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Streets of Your Town
Streets of Your Town
From the Wandering Journo at Stories that Matter Studios this is The Streets of Your Town. The podcast that takes you on an audio journey through theatre of the mind highlighting a different slice of Australian life each episode.
Season 5
Australian jazz legend Vince Jones on keeping your creativity alive
It’s not often we get an Australian jazz singer legend on Streets of Your Town, but we are lucky enough to enjoy that on today’s episode. Vince Jones is well known not only in this country but throughout the world as one of Australia’s most renowned jazz musicians. He tells us how the love of his craft started young, in the lively jazz surrounds of Scotland. And after half a century of performing, and a lifetime of loving music, Vince is gladly still on the road, performing and creating his distinctly Australian take on jazz music. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Australian jazz legend Vince Jones on keeping your creativity alive
It’s not often we get an Australian jazz singer legend on Streets of Your Town, but we are lucky enough to enjoy that on today’s episode. Vince Jones is well known not only in this country but throughout the world as one of Australia’s most renowned jazz musicians. He tells us how the love of his craft started young, in the lively jazz surrounds of Scotland. And after half a century of performing, and a lifetime of loving music, Vince is gladly still on the road, performing and creating his distinctly Australian take on jazz music. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
21:01
EP10 - S5
21 Jun 24
Gerrard Gosens' attempt to become the first blind person to swim across the English Channel
For Paralympian athlete Gerrard Gosens, taking on the challenge of swimming across the English Channel is more than just a physical one. It’s also mental, as the blind swimmer confronts the elements and conditions of the day and then figures out how to overcome them. Gerrard tells us on Streets of Your Town podcast how he is well into an intense training regimen preparing for his attempted channel crossing in August - swimming from the UK to France in his quest to become the first blind person to do so. It’s a big leap from his previous sport of running - having represented Australia in long distance running in three Paralympic Games and three IPC World Athletic Championships from 1996 to 2011, as well as the Paratriathlon at Tokyo 2022. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gerrard Gosens' attempt to become the first blind person to swim across the English Channel
For Paralympian athlete Gerrard Gosens, taking on the challenge of swimming across the English Channel is more than just a physical one. It’s also mental, as the blind swimmer confronts the elements and conditions of the day and then figures out how to overcome them. Gerrard tells us on Streets of Your Town podcast how he is well into an intense training regimen preparing for his attempted channel crossing in August - swimming from the UK to France in his quest to become the first blind person to do so. It’s a big leap from his previous sport of running - having represented Australia in long distance running in three Paralympic Games and three IPC World Athletic Championships from 1996 to 2011, as well as the Paratriathlon at Tokyo 2022. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
22:21
EP09 - S5
20 Jun 24
Ciaran Olohan on travelling around Australia as an Irish musician
Some people when they visit Australia, simply can’t stop themselves from coming back time and time again. So it is for Irish performer Ciaran Olohan, who is bringing his show The World of Musicals in Concert back to Australia for the fourth time. And he’s not just taking it on the well worn route to the capital cities, Ciaran and his crew are doing the big lap of Australia, taking their show that has graced stages across the globe to some of Australia’s most off the beaten track locations as well. Ciaran tells us on Streets of Your Town, how music has always been a part of his life from his childhood in County Wicklow to today with a career taking him to the US, Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain and China. And he ponders how much Irish music and Australian musical traditions have in common. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ciaran Olohan on travelling around Australia as an Irish musician
Some people when they visit Australia, simply can’t stop themselves from coming back time and time again. So it is for Irish performer Ciaran Olohan, who is bringing his show The World of Musicals in Concert back to Australia for the fourth time. And he’s not just taking it on the well worn route to the capital cities, Ciaran and his crew are doing the big lap of Australia, taking their show that has graced stages across the globe to some of Australia’s most off the beaten track locations as well. Ciaran tells us on Streets of Your Town, how music has always been a part of his life from his childhood in County Wicklow to today with a career taking him to the US, Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain and China. And he ponders how much Irish music and Australian musical traditions have in common. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
16:03
EP08 - S5
3 Jun 24
Elise McCann on performing in musicals and Hey Lemonade
