Mornings with Geoff Hutchison

Push for alcohol fines on parents

A Perth mother is leading a campaign for the introduction of laws that will penalise parents who supply alcohol to youths. It comes after police had to break up two big parties at the weekend, including one in Yokine with more than 300 people. ABC Mornings Geoff Hutchison spoke with Samantha Menezes, who explained the details of her petition. Download audio

Cigarette butts to blame for scrub fires

We often hear about the many scrub fires that spark up across Western Australia, but what is it that starts them? The Department of Fire and Emergency Services says that since December last year, 320 fires have started with a cigarette butt. That’s around six a day. Have a listen to some of the DFES scanner calls reporting these fires, followed on by ABC Mornings Geoff Hutchison speaking with Gary Baxter, Fire Investigation Officer with DFES. Download audio

West Coast confident ahead of season proper

We are still several weeks out from the 2013 AFL Premiership season but already there’s plenty of expectation surrounding the West Coast Eagles. After a tough run with injuries in 2012, many experts are tipping the Eagles to push deep into the finals and even to the final Saturday in September. West Coast coach John Worsfold came into the ABC 720 studios, for a wide ranging chat with Mornings Geoff Hutchison. Download audio

Review slams Australian swimming's 'toxic' culture

A review of the Australian Olympic Swimming team has found there were 'toxic incidents' involving alcohol and prescription drugs at the London Games. The review, commissioned by Swimming Australia, says the Olympic Village was 'a candy shop of distractions' and there was no coordinated leadership in the swim team. Swimmers described the Games as the 'Lonely Olympics' and told the inquiry they felt alienated. ABC Mornings Geoff Hutchison spoke with Bill Kirby, a former Olympic swimmer and...

Hazel and Joy

Down the street, across the road or over the back fence there are a thousand stories of friendship, journeys, great loves and life's ups and downs. In 1940 two little girls met and played together in a school yard at Mount Hawthorn Primary School. Those two little girls Joy and Hazel were to become lifelong friends. They socialised together as teenagers and they taught Sunday school together. Even when boys entered their lives that friendship remained strong. Joy met Hank and Hazel met Bob....

The right to die debate continues

We heard the story about Barbara Harrison, who took her own life last weekend after being faced with the prospect of being bedridden for life with multiple sclerosis. It again raised the debate about voluntary euthanasia. Jane was listening and told Geoff Hutchison that she believes she faces the same kind of incredibly difficult choices. Download audio

Elvis Costello returns to Perth

Elvis Costello is about to return to Perth with his band The Imposters – he first came to our attention in the late 1970’s – with an immense talent ; a sharp lyric and a challenging stare. The decades since have seen him embrace, seemingly all musical styles and collaborate with very fine and diverse artists, from Burt Bacharach to the Brodsky Quartet. In this interview with Geoff Hutchison he talks expansively about his love of a good song; his dislike of musical labels and the echoes of...

A night at the movies

The Cygnet Theatre in Como only has one screen. It's art deco design and intricate interior still looks quite similar to what it did in 1938, when it first opened. How can a cinema like the Cygnet compete with the megaplexes and super screens? ABC Morning reporter, Jamie Burnett, went down to the Cygnet and spoke to its owner Colin Stiles, to find out what's planned to keep the cinema alive. Download audio

Free yourself from debt

It's been 20 years since Paul Clitheroe advised us on how to handle our hard earned on the 'Money' programme. But nearly a generation on, it seems many of us are struggling to learn those lessons. Paul Clitheroe has released a new book called 'Free Yourself from Debt', and he spoke with Geoff Hutchison about how we can do just that. Download audio

The personal side of Alzheimer's

Earlier this week we told you about a world first Alzheimer’s trial in Western Australia that’s hoping to delay or even one day prevent the disease. The trial was looking for 400 men over 60 years old to take part, who would call themselves slightly forgetful. And since this week’s story, more than one thousand people have been in contact. Well one of those families dealing with Alzheimer's is the O’Neil’s in Mandurah. John and Joane moved to Australia from the United States in the 1960’s...

Pressure on the Premier over Peel

The Premier Colin Barnett has initially dismissed a call for a judicial inquiry into the management and financial operations of the Peel Health Campus. On Friday, a parlimentary committee tabled its report on what is essentially the private management of the public hospital, pointing to allegations of fraud, corruption and witness intimidation. Central to it, the claim the company overcharged the Health Department $1.8 million and had instituted a payment scheme where doctors were on a $200...

