S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host, Sam Coley.
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: Well, the library, we're always looking for beautiful First Nations stories,
S3: own voices that can really tell us about different things
S3: and different parts and times of Australian history, and really
S3: acknowledging that First Nations people were the original oral story tellers.
S3: They were speaking stories to each other long before any
S3: of us had ever set foot on this part of
S3: the world. So there's some really beautiful stories that I'm
S3: very excited to chat about.
S2: Welcome to the program! This week we catch up with
S2: manager of the Vision Australia Library, Sarah Bloedorn, who's here
S2: to tell us about a range of events coming up
S2: at the library, as well as some First Nations reads
S2: and stories of First Nations experiences, as we mark Naydock
S2: week on the program this week. But before you hear
S2: from Sarah, I catch up with Ben Dew from Tennis
S2: Australia as the Australian Blind and Low Vision Tennis Championships
S2: are coming up once again very shortly. So if you'd
S2: like to find out a little bit more about those,
S2: make sure to stick around as that interviews coming up
S2: right now. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of
S2: Talking Vision. It feels like only just yesterday that the
S2: Australian Blind Tennis Championships were kicking off in Melbourne just
S2: last year, but it's been 12 months, can you believe it?
S2: And as we did the same time last year, it's
S2: my great pleasure to welcome Ben Dew from Tennis Australia
S2: to tell us all about the upcoming championships and the
S2: progress of blind tennis over the past 12 months. Ben,
S2: welcome back to Talking Vision. Great to have you again.
S2: Thanks for having.
S4: Me, Sam.
S2: Now, a while ago, Ben, we were chatting about the
S2: blind tennis championships going on in Melbourne and they are very,
S2: very quickly rolling around again. So tell us a little
S2: bit about the 2024 iteration.
S4: Yes. Uh, it's exciting times. And uh, this will be
S4: the third edition of the Australian Blind and Low Vision
S4: Tennis Championships and once again at the home of tennis
S4: at Melbourne Park there at the National Tennis Centre. So
S4: we're pretty excited. Over the last 12 months particularly, we've
S4: seen this pathway grow exponentially in in a lot of
S4: areas through all the different sport classes, but also in
S4: the junior participation numbers through our state tournaments. So, um,
S4: our pathway for blind and low vision tennis is, is
S4: certainly growing. And uh, and it's events like these national
S4: championships where we get to, uh, I suppose, celebrate the
S4: achievements of a lot of players and also introduce a
S4: lot of new players to the sport at an event
S4: like the national championships, which is a pretty cool experience
S4: on and off the court for these athletes. And then
S4: it's also an amazing opportunity for the top level and
S4: the top ranked players in the country who are vying
S4: for spots and and also some match practice before they
S4: head overseas to compete at the International Blind Tennis World Championships,
S4: which are held in September over in Europe later Later
S4: in the year.
S2: We'll talk about those world championships. And, you know, the
S2: amazing progress that blind tennis has made over the past
S2: 12 months in just a little while. But firstly, Ben,
S2: I think let's get some more details about the blind
S2: tennis championships happening right here in Melbourne over the next
S2: couple of weeks. So it is, as you've said, held
S2: at Melbourne Park. But what is the timeline looking like?
S2: What days can people expect to go and watch and
S2: support their family and friends, or just have a first
S2: watch of some high quality, blind and low vision tennis?
S4: Yeah, absolutely. There's a lot to see and a lot
S4: to come and experience and take in. We'll have matches
S4: and an opening ceremony on the Friday the 19th of July,
S4: starting off, uh, around mid-morning with the opening ceremony and
S4: matches starting around about 11:00. And yeah, basically be playing
S4: across four of the indoor courts at the National Tennis Centre. Uh,
S4: there's a viewing platform there, and there's also a tournament
S4: central where we have a large screen TV that has, uh,
S4: a live stream from the Tennis Australia YouTube channel. So
S4: there'll be, uh, opportunity to view and to listen to
S4: commentary as well, both at the venue, but also remotely
S4: for those who maybe can't make it to Melbourne or
S4: wish to watch or listen to some of the matches.
