Josie McSkimming on growing up with her wild bohemian sister, the poet Dorothy Porter, and how their family story shaped their wildly diverging paths when they grew up.

Sisters Dorothy and Josie Porter grew up in an interesting and sometimes volatile home on the northern beaches of Sydney in the 1970s.

Together with their middle sister Mary, they lived in a world of books, a backyard menagerie of animals, and regular birdwatching excursions. Their father Chester was a well-known lawyer who was sometimes a explosive presence at home. 

Josie adored her charismatic big sister 'Dod', for her wicked sense of humour, her appetite for life, and her fierce talent.

After the girls left home and began their adult lives, they set off on wildly different paths.

Dorothy ran headlong into bohemian adventures, and became a famous poet. While Josie, to her sister's dismay, became a born-again Christian for 35 years, eventually leaving the church after questioning the doctrines enforcing women's submission.

Dorothy died at just 54 years old, and decades later, Josie has written down her own version of the family story, paying tribute to the many ways her big sister shaped her life.

This episode of Conversations explores family dynamics, parenting, love, grief, sisters, sisterhood, poetry, religion, indoctrination, gay conversion, coming out, lesbians, the queer community, writing, books, family history, origin stories, parenting, mothers, fathers, Lindy Chamberlain, Australian poets, modern poets, Church, bible study, leaving the church, Mona Vale.

Gutsy Girls: Love, Poetry and Sisterhood is published by UQP.

Hilton Koppe was a beloved country GP for 30 years before an unexpected health crisis of his own forced him to reassess everything (R)

Hilton Koppe grew up knowing his parents wanted him to become a doctor and so when he got the marks to make it into medicine, they were overjoyed.

By the time he was 30, he'd started working as a country GP.  Hilton then became a beloved local doctor in Northern NSW, and he worked there for more than three decades.

But a few years ago, Hilton's own health suddenly went awry. He started experiencing constant neck pain, and then the side of his face went numb.

He was sent him for an MRI, which revealed nothing.

But then Hilton's own GP gave him an unexpected diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, related in part to his work as a doctor.

This news up-ended almost everything about Hilton's life.

This episode of Conversations explores medicine, Australia's medical system, Judaism, migration, post WW2 migration, Jewish families, Australian multi culturalism, family dynamics, health, wellbeing, PTSD, trauma, mental health diagnosis, South Africa, fascism.

Hilton's memoir is called One Curious Doctor.

Journalist and author Sonya Voumard on the rare neurological condition that has stalked her since a family tragedy during her childhood.

Sonya Voumard was on the precipice of teen hood when her father suddenly and unexpectedly died.

In the months following his death, Sonya developed a tremor in her right hand, not dissimilar to the shaking she sometimes noticed in her father when he was cutting the top off her boiled egg at breakfast.

The tremor got worse as she got older, but working late nights as a dogged journalist, fuelled by coffee and nicotine, it almost became a badge of honour for Sonya.

One day, though, a terrifying moment while driving set her off on a decades-long quest through Australia's medical system.

This episode of Conversations explores disability, neurological condition, brain surgery, experimental medicine, grief, untimely death, death of a father, journalism, Port Arthur massacre, Mabo, Melbourne, substance abuse, alcohol, shaking, Parkinson's, being queer, unexplained medical anomalies, neurosurgeon, neuroscience, St Vincent's hospital, writing, books, memoir, Dystonia, essential tremor, familial tremor, MS, multiple sclerosis, medical system, medicare, public versus private patients.

Tremor: a movement disorder in a disordered world is published by Finlay Lloyd.

Learn more about dystonia from the Dystonia Network of Australia.

Loneliness is a universal experience, for each of us at some point in our lives. Journalist Ros Thomas travelled the world to investigate, and find the antidote. 

Ros spent a year travelling around the world to research something all of us have experienced — loneliness.

She met an old man who had learned to thrive through crushing grief with the help of a small, desktop robot.

Ros visited a share house in Sweden where pensioners live with young asylum seekers, who care for each other like grandparents and grandchildren.

And she explored her own early and devastating experience of loneliness — when her father abandoned the family when Ros was a tiny child.

