'I didn’t do this for me': The AFL’s first openly queer player on coming out

In this episode, we talk to Mitch Brown. The retired AFL player recently came out as bisexual, making him the first (current or former) openly queer player in the league’s 129-year history. He describes growing up in country Victoria with his twin brother and fellow gifted athlete, Nathan, and how he made the move interstate when drafted by the West Coast Eagles in 2006. Brown played 94 games before retiring almost a decade later, having married professional netball player Shae Bolton-Brown, with whom he has two little boys. In conversation with Good Weekend deputy editor Konrad Marshall, he also talks about playing it straight in footy – and why he made the call to finally share his sexuality with the public.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to Adam Collins. The Dandenong-raised, London-based commentator, broadcaster, podcaster and author is back in Australia for another summer of cricket, and also to promote his new book, Bedtime Tales for Cricket Tragics (after last year helping Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell write his memoir, The Showman). But Collins also had another life in politics. A long-time Labor Party member, he spent his 20s in Canberra on the staff of treasurer Wayne Swan, and as media adviser to then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Joining us from the first Test in Perth, this episode is hosted by chief cricket correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Dan Brettig, the pair reflecting on the series to come, including a few choice Ashes predictions (or wishes).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak to Helen Goh, who has been writing recipes for the food pages of Good Weekend for eight years. The celebrated cookbook author left Melbourne for London in 2006, when she was 40 - and as luck would have it fell in with Yotam Ottolenghi early in his ascent to global cooking superstardom, becoming a key cooking and testing collaborator. What many don't know is that Goh is also a trained psychologist and still sees patients in London, alongside her baking career. Goh has just released her first solo book - Baking and the Meaning of Life - in which she combines her two great loves: psychology and cooking. Joining us today, she discusses all this and more with Good Weekend senior writer Katrina Strickland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak to Jane Harper. Just under a decade ago, she fulfilled the classic fantasy of closet novelists everywhere, and published a murder mystery called The Dry, which became an international best seller. Nine years and two children later, she’s written five more hit novels, and is credited with establishing a whole new fictional genre: outback noir. Her sixth book, Last One Out, was published last month, and she talks to us today about the secret to creative achievement, and her former life as a journalist. Hosting this conversation is the writer of our October 4 profile of Harper - LIFE OF CRIME - Good Weekend senior writer Amanda Hooton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we speak to William Dalrymple. The Scottish historian is the author of 10 books, a regular contributor to The Guardian and The New Yorker, and host of the popular podcast Empire. A specialist in Indian and Islamic history, Dalrymple first visited the subcontinent as an 18 year old, and knew that it was where he wanted to spend his life. These days he spends most of the year at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Delhi, but he’s heading to Australia for a speaking tour this month. Dalrymple’s works often explore the intersections of history, culture, and religion - basically managing to make history sexy - which he does for India in his latest deep dive book, The Golden Road. He talks to us today about everything from the indigenous people of Palestine, to why truth-telling about history is critical, and how a podcast about Australian history might be next, in a wide-ranging chat with senior writer for culture at The Age, Kerrie O’Brien.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak to Ita Buttrose. The former editor, radio broadcaster, TV host and chair of the ABC has long described herself simply as a "journalist" – but that single word doesn't sum up the range of the 83-year-old's six-decade career. Here, the media trailblazer talks to us about being hissed at in testosterone-fuelled newsrooms, and the excitement of launching a magazine during a time of dynamic cultural change. She also discusses why juggling career and family may be more challenging for women now than 40 years ago, and why young men today are struggling to define new roles. Finally, she opens up about her mobility challenges in old age and her new book, Unapologetically Ita, in a wide-ranging conversation with Good Weekend senior writer Greg Callaghan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak to Antonia Marran. The former TV presenter, parenting author and now lawyer and advocate is tasked with managing the legacy of her late father, Antony Kidman, and his pioneering work in adolescent and youth mental health. It's a role for which the experiences of Antonia’s own life have prepared her well. She comes from a tight-knit family (including her sister, the Hollywood star Nicole Kidman), and has endured both the public heartbreak of her first marriage falling apart then the sudden death of her first husband, not to mention a mid-life love affair, the travails and joys of parenting a blended family of six children, and then finally, a late career switch to the law, where she found a sense of fulfilment that had eluded her so far. Marran talks about all of this and more in a Good Weekend feature story this week – Her Father’s Daughter. Hosting this conversation is the writer of that profile, chief reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald, Jordan Baker.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak to Joe Camilleri. The singer, songwriter and sax man is perhaps best known as the one constant in Australian rootsy blues rock band The Black Sorrows, a group that was born more than 40 years ago. The 77 year old musician, however, has been recording and touring for more than six decades, and created more than 50 albums. That includes his latest - The Quintessential Black Sorrows - a compilation of remastered hits from the legendary front man, being released on October 24. Camilleri is currently on a national tour with the ever-evolving band, but took time out to join Good Weekend deputy editor Konrad Marshall in the studio for a chat about life, love, and music.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we talk to author Brigid Delaney, whose writing about her alarmingly numerous misadventures in life belies a more serious, intellectual side. Those two sides came together in her book exploring the wellness industry, Wellmania (comedian Celeste Barber plays a version of Delaney in the Netflix series of the same name). She recently took a dive into stoic philosophy, including the 2022 bestseller Reasons Not to Worry, and her upcoming novel – The Seeker and the Sage – is billed as a tale to help us navigate our divided and unstable world. Hosting this conversation – which also covers Delaney’s recent stint as a speechwriter for federal minister Tanya Plibersek – is Good Weekend senior writer Melissa Fyfe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, families in Australia and overseas, have been accused of one of the worst crimes imaginable. Diagnosing Murder is an investigative podcast about parents who've had their children taken away, sat in the dock and even done time in prison. All for something they insist they didn't do – shake their baby. Can we trust the science behind shaken baby syndrome? Or are innocent people being locked up for a crime they never committed? Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diagnosing-murder/id1843555473Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3LqYqSCZHW4vtA0yhiaJKB?si=f8c56f4b638b4a24Listen on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax358g-04ndbBaBg3ED4Dnyv0S&si=CVXIqoUI6AJ6DD5xSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.