S4: Saturday we got a half day plan. So we've got
S4: basically matches starting uh, around about midday and going right
S4: through the afternoon. And depending on entry numbers and the schedule,
S4: it could be a full afternoon full of matches and
S4: then again on Sunday. So, um, there'll be matches kicking
S4: off around 9:00 on the Sunday, and we aim to
S4: have the presentation ceremony around about 5:00 on Sunday the
S4: 21st of July.
S2: Tell us a little bit more about that live stream
S2: in particular. So that's available on YouTube. But what other
S2: platforms or sites can people head along to and have
S2: a watch of that?
S4: They'll definitely, uh, be live streaming of our show court.
S4: Our court one across all three days. And that's, as
S4: you said, through the Tennis Australia YouTube channel. Um, so
S4: you can get on there and, and if you just, uh,
S4: search blind tennis, you should be able to find that.
S4: We'll also be sharing the link through Tennis Australia social
S4: media as well as blind sports, so Blind Sports and
S4: Recreation Victoria will definitely be promoting the event and the
S4: live stream. And also we've got Blind Sports, New South
S4: Wales and Act So Blind, Sports and Recreation New South
S4: Wales and Act will be there as well. And we're
S4: looking to hopefully live stream a second court through the
S4: Blind Sports and Recreation New South Wales and Act Facebook page.
S2: Is there any sort of audio description along with that
S2: or commentary that people can listen to? Um, those sort
S2: of accessibility features? Absolutely.
S4: That's, uh, one thing that we're really, uh, trying to
S4: improve on last year, which was was great to have
S4: a a live stream component, I suppose we have each
S4: year we've slowly improved the offering and yeah, internally with
S4: our Tennis Australia production team and through the features of YouTube,
S4: you can have live captioning on there. But we really
S4: want to see if we can take it to that
S4: next level and have commentary and special comments as well as,
S4: you know, some on court interviews with some players post-match,
S4: particularly on Sunday as things start to heat up a
S4: little bit on Sunday with our finals day. So yeah,
S4: by all means there'll be, uh, some live streams, some
S4: captioning on that live stream on the YouTube channel, but
S4: then also some engagement through the commentary, which will be
S4: that typical kind of radio commentary for our viewers and listeners.
S4: And yeah, as I said, trying to engage some of
S4: the players post-match, a little bit like Jim Courier at
S4: the Australian Open and um, hopefully capture some, you know,
S4: immediate feelings and insights from some of the players post-match.
S2: And in terms of what's happening over the next few
S2: months after people have had their fill with the Australian
S2: Tennis Championships, what are the events coming up that people
S2: can look forward to? Following our Australian blind and low
S2: vision tennis players as they move around the world and
S2: head off to compete in Europe and such places.
S4: Yeah, we've got quite a big calendar actually. This year
S4: it's probably our largest calendar of events for blind and
S4: low vision tennis ever, which is great. We've actually just
S4: come off a pilot of a blind and low vision
S4: tennis league, which is a weekly league happening in Adelaide
S4: that just finished last week. So we're looking to roll
S4: out another blind and low vision league, which is, you know,
S4: a weekly competition for players locally to play more regularly.
S4: And then we'll probably have some more updates on that
S4: in the coming weeks. But um, we're hoping to do
S4: that in some other states. So not just in South Australia.
S4: And then we've got our Northern Territory blind and low
S4: vision open. The inaugural NT open, which is coming around
S4: quickly as well. That's on the 31st of August and
S4: the 1st of September up in Darwin, which is exciting,
S4: and we're looking to provide a tour off the back
S4: of there. So partnering with Cocky Guides to be able
S4: to provide an off court experience for both players and
S4: also just spectators who are wanting to go to Darwin
S4: and see some of the sights. So looking forward to
S4: that as a bit of a partnership and also something
S4: that we can look forward to providing in future years.
S4: For anyone with low vision that would like to see
S4: some of the country and have a bit of a holiday,
S4: as well as play some tennis. So, um, that's pretty exciting.