In this episode of Streets of Your Town Elise McCann gives us insights into her creative process, particularly of late in the musical adaptation of Groundhog Day which had a season in Melbourne. Elise admits that despite her success as a musicals performer, like anyone, there are days that get the better of her, and that’s how she decided to create the stress and motivation app Hey Lemonade. Together with her fellow performer friend Lucy Durack they hope to turn around people’s woes with the Hey Lemonade app that they designed and built. As Elise explains, the app offers three-minute talks on various topics, written by a team of writers and psychologists, and delivered by a diverse range of well known voices from the entertainment industry. A bit like a portable pick me up in your pocket. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Elise McCann on performing in musicals and Hey Lemonade
In this episode of Streets of Your Town Elise McCann gives us insights into her creative process, particularly of late in the musical adaptation of Groundhog Day which had a season in Melbourne. Elise admits that despite her success as a musicals performer, like anyone, there are days that get the better of her, and that’s how she decided to create the stress and motivation app Hey Lemonade. Together with her fellow performer friend Lucy Durack they hope to turn around people’s woes with the Hey Lemonade app that they designed and built. As Elise explains, the app offers three-minute talks on various topics, written by a team of writers and psychologists, and delivered by a diverse range of well known voices from the entertainment industry. A bit like a portable pick me up in your pocket. Contact Streets of Your Town host Nance Haxton AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
15:55
EP07 - S5
17 May 24
Raechel Whitchurch on outback life and connecting with people as a songwriter
Broken Hill-born country singer-songwriter Raechel Whitchurch spent most of her childhood travelling in her family's country music band, before establishing herself as one of Aussie music’s most recognisable country artists. But her path to songwriting was far from guaranteed. In fact, it wasn't until her family saw Kasey Chambers’ family group The Dead Ringer Band perform in Broken Hill that country music became a family career. Her Dad thought it would be a great way to make a living, so they all became self-taught musicians. After several local talent quests, the Lee family packed their lives into a caravan and hit the road on two laps of Australia and a six-month stint in Arnhem Land performing in their travelling country family band, The Lees. Raechel, the eldest, was aged only 12, but it’s a lifestyle she has taken on as her own into adulthood with her husband Ben and three children on the road as well. And as Raechel tells us on Streets of Your Town, her songs don’t flinch from telling the hardships as well as the fun times of life in rural and remote Australia. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Raechel Whitchurch on outback life and connecting with people as a songwriter
Broken Hill-born country singer-songwriter Raechel Whitchurch spent most of her childhood travelling in her family's country music band, before establishing herself as one of Aussie music’s most recognisable country artists. But her path to songwriting was far from guaranteed. In fact, it wasn't until her family saw Kasey Chambers’ family group The Dead Ringer Band perform in Broken Hill that country music became a family career. Her Dad thought it would be a great way to make a living, so they all became self-taught musicians. After several local talent quests, the Lee family packed their lives into a caravan and hit the road on two laps of Australia and a six-month stint in Arnhem Land performing in their travelling country family band, The Lees. Raechel, the eldest, was aged only 12, but it’s a lifestyle she has taken on as her own into adulthood with her husband Ben and three children on the road as well. And as Raechel tells us on Streets of Your Town, her songs don’t flinch from telling the hardships as well as the fun times of life in rural and remote Australia. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
30:46
EP06 - S5
4 May 24
Yirinda on combining ancient Aboriginal language with classical music
New Meanjin/Brisbane band Yirinda is widening the scope of Indigenous music with a unique take blending Aboriginal language and songs with classical genres. Yirinda combines ancient Aboriginal language performed by Butchulla songman Fred Leone with dramatic soundscapes from Samuel Pankhurst, accompanied by a string quartet, to invoke thousands of generations of story and culture through music. The band has just released its debut album on vinyl, CD and digital following on from their performance debut at last year’s Brisbane Festival, before going on to play at the Woodford Folk Festival over New Years. Fred and Samuel tell Streets of Your Town about their unique evocative sound evolved, and their excitement taking Yirinda on the road with a tour up Australia’s east coast, finishing in Cairns on May 31. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Yirinda on combining ancient Aboriginal language with classical music
New Meanjin/Brisbane band Yirinda is widening the scope of Indigenous music with a unique take blending Aboriginal language and songs with classical genres. Yirinda combines ancient Aboriginal language performed by Butchulla songman Fred Leone with dramatic soundscapes from Samuel Pankhurst, accompanied by a string quartet, to invoke thousands of generations of story and culture through music. The band has just released its debut album on vinyl, CD and digital following on from their performance debut at last year’s Brisbane Festival, before going on to play at the Woodford Folk Festival over New Years. Fred and Samuel tell Streets of Your Town about their unique evocative sound evolved, and their excitement taking Yirinda on the road with a tour up Australia’s east coast, finishing in Cairns on May 31. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28:45
