Know Your Vision program, and an absolutely brilliant 0:20:47.458 --> 0:20:50.528 program checking in chat that helps people in that age 0:20:50.528 --> 0:20:55.358 group with their well-being are just going to be so 0:20:55.358 --> 0:20:59.708 necessary for that growing population. Three quarters of our clients 0:20:59.708 --> 0:21:02.408 now are over the age of 65, and that's going 0:21:02.408 --> 0:21:04.268 to be a cohort that is going to be so 0:21:04.268 --> 0:21:07.838 much in need over the next 10 to 20 years. Mhm. 0:21:07.988 --> 0:21:12.728 And Ron, I also wanted to go into the involvement 0:21:12.728 --> 0:21:17.368 that Vision Australia has had under your leadership with strengthening 0:21:17.368 --> 0:21:21.808 services for First Nations communities who are at higher risk 0:21:21.808 --> 0:21:24.988 of blindness or low vision in the Red centre, the 0:21:24.988 --> 0:21:29.188 Northern Territory more generally, but also over in Broome, up 0:21:29.188 --> 0:21:32.188 in the Kimberley and those sort of regions. And, you know, 0:21:32.188 --> 0:21:35.428 tell us a bit about those services that we're able 0:21:35.428 --> 0:21:36.478 to provide there. 0:21:36.508 --> 0:21:40.428 Oh, that's been an enormous passion project for me. Indigenous 0:21:40.428 --> 0:21:45.438 people have real challenges with vision loss and the program 0:21:45.438 --> 0:21:47.598 that we built, first of all, in Alice Springs, where 0:21:47.598 --> 0:21:50.808 we've partnered with the Congress organization up there to bring 0:21:50.808 --> 0:21:53.628 services to the local communities. And then in Broome with 0:21:53.628 --> 0:21:57.168 the Lions Outback Vision Centre have delivered. They've delivered brilliantly. 0:21:57.168 --> 0:21:59.898 We've got people on the ground there working with credible 0:21:59.898 --> 0:22:04.058 organisations trusted by the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 0:22:04.058 --> 0:22:07.808 It's just working very, very well. Over the last year, 0:22:07.808 --> 0:22:10.658 we've had a 17% increase in the number of Aboriginal 0:22:10.658 --> 0:22:14.018 people who gained services from Vision Australia. So I think 0:22:14.018 --> 0:22:15.968 the the record speaks for itself. 0:22:15.998 --> 0:22:20.228 We'll go to a little bit of a lighter topic, Ron. Now, um, 0:22:20.228 --> 0:22:23.978 as you mentioned earlier in the interview there, you're really 0:22:23.978 --> 0:22:27.708 keen to rest and recharge your batteries, so to speak. 0:22:27.708 --> 0:22:31.818 So no doubt over the past 11.5 years, there's been 0:22:31.818 --> 0:22:37.368 thousands and thousands of early mornings, late nights, wall to 0:22:37.368 --> 0:22:41.598 wall meetings, commitments and everything like that. Being able to 0:22:41.598 --> 0:22:44.658 just switch off, take a break. What are you looking 0:22:44.658 --> 0:22:47.928 forward to the most getting up to and spending your 0:22:47.928 --> 0:22:50.088 free time? What do you love to do there? 0:22:50.088 --> 0:22:53.558 Oh look I'm going to try and play some more golf. Yes. Uh, 0:22:53.558 --> 0:22:55.868 one of the career options that I have going forward 0:22:55.868 --> 0:22:59.198 is not going to be PGA Tour or Seniors Tour, 0:22:59.198 --> 0:23:01.208 but I'd love to get out there in the outdoors. 0:23:01.208 --> 0:23:03.428 I want to do some more hiking. I was looking 0:23:03.428 --> 0:23:06.488 enviously at a mornington Peninsula hike, but I've also got 0:23:06.488 --> 0:23:10.118 in mind the 80 kilometre coastal trek in Sydney some time. 0:23:10.118 --> 0:23:13.118 Bit of gardening. Our garden is somewhat rundown, maybe a 0:23:13.118 --> 0:23:15.188 little bit of woodworking, but also I want to have 0:23:15.188 --> 0:23:17.278 the time to learn. There are a whole lot of 0:23:17.278 --> 0:23:20.158 things that I want to get in there and learn about. 0:23:20.158 --> 0:23:23.128 Maybe a bit of computer coding, some new theories coming 0:23:23.128 --> 0:23:26.488 through on AI. So I'm going to be really busy. 0:23:26.488 --> 0:23:29.098 I'm going to go and do another job sometime soon. 0:23:29.098 --> 0:23:30.688 I don't know when that is, and I don't know 0:23:30.688 --> 0:23:34.258 what that is, but the options are so many that 0:23:34.258 --> 0:23:36.718 I have to spend time also working out how to choose. 0:23:36.718 --> 0:23:39.778 Yeah, that's the exciting part. I know you are also 0:23:39.778 --> 0:23:42.828 a bit of a sports tragic, Ron. Um, and it's 0:23:42.828 --> 0:23:46.158 perfect timing as the Olympics are just upon us now. 0:23:46.158 --> 0:23:49.578 So being able to spend a few late nights watching 0:23:49.578 --> 0:23:51.888 the Olympics and that sort of thing, but also the 0:23:51.888 --> 0:23:55.338 cricket's not far away as things warm up. But we've 0:23:55.338 --> 0:23:58.878 also got the northern hemisphere summer, so, you know, watching 0:23:58.878 --> 0:23:59.778 a bit of that. 0:23:59.778 --> 0:24:02.658 Oh, that will be wonderful. I am a cricket tragic. 