Cruise Chaos

They were supposed to be going to Marseilles, Bali and beyond but now they’re not sure if they’re going anywhere at all. Several thousand travellers have had their plans thrown in to doubt after the parent company of the Athena cruise ship went in to voluntary administration yesterday. Joanne is one of them – on Sunday afternoon she and her husband will catch a flight to Paris and make their way to Marseilles where they were expecting to take the cruise of a lifetime. Problem being there may...

Costello says WA is ungenerous

World Vision CEO Tim Costello has recently returned from Papua New Guinea and has been in Perth to give the keynote address at a Mining for Development dinner. He told John McGlue he was shocked by what he saw in PNG and highlighted the inordinate emphasis Australians put on complaining about government policies like the carbon tax, when our near neighbours are suffering in extreme poverty. Asked about philanthropy in Australia, Costello said we are way behind America in philanthropic...

Aussies shine in Hollywood

The Australian success story in Hollywood can be traced to Tasmanian Errol Flynn who achieved fame in the golden Age of Cinema for his swashbuckling characters. Film reviewer Mark Naglazas has some theories on why Aussies are doing so well. "Firstly, we tend to notice them more. There are plenty of British actors (Robert Pattinson, Tom Hiddelston) and Canadian actors (Ryan Gosling, Seth Rogen, every second comedian) who do well in Hollywood. However, our stars have certainly soared higher...

West Australian Football Legend

Barry Cable has become the 24th official legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame. The only other West Australian in this elite group is Graham 'Polly' Farmer. Barry told Geoff Hutchison "the games being going about 100 years and you are only one of 24 legends that they have choosen and when I think of all those players that have played well before me who were obviously great players, it's really humbling" Barry Cable is accepted as one of the game's best exponents of the handpass and...

It's now 44 days until the London Games and on morning's "Road to the Olympics" Karen Tighe spoke to the Captain of the Australian Rowing Team, Susan Tait. Sarah was part of the women's eights in Athens in 2004 which was embroiled in controversy with the laydown Sally affair. In Beijing she was part of the Women's Eights which disappointed finishing sixth. Two significant things then happened for Sarah, she decided to change to a smaller boat and Sarah gave birth to her first child Leila....

Mornings on the verge of a new Dance Track King

Being the King or Queen of the Morning Program's Dance Track is a position that comes with a lot of responsibility and a fair schwack of pressure but regular listener, Daniel, has taken it all in his stride for a record-equalling eighteen days in a row. When Daniel put forward his initial offering of The Rolling Stones' She's So Cold he couldn't have known his heady mix of music from a range of eras would bring him to this day - and a conversation with Geoff about the psychological pressures...

Helping kids to self-regulate

Being a parent can be fairly confusing. These days you’re bombarded with advice on how to raise your child and along with conflicting advice, here’s something else that might concern you. An inquiry by the Children Commissioner into the mental health of young people found an increasing number of school students are being diagnosed with stress, aggression, autism and attention deficit disorders. And research by Edith Cowan University has found a fifth of students are disengaged… in other...

The Great Gender Divide in film

Film reviewer Mark Naglazas thinks the arrival of the pregnancy help film “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is the perfect formula to drive men away from multiplexes. So today we looked at the ever widening gender divide in film. Mark says “There have always been so-called women’s pictures and men have always loved certain kinds of genres: actions movies, techno-thrillers, Westerns and war movies. But over the past decade movies have become so sharply divided that I now go to movie...

Green Light for WA's First Uranium Mine

The Environmental Protection Authority has made a history today, by giving the go ahead to WA’s first uranium mine. Toro Energy has been given the green light to mine uranium from two deposits near Wiluna, process it and then transport the uranium oxide concentrate, by road, to South Australia where it will be exported to Asian, European and American markets. There are strict conditions that the company will have to abide by to ensure there is no contamination to ground water or air quality...