EP05 - S5
12 Mar 24
Trent Dalton on the worldwide release of Boy Swallows Universe on Netflix
There’s only two people who have made it onto Streets of Your Town podcast more than once. And journo and author extraordinaire Trent Dalton is one of them. With the Netflix series adaptation of his first breakthrough novel Boy Swallows Universe now number one in Australia and top ten in the US, it’s time to revisit this Brisbane born and bred talent, whose gritty but hopeful representations of the wrong side of town in his novels have thrust beloved Brissie icons such as the Story Bridge onto the worldwide map. He knows this underworld because he grew up in it, and Trent tells us on Streets of Your Town how he never could have envisioned as a young child how a story he wrote could one day make it onto screens around the country and around the globe. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Trent Dalton on the worldwide release of Boy Swallows Universe on Netflix
There’s only two people who have made it onto Streets of Your Town podcast more than once. And journo and author extraordinaire Trent Dalton is one of them. With the Netflix series adaptation of his first breakthrough novel Boy Swallows Universe now number one in Australia and top ten in the US, it’s time to revisit this Brisbane born and bred talent, whose gritty but hopeful representations of the wrong side of town in his novels have thrust beloved Brissie icons such as the Story Bridge onto the worldwide map. He knows this underworld because he grew up in it, and Trent tells us on Streets of Your Town how he never could have envisioned as a young child how a story he wrote could one day make it onto screens around the country and around the globe. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
15:08
EP04 - S5
15 Jan 24
Falling in love with writing letters again at the Woodford Folk Festival Lettering House
With all the agitation and conflict in the world at the moment - I thought what we need on Streets of Your Town to start this year - is whimsy. Something to make us smile and stir a sense of childlike awe in us again. And so off I meandered in Mildred the Cantankerous Kombi to the Woodford Folk Festival. It’s on every year in the foothills of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland helping hippies and hippies at heart to spread harmony and see in the New Year with three minutes of silent contemplation. The festival attracts more than 130,000 people to the pop-up town of Woodfordia on the site of a former dairy farm, making it the largest gathering of artists and musicians in Australia. Amidst this glorious muddy throng of people and throbbing music is a contemplative corner of Woodfordia called the Lettering House. It’s where festival goers can go back to times gone by, and connect to their fellow Woodfordians the old fashioned, non-digital way - by writing a letter or typing it on an old fashioned type-writer. A team of Woodfordian posties search out the identify of each letter recipient, often based on the vaguest of addresses and identifies, then get on their bikes to find them and deliver the letter by hand, or notify the recipient by text that they have a letter to pick up. So sit back, and let's ponder the magic of the Lettering House through the words of Postal Clerk Aaron, who explains how they spread their little bit of writing wonder through the festival. Contact Nance aka The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Falling in love with writing letters again at the Woodford Folk Festival Lettering House
With all the agitation and conflict in the world at the moment - I thought what we need on Streets of Your Town to start this year - is whimsy. Something to make us smile and stir a sense of childlike awe in us again. And so off I meandered in Mildred the Cantankerous Kombi to the Woodford Folk Festival. It’s on every year in the foothills of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland helping hippies and hippies at heart to spread harmony and see in the New Year with three minutes of silent contemplation. The festival attracts more than 130,000 people to the pop-up town of Woodfordia on the site of a former dairy farm, making it the largest gathering of artists and musicians in Australia. Amidst this glorious muddy throng of people and throbbing music is a contemplative corner of Woodfordia called the Lettering House. It’s where festival goers can go back to times gone by, and connect to their fellow Woodfordians the old fashioned, non-digital way - by writing a letter or typing it on an old fashioned type-writer. A team of Woodfordian posties search out the identify of each letter recipient, often based on the vaguest of addresses and identifies, then get on their bikes to find them and deliver the letter by hand, or notify the recipient by text that they have a letter to pick up. So sit back, and let's ponder the magic of the Lettering House through the words of Postal Clerk Aaron, who explains how they spread their little bit of writing wonder through the festival. Contact Nance aka The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
16:08
EP03 - S5
5 Jan 24
The Quokkas on making music more inclusive for all children
