Radical Australia

What can we say about this week's guest, Eirene Tsolidis Noyce? A force to be reckoned with, that's for sure. Eirene is the inaugural secretaty of the Renters and Housing Union (RAHU), Melbourne's new union born in the fire of the 2020 Rent Strike at the beginning of COVID-19. Hailing originally from Moonee Ponds, Eirene played piano from a young age and eventually discovered blues, playing in a range of groups before moving to New York and learning first hand what it's like to live in a country without a safety net. Eirene has given her time to and supported different actions over the last 10 years, from Occupy Melbourne to the Djap Wurrung Embassy and is a super smart, articulate and thoughtful person now raising hell for slumlords across the city! It was great having Eirene on the show and we hope you enjoy her story. Thanks, Eirene!

A lifelong 'fish out of water'. That's how this week's guest, Chris Lynch, desribes himself and when you hear him talk about his journey on planet Earth thus far it's not hard to understand why. Chris spent his formative years growing up in Papua New Guinea and had, by all accounts, an idyllic childhood, engrossing himself in the world of books and faraway places. He has travelled a bit, once walking the entirety of Japan, from south to north, growing a beard. Fast forward to the present day and Chris now finds himself based in Melbourne, teaching English as a second language, writing and volunteering his time to the West Papuan liberation movement. Chris was a lovely guest and it was great to have him on the show this week.Thank-you, Chris!chrislynch.com.au dfait.federalrepublocofwestpapua.org/document'Land of the Morning Star' film screening, Sunday 27th June, 2pm, 838 Collins St, Docklands

This week's guest is Dean Lim, 3CR broadcaster on 'Behind Closed Doors', a peer sex worker show kicking goals since its inception just 2 years ago. Dean has many years experience as a male-to-male sex worker and is a sex positive individual who has lived a thoughtful life learning about himself and others. A great peer educator and broadcaster, no doubt! Dean currently supports other male-to-male sex workers through volunteer outreach and loves getting into a good bit of reading. He also saw Princess Diana once in London. She drove past in a car and had beautiful blue eyes. Dean was a lovely guest with a great laugh and we learnt a lot. We thank Dean for being our guest this week.Behind Closed Doors / Thursdays 6:00pm - 6:30pm @BCD3CR (FB)@BCD3cr (Twitter)@bcd3cr (Instagram) 

This week's guest, Matt Costigan, is a firebrand. He stands up to those who would try to exploit and those who try to lord it over. A golf enthusiast since childhood, Matt has had some success as a competition golfer in Victoria and knows the difference between private and public golf clubs! A self-educated person who has been inspired by the works of Chomsky and Pilger, Matt has striven to be free and true to himself for the last 15 years under an involuntary community treatment order. Matt's advice for others is to also stay true to themselves and 'stay interested'. We like it. Thanks, Matt, for being our lovely guest this week. 'Situation Room' by Something for Kate has a special meaning for Matt. You can watch the video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t2pM2z3tY0  

This week's conversation with Charandev SIngh was raw, beautiful and powerful. It had a profound effect on us. We were deeply honoured to hear Charandev share some stories about his life, from Malaysia to Melbourne and beyond. A street-trained paralegal, Charandev has used his own difficult experiences as a child to care for others for the last 30 years. As he tells it, he has been 'walking with mob' throughout this time, learning and supporting families victims of state violence.Thank you, Charandev.This episode contains content that some listeners may find upsetting. If you are affected by the show, please reach out to the following support services:Blue Knot Foundation / blueknot.org.au / 1300 657 380 Lifeline / lifeline.org.au / 13 11 14 Here are some links Charandev recommends:dhadjowa.com.au#JusticeforFella (gofundme)flatout.org.auIncarcerated Trans & Gender Diverse Community Fund (gofundme)    

It's always an honour to have an elder on the show and this week is no exception. Max Ogden, born in 1938, was a youngster during WWII and remembers camping and hunting rabbits with his father in Epping. An apprentice fitter and turner in the good old days, Max played for Preston in the VFA and has been a lifelong trade unionist. A long-time member of the Communist Party, these days Max is a short story author who has released a book titled ' A long view from the Left', a memoir of his time in Australia's trade union movement and the colourful characters he knew. It's always a treat to hear stories about the Australia of yore and we thank Max very much for being our guest this week. 

