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 interesting thing is when you just keep stepping through,
S3: you keep stepping through. You get used to the idea that, like,
S3: something's gone wrong, something is a temporary failure or it's
S3: taken longer or there are obstacles in the way, or
S3: you're exhausted. And just to give yourself a bit of
S3: a break, have a reassess and just keep plodding forward.
S3: And remember, keep in touch with what you love and
S3: why you're why you love it.
S2: Welcome to the program. We've got a bit of a
S2: literary theme this week as Nikki Holland, the blind fashion designer,
S2: joins Stella to have a chat about her role as
S2: the protagonist of the third and Final Big Visions book,
S2: Just for Success. We're very excited to have Nikki on
S2: the program this week, so that interview is coming up
S2: very shortly. So make sure to stick around to hear more.
S2: Then after you hear from Stella and Nikki, I'm joined
S2: by Leanne from the library as she covers the latest
S2: events coming up in the Vision Australia Library over the
S2: month of October. Plus some new additions to the Vision
S2: Australia Library catalog that people can look forward to having
S2: a raid. And then last but certainly not least, Francis Collins,
S2: back with a reader, recommended. I hope you enjoy this
S2: week's episode of Talking Vision. And now his stellar glory
S2: with Nikki Hind and a special guest.
S1: Many of our listeners would now be familiar with a
S1: Vision Australia's big Vision series, which is three children's books
S1: featuring everyday heroes who just happened to be blind or
S1: have low vision. Now to talk to me about the
S1: third book, which has just been released. It's called Dressed
S1: for Success. I'm speaking with the protagonist of the book,
S1: Nikki Hind, blind fashion Designer. Hi, Nikki. Hello. And also
S1: the brains behind the entire series from the Vision Australia Library.
S1: Phil Dana Project. Hi, Aldana. Hey, Stella. So, Nikki, how
S1: was it for you to share your story in the
S1: final installment of the series?
S3: Well, it is certainly I guess it's it's a huge privilege.
S3: Aside from from anything else, It's it's an incredible honor. Um, honestly,
S3: just the the thought that the things that I've done
S3: in my life chosen to do the story of that,
S3: that that may be something to encourage other young children
S3: to follow their dreams and to think outside the box
S3: is just an incredible honor. It really is.
S1: And Dress for Success aims to shift people's expectation of
S1: what a person with disability is capable of, while also
S1: creating inspiring role models for children of all abilities. Snellville Dana,
S1: what made the library and the team choose Nikki for you? No, no, no.
S1: Shame on you, Nikki Of course. But if you could
S1: articulate why you chose Nikki.
S4: Oh, goodness. So I've worked with Nikki before on a
S4: different project, and certainly I've seen her giving a speech
S4: and being a part of the panel. And I was
S4: quite impressed just with her, I suppose the story and
S4: just determination and resilience and persistence or what they say
S4: kind of great. Absolutely. Nikki had it and I just thought,
S4: we need more of these heroes. We need these stories.
S4: We need children who are blind to have low vision,
S4: really to hear these stories. And like Nikki said, just
S4: to follow your dream, you don't have to be the
S4: most amazing fashion designer in the world. But the fact
S4: that you can, you know, be in charge of your
S4: wardrobe or your personal style or appearance, that's just amazing.
S4: So I think it's just the story that Nikki had
S4: to tell was very important for the kids to hear.
S1: So in a nutshell, I mean, we don't want to
S1: give too much away about the story. So could you
S1: encapsulate what the story is like? You're talking about perseverance
S1: and grit. So that is the name of your fashion label,
S1: Blind Grit. But could you tell us just a little
S1: bit about the story but not know plot spoilers?
S4: That's for you.
S3: That's for me. Okay. Well, I guess it is the
S3: story of, um, a school girl who stream it was
S3: to be a fashion designer and who used to, I guess,
S3: play around with clothes and fashion and things when she
S3: was younger but did not have, um, I guess didn't
S3: really didn't really believe that she could be such a thing.