This episode of Conversations touches on loneliness, isolation, being a friend, social connection, community modern history, life story, fatherhood, absent fathers, personal stories, family dynamics, fathers, solutions to loneliness, the loneliness epidemic, Churchill Fellowship and connection.

The chief investigative reporter on her work exposing criminals and corruption, including former politician, Eddie Obeid and financial fraudster, Melissa Caddick.

Kate McClymont is chief investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

She grew up on a farm in NSW, and during university, funded her start in Sydney by setting up a busking booth in Kings Cross.

Passers-by would pay her to answer a question, have an argument, or verbally abuse them. 

Kate's start in crime reporting came from an early job writing for a gossip column. 

She was instructed to cover a wedding of a family member of known criminal figure, George Freeman.

Kate compared the sequins in the bridal party's outfit to a bullet-proof vest, and received the first of many death threats throughout her career. 

She has won 10 Walkley awards for her work on the biggest crime and corruption cases in NSW.

She has exposed the crimes of politician, Eddie Obeid, former Health Services Union boss, Michael Williamson and financial fraudster, Melissa Caddick, among many more.

This episode of Conversations covers crime, corruption, true crime, Melissa Caddick, Eddie Obeid, corrupt politicians, investigative reporting, Walkley awards, Kings Cross, George Freeman, Minder, SMH, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Fairfax, Nine.

As a young woman, Krystyna thought her father had taught her everything about Poland’s history, but she didn’t know that what he’d left out would become a focus of her life (R)

Growing up, Krystyna Duszniak's father didn't speak a word of English to her, instilling in her a love of the Polish language, literature, history and culture.

As the child of immigrants who had survived World War II, history was all around Krystyna, and while her patriotic father taught her so much about his homeland, she found he left out a vital part that turned out to be the focus of her career.

Krystyna has made it her life's work to decipher historical records and bring the past back to life.

She helps families connect to long forgotten events and people in the old country.

Often, she will unearth unsavoury war stories, hidden first children of remarried parents, or secrets no one wants to hear about their relatives.

This episode of Conversations explores family history, modern history, ancient history, Europe, War, family dynamics, migrant stories, patriotism, secrets, family secrets, genealogy, ancestry.

Peter Norris's father was a notorious bank robber who lived life on the run, dragging his boy across the country with him, until Peter refused to go with him one last time. It was the hardest decision he ever had to make.

Peter Norris grew up on the run with his criminal father, Clarence 'Clarry' Norris.

Every time Clarry was arrested, he would find a way out of custody and fulfil his promise of coming back to his son, and every time they reunited they would be off once more tearing across Australia.

Peter climbed out windows at foster homes, and escaped group homes for boys to be with his dad, in Sydney, in Shepparton, Perth and Port Hedland.

Until one day, his father came back to Peter when he had landed on his feet in the home of a beautiful foster family in regional Victoria.

The faith the Dullards had in Peter gave him the courage to finally say "no" to his loving, caring, criminal, complicated dad.

It was the hardest decision he ever made, but while desperately Peter wanted to be with his father, but didn't want to be him.

It was the last time Peter ever saw his father. 

This episode of Conversations discusses family dynamics, origin stories, crime, criminality, theft, intergenerational trauma, foster care, abandoned children, group homes, remand centres, Baltara, homelessness, abuse, parenting, grief, closure, fatherhood, father son relationships.

The Bank Robber's Boy is published by Simon & Schuster

Martha Jabour was a young mum when her baby son Michael died suddenly. In the thick of her grief, she worried for the devastated young police officer who had come to her home that day, before he unexpectedly reappeared in her life (CW: this conversation discusses the death of a child).

Martha Jabour has lived through the worst possible day for a parent. 

When she was a young mum, she put her baby Michael to bed one night, and by the morning he had died in his sleep. 

Michael was just 7 weeks old, and because his was an unexplained death, there were police on her doorstep, and a post-mortem, and an ambulance which took away her baby boy.

At the time of Michael's death in the 1980s, not much was known about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Martha threw herself into support groups, fundraising, and helping to change the story for parents like her, affected by the shocking and unexplained loss of their babies. 

Within a few years, research discovered more about the causes, and today rates of SIDS have fallen by nearly 90%.

Martha trained as a grief and trauma counsellor, and her work with grieving parents saw her tapped on the shoulder to start a Homicide Victims Support Group.