How a fear of swimming led to a literary phenomenon

Everybody can recall a moment in their youth where they felt embarrassed and awkward, perhaps even a bit wimpy. For bestselling author, Jeff Kinney, it was ducking out of swim team, hiding in the bathroom stalls in his speedos and wrapping himself in toilet paper so he wouldn’t get hypothermia. Who would have thought a boy who went to such extremes to avoid doing laps in a pool, would someday channel that wimpy-ness in to what would become one of the bestselling children’s series of all...

The Sandwich Revolution

It’s the grand elder of the fast food world. 250 years ago, a man asked for his slice of roast beef be put between two toasted pieces of bread, so he could keep gambling. That was the clever idea of the Earl of Sandwich which gave rise to a food revolution. We’re talking about the humble sandwich. As its popularity spread a sandwich was regarded as restaurant fare, not the convenient fast food it is today. But it seems the humble sandwich is going through a renaissance as they become more...

Swan Valley set to get another concert venue

A warm summers evening, a glass of Swan Valley white and listening to the dulcet tones of the likes of Michael Buble or Diana Krall is pleasant way to pass the time. The popular concert season in the Swan Valley runs from November to March. Sandalford Winery runs up to 10 concerts and other outdoor venues include the Belvoir Ampitheatre and the Red Hill Auditorium. Well things in the valley look set to get a whole lot busier with WA State Planning Commission approval for an amphitheatre for...

Unleashing your inner Superhero at the movies

What’s your favourite superhero film? With the huge box office success of the Avengers, Mark Naglazas took us on a tour of some of the best known movies in this genre. Here are some honorable mentions. Superman, with Christopher Reeve, was the film that launched the genre in the form that we know it, with big budgets and cutting-edge special effects. It also set the tone for all superhero movies that followed, combining comedy, a little drama and romance and lots of action. Tim Burton’s...

Into thin air

A group of friends will gather tonight in a small park in Parmelia to mark the second anniversary of the disappearance of Perth mother of three, Iveta Mitchell. In the early hours of May 3 2010, after an argument with her husband, Iveta walked out the door of her family home and hasn't been seen since. Tonight’s gathering will be marked with memories, tears, purple balloons, pictures, poems and a banner. Her friend Sinki Nikolic told Geoff Hutchison she lives with a big hollow feeling but...

How do they get my details?

Recently in Sydney a man who posted nude photographs of an ex-girl on facebook was convicted of publishing an indecent article in a landmark legal case. People are becoming more and more paranoid about their privacy and it seems their paranoia is justified. When you give your details to a company those details can be sold, when you press a button on social media you can be tracked and when you buy something from a retailer they can establish what you bought, where you got it and then target...

National ANZAC Day morning with Michael Veitch

Today Michael Veitch took us across Australia and around the world for ANZAC Day. If you missed any of it, here's a list of who we spoke to each hour, along with the complete audio. This listing includes only our planned guests - we also received many fascinating phone calls with your memories and experiences. 10:00am - 11:00am Wain Fimeria, Gallipoli expert who made the documentary Gallipoli From Above - The Untold Story. Dr Craig Stockings, Senior Lecturer in History at the Australian...

The Role of Restorative Justice

Katy Hutchison has a remarkable story. In 1997 her husband Bob, was murdered. The loving father of 4 year old twins was bashed to death by a 20 year partygoer. Many people in the small town they lived in took a vow of silence, and it took five years for police to gather the evidence needed to arrest and convict Bob’s killer. Rather than being filled with hate, Katy turned to restorative justice, which is used all over the world to make criminals realise the consequences of their actions. She...

Going to the movies - love it or loathe it?

What do you love about going to the cinema to watch a film as opposed to taking it in from the comfort of your couch? Geoff and Mark Naglazas chatted about the cinema experience today and we had heaps of responses both on air and online.The general feeling is that while there’s lots to love about the clear sound and vision in the cinema, there are plenty horror stories of how mobile phones and candy wrappers ruined their enjoyment of a film. Tell us your stories and recollections of the best...

End of the World

Rhys Darby might be best known as Murray the music manager and international diplomat in the spectacularly successful comedy phenomenon that is Flight of the Conchords...but he is also a stand up comedian from New Zealand and now a first time author. "So what?" you're thinking, there are plenty of them around. What if we tell you the world is about to end and only he knows how to get you aboard the spaceship? Rhys Darby spoke to Geoff Hutchison about his book "This Way to the Spaceship" and...

Are Portugese millipedes invading your home?