S3: That seemed like too big a reach at the time
S3: when I was young and where ironically, where where vision
S3: impairment actually fits into that story and, and, and how
S3: that gave me a lot of the qualities, you know,
S3: the very human qualities that it takes to, uh, you know,
S3: to just keep stepping one foot in front of the other,
S3: keep plugging away at a dream because it's not necessarily, um,
S3: it's not necessarily always a glamorous thing, but it's a
S3: very deeply human thing. Um, and yeah, that it was,
S3: that it was the person I was with a disability,
S3: that was the person who was able to see the
S3: dream come to fruition.
S1: While talking about the books as a whole. Do do
S1: the books address potential roadblocks any of our heroes may
S1: have encountered, like societal expectations, people who are blind or
S1: have low vision.
S4: Absolutely stolen the book. Neither of these three books shy
S4: away from difficult topics because absolutely, that's what the life
S4: is like. Nikki just said it's about being human. And,
S4: you know, for Matt, it was the bullying that he
S4: experienced in school. And for Craig, it was around, you know,
S4: constant deterioration and the loss of his vision that was
S4: kind of always throwing new challenges for him. And Nikki's story,
S4: which you have to kind of buy to read. Absolutely.
S4: The life through so many challenges. And it really is
S4: about drawing on people within your community. It's about kind
S4: of reaching out, but also overcoming, persevering and really pushing through.
S4: Sometimes that's not easy and that's okay. Sometimes it's absolutely
S4: fine to say sorry, it's too much. And as they say,
S4: you know, some days the dragon wins. But there are
S4: other days that you can absolutely let the sunshine in.
S4: And certainly these three protagonists have been through it all
S4: and very real, very multi-dimensional stories of three people, three Australians,
S4: that no matter who the child is, can really find
S4: a meaning and inspiration.
S1: And you were nodding your head there, Nikki, when Bill
S1: Dana was talking about letting you know sometimes the dragon wins.
S1: I love that. I'm going to use that. Did that
S1: resonate with you when she said that?
S3: Oh, absolutely. Because I guess the key thing I am
S3: in life as an adult is actually a mum. And
S3: just yeah, as I said, it's you know, when you
S3: think of of following dreams and what dreams are and
S3: what dreams mean, they can often, you know, we get
S3: such a glossy end version of what it looks like
S3: in an overnight success kind of thing. And there is
S3: just so much of, just as I say, just stepping forward,
S3: just a little steps forward and, um, you know, my
S3: children have seen me cry and they've seen me be
S3: elated and.
S4: On the cover of the magazines.
S5: That's right. The book. Yeah.
S3: They I have to say. I haven't I haven't at
S3: any stage thought, Oh, I'll just stop. Because when I do,
S3: I think, what would that even even look like? You
S3: know what? What would I do instead? And I guess,
S3: you know, that's that's the whole power of a of
S3: a dream, especially a child's dream. It comes from, um,
S3: you know, you kind of, you, your deep love and
S3: passion and what you would love to put forward in
S3: the world and why. And, you know, if I was
S3: just to throw my hands up and say, God, it's
S3: just all too hard, I want to stop and just
S3: do what I want to do. What I want to
S3: do is design lovely clothes and be an advocate for for,
S3: you know, disability in society. Anyway, So I think I
S3: just take a step back. That is a lovely expression.
S3: That's what I was nodding at to some day The Dragon.
S3: And it feels like that sometimes it really feels like that,
S3: that the dragon wins. But the interesting thing is when
S3: you just keep stepping through, you keep stepping through it.
S3: You get used to the idea that this is just
S3: a bad like some something's gone wrong, something is a
S3: temporary failure or it's taken longer or there are obstacles
S3: in the way, or you're exhausted. And just to give
S3: yourself a bit of a break, have a reassess and,
S3: you know, just keep keep plodding forward and remember, keep
S3: in touch with what you love and why you why
S3: you love it.
S1: I think it's a good message for adults as well.
S1: I mean.
S5: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
S1: I mean, kids. I mean, what what if a child
S1: doesn't have a dream as yet? You know, many dreams.
S1: That's a controversial subject right there.
S4: Well, true. And it's very common. Like, you know, if
S4: you were to ask my son, what would you like
S4: to be the other day he was a shopkeeper and
S4: to dollar shop because they get all the money.
S5: Apparently when.
S4: Children like him buy Pokemon cards. Um, I think not necessarily.