0:24:02.658 --> 0:24:04.488 And in the Olympics there are a couple of things 0:24:04.498 --> 0:24:07.228 that I'm really, really excited about. Water polo is a 0:24:07.228 --> 0:24:10.168 sport again and our boys were represented of water polo 0:24:10.168 --> 0:24:13.888 players back in New Zealand. So they they'll be passionately 0:24:13.888 --> 0:24:16.468 watching that, as will we. But I'm really looking forward 0:24:16.468 --> 0:24:19.468 to seeing how Jess Gallagher does. Jess is a good 0:24:19.468 --> 0:24:21.088 friend of mine and a part of the blindness and 0:24:21.088 --> 0:24:24.808 low vision community of Australia, and she's, I think, at 0:24:24.808 --> 0:24:28.738 her third or fourth Olympics, including Summer and Winter and Sam, 0:24:28.758 --> 0:24:31.248 I'm sure you'll get her back on the program sometime soon. 0:24:31.308 --> 0:24:35.388 Love to. Yeah. She's a great contributor to not only 0:24:35.388 --> 0:24:38.868 the Olympic scene, but also all around in the blind 0:24:38.868 --> 0:24:41.868 and low vision community in a variety of roles that 0:24:41.868 --> 0:24:46.218 she's held and continues to hold and does some amazing work. 0:24:46.218 --> 0:24:49.488 So we do love to keep tabs on how she's going. 0:24:49.488 --> 0:24:52.758 She's an absolute seasoned pro now. I think, um, she's 0:24:52.778 --> 0:24:55.568 been well, you've said 3 or 4 Olympics. That might 0:24:55.568 --> 0:24:58.328 be even more than that. Yeah. She's been a super 0:24:58.328 --> 0:25:03.398 experienced Olympian, so we'd love to have her on the program. 0:25:03.398 --> 0:25:08.108 So Ron, finally, what sort of message would you like 0:25:08.108 --> 0:25:12.338 to leave our listeners with as we wrap up today? 0:25:12.338 --> 0:25:16.028 I think probably the most profound learning that I've had 0:25:16.028 --> 0:25:20.728 is that people with disabilities have their disabilities created by 0:25:20.728 --> 0:25:24.208 the ignorance and intolerance of the world around them, not 0:25:24.208 --> 0:25:27.718 by themselves. And I think the more we can do 0:25:27.718 --> 0:25:31.078 to bring forward the really great capabilities of people who 0:25:31.078 --> 0:25:33.118 are in the blindness and low vision community, to have 0:25:33.118 --> 0:25:35.728 them being first choice for jobs and living in an 0:25:35.728 --> 0:25:39.268 environment that really suits and is is built for them. 0:25:39.268 --> 0:25:42.308 It's just a really important challenge for all Australians. The 0:25:42.308 --> 0:25:44.498 other little message that I'd like to leave is that 0:25:44.498 --> 0:25:47.708 the blindness and low vision community has an absolute asset. 0:25:47.708 --> 0:25:51.398 In Vision Australia. I have 850 colleagues who I have 0:25:51.398 --> 0:25:54.728 the greatest fondness for, but also the greatest respect for 0:25:54.728 --> 0:25:57.608 their skill as therapists or in all the other roles, 0:25:57.608 --> 0:26:00.728 including your own. As a radio personality, we have a 0:26:00.728 --> 0:26:04.058 great organisation here that will serve blindness and low vision 0:26:04.058 --> 0:26:06.128 community of Australia for just many years to come. 0:26:06.518 --> 0:26:10.238 Thank you so much for being here today, Ron. It's 0:26:10.508 --> 0:26:13.748 been a pleasure to have you on the program over 0:26:13.748 --> 0:26:17.528 the past few years. So all the very best in 0:26:17.528 --> 0:26:21.248 your future, and I'm sure we will cross paths here 0:26:21.248 --> 0:26:24.308 or there somewhere. So I'm very excited to see where 0:26:24.308 --> 0:26:25.148 that might be. 0:26:25.178 --> 0:26:28.268 Sam, thank you very much. Signing off as CEO. 0:26:28.268 --> 0:26:32.148 Ron Horton there catching up with me on Talking Vision 0:26:32.148 --> 0:26:36.348 this week as he wraps up as Vision Australia CEO, 0:26:36.378 --> 0:26:47.088 effective as of the 2nd of August. And that's all 0:26:47.088 --> 0:26:50.208 the time we have for today. You've been listening to 0:26:50.208 --> 0:26:55.358 Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. 0:26:55.358 --> 0:26:59.348 Thanks to all involved with putting the show together every week. 0:26:59.348 --> 0:27:02.678 And remember we love hearing from you. So please get 0:27:02.678 --> 0:27:06.698 in touch anytime on our email at Talking Vision. At 0:27:06.698 --> 0:27:13.568 Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. 0:27:13.568 --> 0:27:17.528 But until next week it's Sam Colley saying bye for now. 0:27:21.018 --> 0:27:25.158 You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during 0:27:25.158 --> 0:27:35.058 business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one (300) 847-4106 or by visiting 0:27:35.058 --> 0:27:39.408 Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.