You can’t be what you can’t see. It’s a saying that prompted a former AFL player to create a children’s band, so that his kids could be exposed to more than the bland musical world they were offered. Nick Gill is the founder of children’s band The Quokkas, with a mission to show children a modern and inclusive Australia through song. After his AFL career Nick went on to become a Channel 7 news reporter and then Breakfast radio host in Newcastle, but it’s writing songs for his twins that reflects the diversity of Australia that now keeps him awake at night. He recruited an elite group of musicians to form The Quokkas, with the attitude that they’re learning as much from the kids as the kids are from the music. They’ve just released a new album called Songs for Everyone, and have had their videos downloaded millions of times all around the world, on themes such as body positivity, cooperation and kindness. Nick Gill and fellow Quokkas member Matt McLaren talk to Nance Haxton about what's coming up in the future for this exciting children's music band. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Quokkas on making music more inclusive for all children
You can’t be what you can’t see. It’s a saying that prompted a former AFL player to create a children’s band, so that his kids could be exposed to more than the bland musical world they were offered. Nick Gill is the founder of children’s band The Quokkas, with a mission to show children a modern and inclusive Australia through song. After his AFL career Nick went on to become a Channel 7 news reporter and then Breakfast radio host in Newcastle, but it’s writing songs for his twins that reflects the diversity of Australia that now keeps him awake at night. He recruited an elite group of musicians to form The Quokkas, with the attitude that they’re learning as much from the kids as the kids are from the music. They’ve just released a new album called Songs for Everyone, and have had their videos downloaded millions of times all around the world, on themes such as body positivity, cooperation and kindness. Nick Gill and fellow Quokkas member Matt McLaren talk to Nance Haxton about what's coming up in the future for this exciting children's music band. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
17:39
EP02 - S5
21 Dec 23
Behind the scenes of the 2023 AFL grand final - Ron Rogers and Chris Egan on the magic of Indigenous footballers
The Wandering Journo has just returned from one of the most exciting secondments of my now three-decade journalism career - from the Cathedral of Sport the great MCG, where I was part of the National Indigenous Radio Service team covering the 2023 AFL grand final. And I have brought back a glimpse of the action for Streets of Your Town from behind the scenes of the National Indigenous Service broadcast box, where the incredible NIRS commentators call the grand final live. From this tiny booth they broadcast the finals action to some of the most remote communities in outback Australia. Indigenous players are the backbone of this great Australian game, and I speak to two NIRS broadcasting legends - Ron Rogers, and former Collingwood player Chris Egan. They both give their insights into the magic that Aboriginal players bring to Australian Rules Football, and the privilege they feel broadcasting ball-by-ball to hopefully plant the seeds of dreams for more Indigenous players from remote communities to become part of the great game. NIRS AFL commentator legend Ron Rogers has 25 years calling grand finals under his belt, and as he reveals not only does he do the commentary, he sets up the microphones and equipment before each game to broadcast on the AFL website, and to NIRS affiliated radio stations around the country. While Chris Egan brings his experience as a former footballer for Collingwood to the broadcast team, giving insights into how players prepare and cope with the the big pressure games. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Behind the scenes of the 2023 AFL grand final - Ron Rogers and Chris Egan on the magic of Indigenous footballers
The Wandering Journo has just returned from one of the most exciting secondments of my now three-decade journalism career - from the Cathedral of Sport the great MCG, where I was part of the National Indigenous Radio Service team covering the 2023 AFL grand final. And I have brought back a glimpse of the action for Streets of Your Town from behind the scenes of the National Indigenous Service broadcast box, where the incredible NIRS commentators call the grand final live. From this tiny booth they broadcast the finals action to some of the most remote communities in outback Australia. Indigenous players are the backbone of this great Australian game, and I speak to two NIRS broadcasting legends - Ron Rogers, and former Collingwood player Chris Egan. They both give their insights into the magic that Aboriginal players bring to Australian Rules Football, and the privilege they feel broadcasting ball-by-ball to hopefully plant the seeds of dreams for more Indigenous players from remote communities to become part of the great game. NIRS AFL commentator legend Ron Rogers has 25 years calling grand finals under his belt, and as he reveals not only does he do the commentary, he sets up the microphones and equipment before each game to broadcast on the AFL website, and to NIRS affiliated radio stations around the country. While Chris Egan brings his experience as a former footballer for Collingwood to the broadcast team, giving insights into how players prepare and cope with the the big pressure games. Contact Nance AKA The Wandering Journo and find socials links HERE Get the full story, and join The Wandering Journo tribe at substack.soyt.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
19:18
EP01 - S5
2 Oct 23
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