S4: Everyone needs to have a dream, but I think that
S4: in a belief in yourself and um, that you, and
S4: especially in the context of disability, I mean, it's so
S4: important to understand that disability is just one dimension of
S4: us as, as a person. There's so much to us
S4: as a people and having that belief within yourself that
S4: you can, you know, be an active member of our
S4: society and, you know, have friends and connect with people,
S4: connect with nature. I think that's really what this is
S4: all about. Like, you can be quite proactive and in
S4: charge of your life, have that agency and self-determination and how.
S1: What's the feedback been like with the two books thus far?
S1: The one with metformin and our chef Craig Shanahan?
S4: Wonderful, stellar. So certainly a few very major successes. So
S4: very proud that the Mets story is going to be
S4: read out on the ABC Play School or has already
S4: been read out and it will be aired later this
S4: year in December and ABC Playschool. So we're quite happy
S4: about that. And just a little spoiler hope that the
S4: ABC colleagues will not mind to say that the Humpty
S4: Dumpty will be wearing a Rashi and a surfboard.
S5: I was.
S1: Going to say, Yeah, I hear Humpty had quite a
S1: few opinions about the book.
S5: As well. Um.
S4: And our friends at the Primary English Teachers Association Australia
S4: have created Matt's book into a teaching unit which is
S4: available to hundreds of schools around the country as a
S4: teaching unit. And the second book, Craig's book, is in progress,
S4: as well as Nikki. So by the end of the year,
S4: they will be featured as a teaching unit by Primary
S4: English Teachers Association.
S1: That is so exciting. Congratulations.
S5: Thank you. Thank you.
S1: That's brilliant. Can you remind me again? Matt's book was
S1: called the title.
S4: Surfing in the Dark.
S1: Surfing in the Dark and there is Cooking Up a Storm.
S1: And now we've got Nikki's book, which is dressed for success.
S1: Here's the million dollar question Where can people purchase the.
S5: Book's Vision.
S4: Australia website or Vision Australia Vision Store website? But pretty
S4: much any major bookshop would have these books available and
S4: ready to buy, whether that's online or in person. So
S4: everywhere from the mixed readings bookshop, Amazon and various little
S4: independent bookshops that you can. To find these books there.
S1: Now they are picture books, but all the books, including
S1: Dress for Success, is available in commercial print, Braille, audio
S1: book and large text format.
S4: Correct. And for all members of Vision Australia Library, you
S4: are able to get embossed and copy of these books
S4: in a grade one Braille. And with the purchase of
S4: the the book through our vision store.
S5: And.
S1: All proceeds from the book go towards helping Vision Australia
S1: make reading and education more accessible for young people who
S1: are blind or have low vision. You cannot argue about that.
S1: And I can say the books are absolutely beautiful.
S2: I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on
S2: Vision Australia Radio associated Stations of RPE and the Community
S2: Radio Network. Thank you very much to Stella, Nikki and
S2: Donna there for that conversation. All about the latest big
S2: vision book Just for Success, which is available now. If
S2: you enjoyed having a listen to that interview with Stella
S2: and Nikki and you'd love to listen to it again
S2: or you missed any part of that interview for whatever reason.
S2: You can catch up on the latest episode of Talking
S2: Vision by visiting your favourite podcast platform or heading to
S2: the Vision Australia Library. And now, keeping on the literary
S2: theme this week. It's my great pleasure to welcome back
S2: Leanne from the library with the latest updates on some
S2: great events coming up in the library over the month
S2: of October and some new additions to the Vision Australia
S2: Library catalogue for people to have a raid. Leanne, welcome
S2: to the show.
S6: Thanks, Sam. Great to be back.
S2: Let's hear about a few upcoming events in the world
S2: of the Vision Australia Library. What sort of exciting things
S2: are coming up for people to get involved with?
S6: Sure. So we're currently underway in our Stronger Foundations Family series.
S6: This is a four part webinar series where we've brought
S6: in some fantastic parenting experts to share with us their
S6: insights and how we build families that are healthy and
S6: happy together. So we have started this series, but it's
S6: not too late to jump in for our next sessions.
S6: We'll be welcoming Leyla Stone on the 10th of October.