S4: And then moving into September, we've got the Ibta European Championships,
S4: which a lot of Australian players will go and compete
S4: in Poland, and the 15th to the 20th of September.
S4: And that's a bit of a warm up and leading
S4: into the Ibta World Championships. So they're going to be
S4: held in Italy this year, which is super exciting. And
S4: there from the 25th of September to the 28th of September.
S4: And that kind of rounds out the international calendar for
S4: blind tennis. And then a lot of our athletes will
S4: come back home. And we have two more domestic tournaments
S4: in the calendar, one over in Perth for the WA open.
S4: That's in October, the 12th and 13th of October, and
S4: our final event of the year, which was our biggest
S4: event last year and I believe one of the biggest
S4: in the world in terms of a domestic blind and
S4: low vision tournament, which is the South Australian blind and
S4: low vision open. So that's on the 29th of November
S4: and the 1st of December. So we're looking forward to
S4: rounding out another massive year and seeing as many of
S4: our players and new players coming along to Adelaide to
S4: compete there.
S2: Speaking of new players and the increasing calendar that is
S2: really promising to hear about that. There's, you know, more
S2: and more events available for blind and low vision tennis
S2: athletes across Australia and no doubt across the world. But
S2: tell us a little bit about the progress that blind
S2: tennis has made over the past 12 months and potentially
S2: going into the future down the track. And this is
S2: a years long conversation, potentially, about getting blind tennis into
S2: the Paralympics. As you know, Paris is on the mind
S2: of quite a few people, and hopefully that encourages people
S2: who watch the tennis at the Olympics and think, oh,
S2: I'd love to play Paralympic blind tennis one day and,
S2: you know, get into the sport that way.
S4: Yeah, it's a great call out in terms of the
S4: Olympics and Paralympics coming up. It's where a lot of kids,
S4: you know, and other adults are watching and have eyes
S4: on sports and, and where we, uh, where a lot
S4: of us got that inspiration to pick up a racket
S4: or get into sport. So seeing some of those top
S4: athletes and seeing them compete on a global stage is
S4: super important and something that we'll look to engage, particularly
S4: all of our pathways on. So there'll be a bit
S4: of a promotional campaign that we're working closely on now
S4: to try and get people into tennis, and all eyes
S4: are on on the Olympic Games and Paralympics, so that's
S4: really exciting for our sport, but probably super exciting for
S4: all sports in Australia and something that we're looking forward to.
S4: And yeah, obviously looking at the growth that we've had over,
S4: it's really over the four years that we've been investing
S4: into blind tennis and, you know, from the early days
S4: of running a pilot tournament, which was really just before Covid.
S4: So it wasn't all that long ago where we had
S4: just dipped our toe in the waters and seen that
S4: there was a demand. And, and athletes out there that
S4: would love more regular and comprehensive pathway for blind tennis.
S4: And since then, um, yeah, we've got well over 120
S4: competitive players in our database and playing seven, uh, tournaments
S4: a year here in Australia. And then now that, uh,
S4: the international tournaments are back, there's quite a few heading
S4: overseas as well. So the growth we've seen is amazing,
S4: particularly in the junior ranks. We're probably, uh, a country
S4: that's got some of the highest number of junior blind
S4: and low vision tennis players, and we do work fairly
S4: closely with some of the other countries on resources and
S4: pathways and things, and learn a little bit from the
S4: LTA and what they're doing. And, you know, in terms
S4: of ranking systems and, and calendar of events. So, um,
S4: another key area we're looking to grow is the B1 category.
S4: So the B1 sport class, which is our category with
S4: the least amount of sight. I know there's quite a
S4: few countries that have got a lot of players in
S4: that class. However, we're lagging a little bit and we're
S4: certainly trying to grow that space a little bit more.
S4: Another area we've seen a lot of growth is in
S4: our women players, so female players have skyrocketed across a
S4: lot of different sport classes. So B2, B3 and B4.