It was a job she initially said she’d only do for a year - but it became her life’s work.

This episode of Conversations explores SIDS, death of a child, grieving, grief, policing, community policing, motherhood, fatherhood, parenting, birth stories, sick children, sudden loss, cot death, trauma, shock, counselling, therapy, support groups, where to find support.

Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week  on 13 11 14, or text them 0477 13 11 14.

Red Nose also offers counselling services to parents who have lost a child. Their number is 1300 308 307.

While working as an undercover cop, Nick Kaldas played a drug baron in the market for vast quantities of hemp oil, tracked a fugitive with a penchant for hair transplants, and posed as a hit man for a spurned lover.

Nick was a 21-year-old immigrant lad from Egypt when he decided to join the NSW Police Force.

He soon rose up the ranks from working as a junior constable on the beat, then as one of the first Arab-Australian undercover cops, to becoming one of the most senior police officers in Australia.

While undercover, Nick tracked a fugitive with a hair transplant, bought hemp oil and heroin at the Sydney Hilton, and was hired as a hit man by a spurned lover.

He then had stints as the head of the homicide squad, the gangs squad and led some of NSW's biggest criminal investigations as Deputy Police Commissioner. 

Nick's work also took him to Iraq to rebuild the police force after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Since leaving the NSW Police, Nick has continued his work in international law enforcement.

This episode of Conversations explores crime, gangs, Egypt, migration, the Arab world, Syria, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, policing, law enforcement, corruption, inquiry, undercover cops, films, Batman, Northern Territory, NT Police Commissioner, Michael Murphy.

Behind the Badge is published by Angus and Robertson.

Football tragic Andy Paschalidis was in his 50s when a dear friend and fellow player died during an over-35s soccer game. The tragedy inspired him to begin a whole new story for himself, and the sport (R)

Andy grew up in Sydney's Balmain when it was a working-class suburb, full of migrant families. His parents had arrived in Australia from Greece a few years before, seeking a different life.

Andy grew up to be one of the first Greek-Australian sports broadcasters on TV and radio on SBS and 2GB, and he never lost his zeal for football.

When he was in his early 50s, Andy joined an ordinary weekend over-35s football game as he did each weekend.

His friend and fellow player Matt Richardson had a heart attack on the pitch that day and died. He was just 42 years old. 

Then Andy discovered another friend had recently seen his teammate die exactly the same way. 

He decided to take six months off work to find a way to reduce the number of deaths in Australian amateur football. 

Since then Heartbeat of Football has saved many lives.

This episode of Conversations explores grief, mateship, masculinity, male health, health and wellbeing, heart attacks, heart disease, cardiac arrest, signs of heart attack, exercise, football, FIFA, soccer, senior sports, older sports, amateur sports, deaths on the field, health, safety, migration, migrant Australians, first generation Australians, post-war migration, Sydney.

When Andy's conversation with Richard first went to air, a listener named Kevin Whitby realised he was having a heart attack. Minutes later, he presented himself to the emergency department at Wollongong Hospital, where medical staff confirmed he needed immediate treatment.

Since we last spoke with Andy, last year in Sydney alone, six footballers (the youngest of which was 13 years old) have been saved in the midst of on-field cardiac incidents by the defibrillators provided by Andy's charity.

Learn more about the work of Heartbeat of Football.

Australian writer Tim Winton on the stories which inspired his latest novel, 'Juice', a story of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit.

'Juice' is an astonishing feat of imagination.

It takes us to a far-off future on a superheated planet, where people must live like desert frogs in Northwest Australia. 

They go underground for the murderously hot summer months, before emerging in winter to grow and make what they can.

The nameless narrator of the book is travelling with a child under his protection. They are taken hostage by a man with a crossbow, who takes them to the bottom of a mine shaft.

There, the narrator has to tell his story to the bowman in the hope that he won't kill them.

This episode of Conversations explores climate change, science, climate justice, storytelling, writing, books, narrative, fiction, Australian writers, Cloudstreet, Western Australia, coral bleaching, Pilbara, Ningaloo Reef, Putin, Trump, American politics, global politics, Russia, oligarchs, tariffs, trade wars, artists protesting, romantasy, climate change refugees.

Juice is published by Penguin.

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.