Conversations

Why the only remaining WW1 German A7V tank is in Brisbane, Australia (R)

A new conversation with James Rebanks on how he saved his family farm by returning to ancient ways of growing crops and meadows

Lisa Woollett's family made their living from combing through London's waste for treasures. Her great-grandfather was a scavenger and her grandad was a dustman, and as she grew up she also began mudlarking on the Thames

When they were kids, Stephen and his brothers would climb onto the laundry roof and put on a show for their neighbourhood. Stephen's since made an exceptional career as a dancer, and at the helm of Bangarra Dance Theatre (R)

Grace Karskens with the story of the riverlands of the Hawkesbury-Nepean, where ancient and modern Australia first collided

Maggie grew up around boys, then raised four sons of her own. Now she helps parents understand the changes teenage boys are going through as they cross the bridge from boyhood to manhoodMaggie Dent grew up in the country and she always felt she 'spoke bloke'.As a high school teacher and a family counsellor, she discovered she had a real affinity for teenage boys, and understood how to communicate with them.It helped that she was also the mother of four sons.In her conversations with parents she often found they were bewildered by their teenage sons.They said it was as though an alien had landed in their family and their sweet boy had been replaced by an unpredictable and sometimes monosyllabic human.But Maggie says we often don't realise how vulnerable teenage boys are as they grow into adulthood.She believes if parents learn about some of the ways the brain changes during adolescence, it can make for much better ways to communicate.Further informationFrom Boys to Men is published by Pan MacMillanListen to Maggie's podcast Parental as AnythingTo 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, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Andrew was a 4 year old when his family migrated to Australia from Burma. By his mid-20s he had his own criminal law practice. When he took on a client named Ivan Milat, his career became front page news

When a powerful wave he was riding sent him smashing into the sand, breaking his neck, former Army Ranger Billy Hedderman came within a breath of dying. Good fortune and an iron will featured in his recovery  

After young Australian soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi was imprisoned in Thailand, Craig fought the power of two monarchies, a military junta, and the world's largest sporting institution to free him (R)

A former boxer and builder's labourer, Geoff is now a highly successful poet (R)