S4: So it's great to see we're being able to split
S4: and have, you know, a B2 women's singles competition as
S4: well as a B2 men's competition. So, um, yeah, it's
S4: super exciting. Um, it's working a lot with our states
S4: and our coaches in each state and setting up some
S4: development hubs for people to play and and learn the sport,
S4: particularly that skill development side of things and the awareness
S4: of the tennis court and then to progress through into
S4: a competitive environment. And that's why I think the leagues,
S4: the weekly leagues, are really important for that development and
S4: to engage players on a regular basis more locally, where
S4: they don't have to travel so much.
S2: If people out there would love to get involved, perhaps
S2: find out more, they might be thinking, oh, you know
S2: what is blind and low vision tennis? I'd love to
S2: hear more about it. What ways to contact Tennis Australia
S2: would there be for people to perhaps get in touch
S2: and find out more?
S4: There's definitely more information on our Tennis Australia website. Um,
S4: so if you head to tennis. Com.au uh, and then
S4: you can see at the top there's a section on
S4: play and then inclusion and diversity, and you can follow
S4: the links there to find our blind and low vision page,
S4: which has everything from information on classification to, uh, some videos.
S4: It also has some information on our event. So there's
S4: a whole page there with a calendar of events which
S4: you can click to each event and enter online there.
S4: And there's also another tab that shows you how to
S4: get involved. So some local coaches that might be in
S4: your state or your area. And if you prefer email
S4: and any general requirements or specific queries about blind and
S4: low vision tennis, I encourage people to get in touch
S4: through our email, which is blind tennis at tennis. Com.au.
S4: So yeah, there's a couple of ways you can get involved.
S4: And uh, if not through your local blind sports contact
S4: in your local, state and territory.
S2: I've been speaking today with Ben Jew from Tennis Australia
S2: here to chat to me all about the 2024 Australian
S2: Blind and Low Vision Tennis Championships coming up very shortly
S2: in Melbourne over the weekend of the 20th of July. Ben,
S2: thank you so much for your time today. Great to
S2: hear from you again and thank you very much for
S2: your time.
S4: Thanks for having me, Sam, and I look forward to seeing, uh,
S4: yourself and others come down and enjoy some of the
S4: tennis action.
S2: I'm Sam Corley and you're listening to Talking Vision on
S2: Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the
S2: Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there
S2: with Ben Jue. If you missed any part of that
S2: chat with Ben or you'd love to hear it again.
S2: Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website
S2: at VA radio.org. That's VA radio or one word.org. Or
S2: you can of course find the program on the podcast
S2: app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library.
S2: And speaking of the Vision Australia Library coming up next
S2: on Talking Vision. We have a long overdue catch up
S2: with Sarah Bloedorn, the manager of the Vision Australia library,
S2: who's here to tell us all about the latest events
S2: coming up over the next couple of months in the library,
S2: as well as some First Nations reads as we head
S2: into NAIDOC week this week on Vision Australia Radio. Sarah,
S2: welcome back to Talking Vision. Great to have you.
S3: Thanks for having me.
S2: Now there's quite a few exciting new events coming up
S2: at the Vision Australia library over the coming months. Tell
S2: us a little bit about them.
S3: Yeah, we have so much on I could hardly fit
S3: it on one page. So the first thing I wanted
S3: to tell you about is our short story writing with
S3: Amanda O'Callaghan, which starts beginning of July. So right about now. Um,
S3: so this is designed for anybody who's wanted to ever
S3: write a short story, or maybe they have a great
S3: little idea for a story and they weren't sure how
S3: to craft it. Uh, registrations are currently open, and we
S3: often get booked up quite quickly with those. So I'd
S3: encourage you if you miss out on this round, definitely
S3: to inquire. And we'll put you on the wait list
S3: for the next one. Uh, we're also welcoming people to
S3: our next in conversation on 24th of July. So this
S3: is with Les Pobjie. Um, we're very happy to have
S3: him along. Um, he's an amazing writer. He has a
S3: beautiful book. Um, and we'll also be interviewing his children,
S3: who are both equally as talented. Ben and Emily Maguire
S3: are both authors in their own right, so it's going
S3: to be a really jam packed in conversation. So this
S3: is a live webinar. So no matter where you are
S3: in Australia, please feel free to join up and come
S3: along and listen. That will be a 24th of July
S3: and you can register online for that. We also have
S3: our accessible writing tools and technology sessions. So this is
S3: the first time we've held these and they'll be online.