On this week's show we welcome the thorougly nice and thoughtful person, along with exciting political artist, Van T Rudd. Hailing originally from Nambour, Queensland, Van grew up doodling in his school books, surfing and playing 'the world game'. Moving on to study humanities and partying at university, Van had quite a long sting playing in bands in both Queensland and Melbourne. These days, Van enjoys much admiration for his wicked public installations which get right to the heart of the absurdities, corruption and lies inherent within both the political system and capitalism. If you're not familiar with Van's work you must check it out! We thank Van for being our guest this week and sharing some of his formative years with us. It was a real pleasure. Keep being radical, Van!Here are some links Van recommends and to his own sites:van-t-rudd.net / facebook.com/van.t.rudd / @van.nishingSocialist Alternative: sa.org.auVictorian Socialists: victoriansocialists.org.auWorkers Art Collective: @worke

This week we invite you to be our guest on the show by looking back through the Radical Australia archives and talking about just what the show is all about. We look forward to you joining us.

What a delight to have Mini Miller, aka Racerage, as our guest this week. A childhood spent moving around quite a bit, Mini ended up at the end of her teens as dux of her high school. Impressive! Graduating with an ENTER score of 99.1%, Mini went on to study communications and eventually social work. For the last few years Mini has been the rap queen of Collingwood, finding home and communiity there. We had a lot of laughs speaking with Mini. We're sure you'll enjoy the show. Here are some links Mini would like to share:FB and Twitter: @raceragerhymes / soundcloud.com/racerage / @satellite_skies / 3cr.org.au/satelliteskies  

It was fantastic to welcome Ric, aka Pope Fred, onto the program this week. A great guest. What can we say about Ric? He's a spoken word poet, insurrection anarchist, human biology graduate and a Discordia enthusiast, amongst other things. A very interesting person, making for an entertaining conversation. We thank Ric for being our guest this week.plastique-poetry.blogspot.comirlinfoshop.org / @irlinfoshop

We were really honoured to have John Smyth on the show this week. John is a 3CR stalwart, having been invovled in the station since its inception in Armadale. A very long time indeed! John has a breadth of knowledge about all the technical 'stuff' that goes into broadcasting radio and for a long time carried out many of 3CR's outside broadcasts. John has also been hosting 3CR's 'Jazz on a Saturday' during this whole time. He really is a legend. Thanks so much, John, for coming on the show.

We welcome Mark Spartacus onto the show this week. An anti-authoritarian from day one, what's not to love about him? Oh yeah - he's also a real estate agent renegade. One that actually helps tenants. He's one of the good ones. A good egg, you could say. He's also really funny. Mark came on the show and filled us in on how things are playing out with Victoria's COVID-19 era rent moratorium. Thanks, Mark! Mark recommends these links for assistance with your rental questions:tenantsvic.org.au (Tenants Victoria)

We were really honoured to have Lanz on the show this week. Lanz knows a thing or two about housing and homelessness and has been active for many years in this space. You may have heard about Lanz through the street kitchen and tent city in Sydney's Martin Place a few years ago. Lanz continues to live on the streets to this day and is active working with people and groups across the country. We thank Lanz for coming on the show.

John is a veteran Queensland journalist, among wearing many other hats, and is the author of a new book titled 'Jessie's House of Needles'. It is a story of a courageous missionary nurse working in West Papua who established a network of village medics and midwives. We thank John for coming on the program. If you would like to know more about John's book, take a peek at Booktopia (booktopia.com.au).

Wow - what an amazing person Jill is! A Canadian by birth but a truly committed Australian since 1995. Jill has had a full life, that's for sure, and now she sponsors asylum seekers to get to Canada from Manus. To freedom. She's a bit of a legend and an inspiration. We're sure you'll enjoy this conversation. Here are some links Jill recommends:https://chuffed.org/project/khan8yearsprisonpnghttps://www.northernlightscanada.net/about/team-canada

Grammar school expellee, young hitcher, exotic and rare fruit pioneer, musician

Our lovely guest this week is Hal Peck, At just 97 years young, Hal has lived a full and varied life. What hasn't this man done? An engineer, architect, designer, prolific reader....it was a pleasure hearing some things about Hal's long and productive life. We're sure you'll enjoy meeting him too. 

Ray Bennett, seated right, at the #bendigost homelessness and housing occupation, Collingwood, Melbourne, 2016

Shae Anderson is a peace activist. He is passionate about his family, nonviolent intervention (bystander training), online privacy and security for activists. Here are some links he recommends: Brisbane Arms Fare (June 2021):facebook.com/SwanIslandPeace / @SwanIslandPeacewagepeaceau.org / facebook.com/wagepeaceau South Pacific Christian Anarchists:facebook.com/groups/322467914462637