Portugese milipedes Have you heard of the Portugese millipede? We received an email from a listener complaining about her home being inundated with slow crawling worm-like creatures. Mary sent us a photo of the insect and asked us to find out what it was and how she could get rid of them. Turns out Mary is not alone. MarcWidmer from the Agriculture Department told us they've been getting calls from people from the southern suburbs to the South West, all wanting to find out more about the...

Hunger Games test parental boundaries

The film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” has far surpassed expectation at the box office, seen as a more sophisticated level of storytelling than the Twilight series or Harry Potter. This morning we looked at the appeal of the film, acknowledging concerns about the level of violence, especially as its violence between children. Collins has cited Greek mythology as being a strong influence on her work and the conversation turned to movies like Battle Royale (2000) and Lord...

Miriam Margolyes on Mornings

It's not often we have an actor of the calibre of Miriam Margolyes in the Mornings studio. Name a big film and Miriam will nod sagely and say, "I was in it" or name a famous production and she'll probably admit to having done that too. If you name a famous voice she might yawn and say, "That was me." Miriam is one of the greatest and most versatile actors in the world and has become famous to a whole new generation of film-lovers as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter movies. She's back...

You know you’re getting old when...

Beyond the hair growth in unusual places and the urge to groan every time you lean over, what are the true signs of ageing? That's the question we ask ed today on Mornings and funny guy and regular columnist Danny Katz shared some of his finer moments as an ageing male. This included, whilst indulging in a little "hanky-panky", leaving one pyjama leg strategically hooked to the foot so he doesn't have to fish around for it later. Listen back here and feel free to share some of the lighter...

A life of adventure

Lincoln Hall was quite the adventurer. He was a member of the first ever Australian Everest expedition back in 1984. Lincoln was famously given up for dead in 2006 when he developed altitude sickness on the way down from the summit of Mount Everest. He had reached the top of the mountain, then collapsed just below the summit and had all but died, only to be found the next morning by climbers on their way up. The 56-year-old suffered terrible frostbite to his fingers and a paralysed vocal...

Is it OK to boo?

Do you recall back in 2005 when Fremantle Dockers supporters booed then coach Chris Connolly off the field at Subiaco Oval? Fremantle had notched up yet another loss at home and had been written off by the media. The frustration of supporters finally boiled over into a chorus of loud and angry boos at the final siren, aimed not only at Connolly but his players as well. There were similar scenes at the rugby in Sydney at the weekend, when many of the 14,000 strong crowd watched the Warratahs...

Bigger or Better?

What size is the right size for Australia’s population future? Is it the 36 million people Kevin Rudd envisaged a couple of year ago in his idea of Big Australia – or do we have to peg that increase, indeed reduce population growth to preserve both our quality of life and to protect our environment? Australian Conservation Foundation head Ian Lowe spoke to Geoff Hutchison about his new book Bigger or Better? Australia' s population debate. Professor Lowe asks the question is Bigger Better...

A new wave of films from the stage

With a raft of new movies that originate from plays hitting the cinemas – think Carnage, Coriolanus and The Deep Blue Sea, Mark Naglazas chatted with Geoff about successful films that have started on the stage. Some examples - Philadelphia Story was written for the stage in 1939 and by 1940 was made into a film starring Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart. Amadeus was the very successful adaptation of Peter Schaffer’s play of the same name and Nigel Hawthorne arguably gave the performance of...

Perfectionism makes life tough

Do you know someone who is never happy with their achievements no matter how great? Who works themself to exhaustion trying to be all things to all people? Clinical perfectionism is of great interest to psychologists at Curtin University and they are about to begin a new phase of research to find out whether a self help book they have published is more effective if the principles are applied in one on one counselling. Study supervisor Dr Sarah Egan says the effectiveness of self help books...

The 1960's: the coolest era in film?

As the Perth International Arts Festival's film season begins an audience-voted retrospective this week, film critic Mark Naglazas made a bold assertion that the 1960's were indeed the coolest era in film. Mark says," The European cinema of the 1960s eventually began to impact on the American cinema in the later years of the decade. The most striking example is Bonnie and Clyde which, at different stages, was going to be directed by Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. And then there was...