S6: She'll be speaking about navigating your child's emotions. On the
S6: 17th of October will be welcoming siblings Australia. They're a
S6: fantastic organisation who will work with the families who have
S6: children with disabilities but really focus on the needs and
S6: the challenges of the siblings of the children with a disability.
S6: So recognising that those siblings have their own particular challenges
S6: and need some support as well. Our final session on
S6: the 24th of October will be with some of our
S6: own experts at Vision Australia. So we'll be having some
S6: of our children and young people team. Rebecca Kent, Tricia
S6: Izard will be presenting around self care for parents, which
S6: is really, really important.
S2: Certainly is. And we already heard from Rebecca with Stella
S2: just recently. So great to hear from Rebecca and Stella there.
S2: So hopefully get a lot of people joining and having
S2: a look at the sessions over the coming weeks.
S6: Yeah, so they're running online but we will be recording
S6: the sessions so all of our registrants will receive a recording.
S6: You can find the registration details through our website.
S2: All right, perfect. And what other events are taking people's
S2: fancy that you'd like to let people know about?
S6: So a couple of regular ones. So you are familiar
S6: with our Treat Your Shelf, which is our bi monthly
S6: book chat. We are doing a bit of a special
S6: treat yourself at the end of this month, October the
S6: 31st is of course Halloween, so we will be doing
S6: an In the Dark special and we're welcoming some special guests.
S6: So Ellen Baxter, the head of the Australian Horror Writers Association,
S6: and Aaron Dries, who is a really intriguing horror writer.
S6: He's also got a mental health background. So he's a really,
S6: really wonderful advocate as well. But they will be speaking
S6: with our guests. They'll be sharing some original spooky stories,
S6: and we will have the opportunity for all of our
S6: participants to also do their own storytelling as well. So
S6: we'll be doing that in the evening. Very appropriate for Halloween.
S6: That'll be at 8 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time
S6: on the 31st of October.
S2: But you know, as people are aware, there's a lot
S2: of new additions to the Vision Australia Library catalogue on
S2: a regular basis. So what sort of new releases can
S2: you let us know about that are quite exciting for
S2: people to sink their teeth into? And yeah.
S6: We've, we've put together a bit of a reading list
S6: on some new titles. So books published in 2023 by
S6: some fabulous Australian female authors. So just a couple of
S6: highlights from there. We have the book Binder of Jericho,
S6: which came out earlier this year by Pip Williams, who
S6: wrote The Beautiful Dictionary of Lost Words. So that's a really,
S6: really fabulous follow up to the Dictionary of Lost Words.
S6: So that's a really yeah, a really great book if
S6: you're into literature. Pip Williams is a beautiful writer. She's
S6: explored the history of book binding, if you're familiar with
S6: The Dictionary of Lost Words, which looks at the creation
S6: of the Oxford English Dictionary, this is really a much
S6: anticipated follow up. So that's. To the bookbinder of Jericho. Also,
S6: we have Solari Gentil, who's republished after she wrote him.
S6: So Solari, we welcome to the library. Last year she
S6: was our guest for the Melbourne Writers Festival with the
S6: woman in the library. So after she wrote him, is
S6: another really kind of creative, inventive. She's a really kind
S6: of meta writer. She is very clever in her writing.
S6: So a great murder mystery to explore there. So that's
S6: after she wrote him memoir, If We're moving into Memoir,
S6: a really beautiful one I'd like to recommend is the
S6: House with all the lights on. And this is by
S6: Jessica Kirchner. And she's reflecting on growing up with her
S6: elderly grandparents who were both deaf. So they both spoke
S6: in sign language, were immersed in deaf culture. And Jessica
S6: kind of straddled these two worlds, the hearing world and
S6: the deafness world. So really lovely book there explores identity, disability,
S6: identity and yeah, a really, really special, special story there.
S6: The other book I want to recommend is very new.
S6: It's Black Sheep by Judy Nunn just came out in
S6: the last couple of weeks. And Judy, you might remember
S6: from her days as an actress in Home and Away,
S6: but her post home and away career has really been
S6: focused on writing. So she's a really prolific novelist and
S6: a lot of her work is inspired by Australian history.
S6: So she writes these Australian history novels that often really
S6: epic tales, so great family sagas across generations, across decades.