S3: But you can also attend in person at any of
S3: our big flagship sites in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
S3: So really this is an opportunity to learn from our
S3: team of experts in accessible technology on how you can
S3: keep doing all those important tasks around writing. So in
S3: person or online, if you attend in person, you'll have
S3: an opportunity to see some live demonstrations of different tools
S3: and technologies while chatting to our accessibility specialists. But if
S3: you're only able to jump on online, no problem. You
S3: can also have a follow up call with one of
S3: our specialists later. If there was something in particular that
S3: interests you. And I've got more. Oh, more.
S2: Awesome.
S3: Excellent. On the 19th of August, we begin our Mindful
S3: Reading Wellbeing Through Stories series. So this is with Doctor
S3: Susan McLean, who is a bibliotherapist, which is maybe not
S3: a term a lot of people have heard, but I
S3: think it's the best job in the world. Susan supports
S3: people to reach a sense of wellbeing and mindfulness through stories,
S3: so it's a practice of reading books that could be
S3: short stories, poetry or non-fiction to support, guide and comfort
S3: us during challenging times. So this will be a monthly
S3: online series so you can kind of sit back in
S3: your own home. You're really encouraged to kind of immerse
S3: yourself in the session and concentrate and listen and you'll
S3: really it's very nourishing. They're really beautiful sessions. I'm not
S3: sure if anybody's come across Doctor Susan before. We have
S3: done previous sessions with her and she has created a
S3: podcast for Vision Australia Library. But these sessions are really beautiful.
S3: I'd encourage anybody that's interested to sign up for those.
S3: Lots happening.
S2: Yeah. Lots happening. Okay, well, that sounds fantastic. And I
S2: think this is the perfect time of year also to
S2: curl up with a fantastic new book. And um, given
S2: that we are heading into no dark week, we're celebrating
S2: NAIDOC week on the program this week. I'd love to
S2: hear about, um, some First Nations reads from the Vision
S2: Australia Library. Um, highlighting First Nations authors and lived experiences.
S2: I'd love to hear more about that.
S3: Yeah, absolutely. Well, the library, we're always looking for beautiful
S3: First Nations stories, own voices that can really tell us
S3: about different things and different parts and times of Australian history,
S3: and really acknowledging that First Nations people were the original
S3: oral storytellers. They were speaking stories to each other long
S3: before any of us had ever set foot on this
S3: part of the world. So, um, there's some really beautiful
S3: stories that I'm very excited to chat about. Um, but
S3: this is not an exhaustive list, so please enquire with
S3: the library if you would like some more information about any. Uh,
S3: the first one and you may have well have heard
S3: us talk about Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright. We hosted Alexis
S3: earlier in the year, and her book since then has
S3: gone on to win the stellar prize and is shortlisted
S3: for the Miles Franklin, which is just wonderful and and
S3: absolutely needs to be. Um, so it's a huge epic novel.
S3: I would encourage listening to this one on audio because
S3: the breadth of this book is so large, but I
S3: think the audio will make it really accessible. Um, so
S3: I'll read you the blurb. It's quite, quite crazy and outrageous,
S3: but just packed full of so many things in a
S3: small town dominated by a haze cloud, which heralds both
S3: an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of the ancestors, a
S3: crazed visionary seeks out donkeys as the solution to the
S3: global climate crisis and the economic dependency of the Aboriginal people.