The Wealthy: Maligned and Misunderstood

It began with columnist Justine Davies taking exception to the language used by the government to sell the means test for health insurance – she called it “wealthist” and complained that it created social tensions by implying that well-off people didn’t deserve the things they had earned. But it might be that those attitudes are brought on by the wealthy themselves. The chat with Justine Davies neatly dovetailed into some research published by the University of California Berkley that showed...

Traffic concerns dominate foreshore debate

In some ways there are strongly opposing views about the waterfront development proposal but the shared concern is the anticipated traffic congestion. Mayor of South Perth, Sue Doherty says all affected local councils were in agreement about the need for the State Government to address specific roadworks prior to closing off Riverside Drive. These include the widening of the Graham Farmer Freeway to three lanes in each direction, and widening Thomas and Loftus Streets. She pointed out that...

I don't need the money.

Darryl Brown has lived in Port Hedland since 1964. He steps off his front lawn onto the beach and goes fishing with his grandchildren. He walks around the corner to the pub in the centre of town. Mining giant BHP have offered him 2.9 million dollars for his little piece of paradise and he has said no way. Darryl talked to Geoff Hutchison about his 100 year old home, his family and said "if I sell it would be like selling my soul". Download Darryl Brown

Movies that offend and challenge

This week, film reviewer Mark Naglazas covered Steve McQueen’s drama Shame and Working Dog Productions’ “Any Questions for Ben?”. Shame is described by the Washington Times as “grim, unsentimental and unsparing” and tells the story of a man trying to live with a debilitating sex addiction. Given the challenging nature of the material we asked listeners to tell us about films they’ve watched despite finding the material offensive or disturbing. The response was huge and included films like...

Ali Campbell and UB40

Download Ali Campbell UB40 Ali Campbell, his brother and some friends began UB40 in the late 1970's in a basement in Birmingham. He started the band to promote his love of reggae. With the strong political sentiment in their music, UB40 reflected angrily on Margaret Thatcher's Britain. Ali recalls "We were quite angry, we felt like we'd been thrown away". Their message was obviously heard, as their phones were tapped by MI5. UB40 would go on to sell more than 70 million records around the...

Anti-Whaling Protesters still on Shonan Maru 2

Three anti-whaling protesters scrambled aboard a Japanese whaling vessel, demanded it return them to shore and then leave Australian waters. But Perth men, Geoffrey Tuxworth, Simon Petterfy and Glen Pendlebury, all members of the Forest Rescue Group, got a lot more than they bargained for. Instead of agreeing to their demands, the crew of the Shonan Maru 2 simply sailed them out to sea. The Federal Government is now working with Japanese Authorities to secure their release. Today on...

Trials of Modern Life Christmas

The Christmas period can be precious and fun family time or it can be stressful and difficult for a variety of reasons. The last trials of modern life panel for the year looked at Christmas Dilemmas. The panelists were Sharon Greenock, Meri Fatin and Glenn Hall. Callers rang about the tradition of Christmas cards, where to spend Christmas and what is important at Christmas. The point was made that the best thing you can give for Christmas is your time. This was illustrated by Ned's call...

Gay Marriage Debate

Gay marriage took centre stage on the program today. The issue was revived in the public domain after the Labor Party decided at their annual conference to support it, and this morning strong and opposing views dominated the airwaves. We heard from Simon Smart, the director of the Centre for Public Christianity, and Liberal member for Moore Mal Washer, who said he believed gay marriage wouldn't be made law yet, but gave it another ten years. Download Mal Washer for Air

Repeat heart attacks will take more lives

If you’ve had a heart attack, did you return to your former lifestyle as soon as possible or did you make big changes? New research shows that between now and 2020, the number of Australians dying from repeat heart attacks will rise by 40 percent. Understanding the chronic nature of heart disease and the need to alter lifestyle is the key to avoiding repeat heart attacks, but according to a new Access Economics report, too few Australians are paying attention. Cardiologist, Associate...

Colleen McCullough on Life Without the Boring Bits

She is considered one of Australia’s most loved authors and Geoff Hutchison learned a bit more about her life story when he talked to her autobiography, ‘Life Without the Boring Bits’. Colleen McCullough is most famous for her novel ‘Thornbirds’ but she spoke about the fact she never wanted to be defined by her biggest success. It was a warm and frank look at her life that had talkback callers claiming her as a national treasure. Download Colleen McCullough