Conversations

Captain Reg Saunders was the first Indigenous Australian to become a commissioned officer in the Australian Army. 
He was following a warrior tradition stretching generations back, fighting not for king but for country.
He didn't have citizenship in Australia, but Reg led troops and fought in Libya, Greece and Papua New Guinea.
He also survived on the island of Crete, living amongst the locals for 11 months during WWII. Reg's exploits in Crete were the subject of family legend.
He also later re-enlisted to fight in the Korean War.
But when the first biography about Reg was written, it was titled 'The Embarrassing Australian'.
James Saunders is Reg's nephew, a Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Wongaibon man who heard all about Reg growing up.
Recently, with the help of family, James wrote down the truth of Reg's life and service, and how Reg carried forward the legacy of 'The Fighting Gunditjmara', who fought not for king but for country.
Fighting for Country is published by Allen and Unwin.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores military history, Remembrance Day, November 11, ANZACS, World War Two, World War One, White Australia Policy, Aboriginal Missions, contemporary history, Crete, Greece, Libya, Palestine, Spiritual experience, family history, ancestry, Veterans, Aboriginal service, service personnel, Korean War, single fathers, brotherhood.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The late Clive Small on how he led the NSW Police task force which helped to put one of Australia’s worst serial killers behind bars.
In the 1990s, a series of young people’s bodies were found in makeshift graves in the Belanglo State Forest.
After many false leads, precious clues emerged pointing to one man – Ivan Milat.
Clive and his team followed an intricate process in carefully piecing together the evidence that led to Milat’s conviction.
In 1996, the former road worker was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences for the murder of seven backpackers.
Clive went on to become Assistant Commissioner of the New South Wales Police, and was later chief investigator for NSW's ICAC: Independent Commission Against Corruption.
His book about the case is called Milat: Inside Australia's Biggest Manhunt
Clive Small died last year at the age of 79.
This episode was first broadcast in 2014 
Further information
Milat: Inside Australia's Biggest Manhunt is published by Allen & UnwinThis episode of Conversations explores murder, serial killers, police work, detectives, Ivan Milat, evidence, the backpacker murders, Belanglo State Forest, NSW Police, Clive Small, Paul Onion, murder victims, prison, cruelty, The Milat Family, violence.

Deniz has squeezed more than most into his life. From pioneering punk rock in Australia, to performing improvised neurosurgery aboard a naval ship, to retirement growing Macadamias in Hawaii.
Deniz is a founding member of Radio Birdman, Australia’s seminal punk rock band.
He was also an emergency doctor in Australia and the United States.
But that wasn’t enough for Deniz.
He decided to join the U.S Marines as a flight surgeon – a type of pilot who can perform improvised neurosurgery aboard a naval ship.
Deniz is also a husband, a father, an adopted member of the Crow Tribe, and most recently, a macadamia farmer.
Despite his big story, Deniz has of course made mistakes along the way, in his headstrong and unexpected trajectory through life.
Further information
Full Throttle is published by Pan Macmillan.
This interview was made on Turrbal and Jaggera country.
It was produced by Meggie Morris. The Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It covers punk rock, neurosurgery, US Navy, Veteran, First Nations Americans, Crow Tribe, macadamia farmer, advocate, Turkey, Ataturk, Michigan, music, band, The Rationals, rock n roll, UNSW, international students, gigs, Lou Reed, Montana, White Swan

As the first brown immigrant and the first Muslim to enter the very white world of Australian cricket, Usman Khawaja overcame many setbacks while forging his extraordinary career in the sport.
Born in Pakistan, Usman moved to Sydney with his family at four and fell in love with cricket watching his older brothers play.
In 2011, Usman debuted for the Australian cricket team in the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG, becoming the first Muslim to wear the Baggy Green.But his journey has been as much about finding a way to be fully himself in Australian cricket as it has been about winning.
Usman retired from Test cricket in January, his memoir is called Sabr
Further information
Sabr is published by Penguin
This episode of Conversations explores cricket, Australian cricket team, Test cricket, Pakistan, Muslims, migration, arthritis, family, mothers, marriage, kids, sport, elite sport, Australian sporting culture, sandpaper gate, cheating, intergrity, human rights, injury, retirement.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Growing up with brilliant writer as a father, Adam Courtenay slowly became aware of many gaps and untruths in his dad's life story. So he decided to set the record straight, once and for all.
When Adam was growing up, he saw his Dad as a hero.
Bryce worked in advertising so he knew all the latest, coolest trends, and at bedtime, Bryce told Adam and his brothers amazing stories about his life in South Africa and the Courtenay family’s noble origins.
When Bryce went from adman to wildly successful writer with his debut novel, The Power of One, Adam couldn’t have been prouder.
As Adam grew older, he became aware of the gaps in the stories his father told so well, and realised just how many lies Bryce had told his family and the nation.
At first, Adam tried to ignore the fables and fibs - he wanted badly to believe them because they made Bryce's storytelling so powerful.
But when Adam became a writer himself, an author of historical books and a journalist, he needed to champion the truth above all else.
Further information
My Father Bryce is published by Hachette.