S6: And so, yeah, this is another really fabulous book. But
S6: I did want to mention it because we will be
S6: welcoming Judy to the Vision Australia Library next month in
S6: November for our final in conversation for the year.
S2: All right. Wonderful. Look forward to that. So we'll get
S2: the details about that closer to the day. So keep
S2: your eyes peeled for that one. Leanne, thanks so much
S2: for your time today. I've been speaking with Leanne from
S2: the library about the latest upcoming events from the Vision
S2: Australia Library, as well as some new additions to the
S2: Vision Australia Library catalogue for people to have a read. Leanne,
S2: thanks so much for your time today. Great to have
S2: a chat with you.
S6: Thanks, Sam.
S2: And now here's Francis Kelland with a reader recommended.
S7: The next book is another non-fiction book. It's called Whatever
S7: Happened to Brenda Hean, and it's by Scott Millwood. Brenda Hain,
S7: a dentist's wife, was a part of the Hobart establishment.
S7: She made a very unlikely environmental activist, but Lake Pedder
S7: was one of those special places. She and a collection
S7: of like minded people took it upon themselves to save
S7: the mountain Wilderness lake from inundation to form a dam
S7: for the hydroelectric commission and in the process founded the
S7: first green political party in the world. In September 1972,
S7: Brenda Hayne left Hobart in a Tiger moth aircraft being
S7: piloted by Max Price. They were flying to Canberra to
S7: right Save Lake Peter across the sky above Parliament House
S7: and to meet with government officials in an attempt to
S7: gain federal political support for their campaign. The plane was
S7: sighted several times as it made its way across the island,
S7: but never reached its destination. Neither the plane nor its
S7: passengers were ever seen again. 35 years of conspiracy theories
S7: have surrounded the intriguing story. But in 2003, a secret
S7: sauce gave celebrated documentary filmmaker Scott Millwood a package with
S7: the advice in quotes Use this for good in it
S7: with a police files detailing the investigation of the case.
S7: Scott Millwood has made a documentary based on his attempts
S7: to uncover the truth while eyewitnesses are still alive. This
S7: is the book of that film. Let's hear a sample
S7: of whatever happened to Brenda Heen by Scott Millwood. It's
S7: narrated by the wonderful Humphrey Bower.
S8: A man has painted the same scene for 50 years
S8: over and over in endless variation. In it, a foreground
S8: of white sand and button grass creep beyond the dunes
S8: and long tracts of tannin stained water are a sweep
S8: of watercolor that become a lake stretching to fill the
S8: paper until the purple mountains demand an end. Again and again.
S8: The artist Max Angus paints the same lost place. Again
S8: and again in his brush strokes, the waters have not
S8: banked up behind a dam. Again and again. The lakes
S8: Highland Beach has not been drowned. Again and again. He
S8: is on this stretch of mountain sand with his homemade
S8: watercolor board set in his lap. It's windbreaks sheltering the
S8: page and pools of liquid color, and he, in his
S8: army slouch hat side by side with his friends. The
S8: painters looks up across the beach to the Franklin Range
S8: and Mount Solitary and the Sentinels and other mystic rocks beyond,
S8: and knows that he is in a place called Home.
S8: After so many stories of people who have lost their memories.
S8: Here is a story about losing, forgetting. I imagine a
S8: film that begins with these words as I sit in
S8: the drawing room of the home of Max Angus in Hobart,
S8: pulling him away from his paints and his paper so
S8: that he might set me off on my search for
S8: the Tasmania of the past. The room looks over the
S8: river that forms the looping cartographic harbour, its mouth opening
S8: to the south. Shining blue, sparkling and flashing its seemingly
S8: benign smile at the mountain that rises up from its foreshore,
S8: orienting the people of the city. I draw up two
S8: armchairs and a teak coffee table to hold the tray
S8: that will soon arrive. The interior of this room at
S8: the top of the house has not changed in three decades.
S7: That was whatever happened to Brenda Heen. By Scott Millwood.
S7: Scott is spelt c o. W t. C. O. Double
S7: t Millwood is spelled m. I. L. W. L. O. M. I. L. W.
S7: L o d. And that book goes for nearly ten hours.
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 Colley 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 308 474
S1: W6 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision australia.org.