S3: His wife seeks solace from his madness in following the
S3: dance of butterflies and scouring the internet to find out
S3: how she can seek repatriation for her Aboriginal Chinese family
S3: to China. One of their sons, called Aboriginal sovereignty, is
S3: determined to commit suicide. The other, Tommy Hawk, wishes his
S3: brother dead so that he can pursue his dream of
S3: becoming white and powerful. This is a novel which pushes
S3: allegory and language to its limits, a cry of outrage
S3: against oppression and disadvantage, and a fable for the end
S3: of days. I think that kind of captures very, very
S3: small way that the hugeness of this book.
S2: Um, certainly does. It's a really.
S3: Important, uh, book. I would encourage anybody to have a listen.
S3: Some other ones that are wonderful, uh, women and Children
S3: by Tony Birch Tony Birch is a very well renowned
S3: Australian Indigenous writer, so this current book is set in 1965,
S3: in a working class suburb, and tells the story of
S3: Marion and her sister Ruby. And really, it's a beautiful
S3: family story, but it explores so many important themes and
S3: certainly many of the challenges for First Nations people. Another book,
S3: which is just doing amazing things is We Come with
S3: This Place by Debra Dank. So this is a personal
S3: and profound tribute to her family and just lots about Australia,
S3: the land and people. And it's really beautiful celebration of
S3: all of those things. So that's just three books that
S3: we have that I would encourage you to have a
S3: listen to, but we have lots more, as I mentioned.
S3: So please enquire. And on our website we do have
S3: an area dedicated to books by First Nations authors, if
S3: you're interested.
S2: And that website library dot Vision australia.org that's library dot
S2: Vision Australia all one word.org. To find out more about
S2: all those first nations reads and much more. And Sarah,
S2: if people would prefer to perhaps ring the library or
S2: send them an email, what's the best ways for them
S2: to do that?
S3: Yeah, please feel free to give us a call. We're
S3: at 1300 654 656. I'll give you that one again. 1300 654 656 to
S3: inquire about anything from the stories that I've spoken about,
S3: but also if any of the programs interest you or
S3: you'd like to be put on a wait list for
S3: upcoming programs, you can also subscribe to our newsletter, where
S3: you'll hear about all of these things and you'll kind
S3: of get first or early access to sign up. So
S3: I would encourage you to receive our newsletter if you
S3: don't already. Um, and our email address if you'd like
S3: to get in contact that way is library at Vision Australia.
S2: Org that's library at Vision australia.org for all general inquiries.
S2: I've been speaking today with Sarah Bloedorn from the library
S2: all about some upcoming fantastic events going on at the library,
S2: as well as some First Nations reads for people to enjoy.
S2: As we celebrate NAIDOC week this week on Vision Australia Radio. Sarah,
S2: thank you once again for making an appearance on Talking Vision.
S2: We always love to have you and get some updates
S2: from the library, So thank you very much for your time.
S3: Thanks for having me.
S2: And finally, on this show this week, we've got a
S2: bit of information about a Children's Book Week event with
S2: Sally rippin. It's a free event for children aged 7
S2: to 12 years. Would you love to spend a day
S2: with the amazing children's author Sally rippin? Do you want
S2: to be part of a creative writing workshop hosted by
S2: the awesome author of the Billy B Brown Hijack and
S2: School of Monsters series? Come and join Sally in creating
S2: a book full of fantastical worlds and historical characters who
S2: venture on awe inspiring adventures. The event is taking place
S2: on Tuesday, the 20th of August 2024, between 10 a.m.
S2: and 2:30 p.m. Melbourne time. It takes place in person
S2: at Vision Australia's office in Kooyong and it's completely free
S2: and open to Vision Australia members aged 7 to 12
S2: years old. Children are invited to bring along a sibling
S2: or friend to participate with them. To register, please head
S2: to the Vision Australia website at Vision australia.org. That's Vision
S2: australia.org and search Children's Book Week. And that's all the
S2: time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision.
S2: Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to
S2: all involved with putting the show together every week. And
S2: remember we love hearing from you. So please get in
S2: touch anytime on our email at Talking Vision at Vision australia.org.
S2: That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. But
S2: until next week it's Sam Collins saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one (300) 847-4106 or by visiting
S1: Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.