Good Reading Podcast

Peter Marralwanga (1916–1987) was a leading figure in one of the great art practices of the world. He grew up in western Arnhem Land surrounded by artists painting in rock shelters and he learned to paint this way himself. The subjects of his paintings were the Djang who made his country and placed the spirits of people within it. Marralwanga’s story highlights the way bark painting became important as a way of evading assimilation policies rife within Northern Territory towns. Marralwanga established an outstation at Marrkolidjban where he could teach his children how to properly care for Ancestral lands, with part of this care involving a knowledge of how to paint. As a senior person who had travelled widely in his youth, and gained extensive ceremonial knowledge, Marralwanga was highly influential among a broad group of painters. Ivan Namirrkki, a painter of note and Peter Marralwanga’s son, has provided here his own account of his father’s life. This book tracks Marralwanga’s life of learning about country and conveys the religious meaning of numerous major works, offering outsiders a richer understanding and appreciation of Arnhem Land art. It also shows the crucial role of individuals working for the community arts cooperative Maningrida Arts and Culture in facilitating Marralwanga’s rise to recognition as a major Australian and world artist. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Luke Taylor about the tradition of Aboriginal bark painting that Peter Marralwanga drew from, the depth of knowledge of Aboriginal culture and ceremony that he brought to his paintings, and the political dimension to Marralwanga's work and its role in the developing land rights movement of the 1960s and 70s in Australia.

In Raven Mother, Jane Messer weaves together her Jewish family’s tragic story – stretching back and forth between Berlin, Israel, Palestine, Melbourne and Sydney. Messer retraces the steps of her Jewish grandmother Bella, as she tries to understand her life in pre-war Berlin and Mandate Palestine, to post-war Melbourne where she didn’t survive the surviving, and why her father was abandoned in England before the war. In this powerful, beautifully written and insightful book, Messer spends time in Berlin, Israel and Palestine and grapples with the effects of nationalism, both historical and contemporary. Along the way, she speaks with historians, activists, refugees and scholars, and constantly to her beloved father. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Jane Messer about the origins of the old German term, 'Rabenmutter', the city of Berlin under the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich, and what she discovered about her grandmother Bella along the way.

Theresa Miller has spent decades working as a journalist and now media trainer, coaching people across all industries – from CEOs and academics to climate campaigners, entrepreneurs and artists – to communicate confidently, clearly and concisely. In Speak Up, she shows you how to successfully share your expertise and experience with an audience – whether it’s creating an inspiring work presentation or media release, blitzing a job interview or nailing your message on a podcast, panel, TV or radio interview. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Theresa Miller about why the demand for public speaking is bigger than ever, why being an expert in your field is not enough to get your message across, and why preparation and presentation skills are fundamental to good communication.

In 1986 on Phillip Island, a young woman called Beth Barnard was savagely murdered and her boyfriend’s wife, Vivienne Cameron, went missing. The police immediately jumped to what they thought was the obvious conclusion: in a jealous rage, Vivienne had killed Beth and then herself. Vivienne’s body was never found. But Vikki Petraitis wasn’t convinced. The official line didn’t explain all the evidence, and it certainly didn’t seem like the behaviour of a mother with two small boys. Fascinated by both the case and the bias it revealed in investigators, Petraitis wrote her first true-crime book about the murder, with Paul Daley, and decades later made a podcast on the case. Both brought new evidence and testimony to light, and asked questions that were not asked at the time. To mark the fortieth anniversary of Beth’s murder and Vivienne’s vanishing, Petraitis brings together all her discoveries and true-crime experience in a brilliant forensic investigation into what happened all those years ago, and why. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Vikki Petraitis about why she has returned to this forty-year-old cold case, about her insights into the Philip island community, and why she is not convinced that the police investigation had reached a reasonable conclusion.

Debra Dank had long been desperate to paint a fuller picture of her family, to add flesh to the name-bones and the few precious stories she possessed. Debra had been aware of her father's five siblings, some of whom had died before she could come to know them, but there were always whispers and gaps and silences. Her parents had experiences that affected how Debra grew up, but hers seemed to be one of the very few Aboriginal families who had escaped having children stolen, who had viewed this horror from a seemingly safer distance. What Debra discovered would shatter everything she thought she knew about her family and her past. The information she uncovered revealed that her paternal grandmother had given birth to ten children. Four had been taken from her. Ankami is written from the perspective of those left behind, those who search always for the faces of stolen and lost Aboriginal children, now known only through a few cruel, thoughtless words written by a violent pastoral manager and a paternalistic colonial administrator, a footnote in a yellowed letter. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Debra Dank about the culture of silence she faced in uncovering her family history, the memories she relied on to tell this story and those she was compelled to imagine in the absence of the family she never knew, and the inadequacy of Australian standard english in describing, expressing and communicating Aboriginal culture and the words she invents to address that problem.

As a seventeen-year-old officer Aaron Tait was deployed to a war in the Middle East. Far Horizons is the story of what happened next. From war zones to slums, Aaron Tait has travelled to and worked in more than 70 countries across the globe as a military officer, humanitarian and social entrepreneur, and now writes to help people live deliberate lives filled with purpose. Far Horizons is a globe-spanning coming-of-age memoir of a fighter turned peace-seeker on a vibrant journey of transformation, adventure and love, set against backdrops of the Iraq War, Africa and the world beyond. Fresh and introspective, it will lead you to exploring not only the far corners of the world but also the uncharted aspects of yourself. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Aaron Tait about the physical and psychological challenges he faced in training as a Royal Australian Navy clearance diver and as part of a non-compliant boarding unit in the Persian Gulf, how he was morally challenged by his experiences of war and what he did about it, and how the love of his life lead him to live and work in Kenya and Tanzania in search of redemption

When rebellious Ruby is bequeathed her late grandfather’s personal letters, she is pulled from peacetime 1973 Australia, to 1917 World War 1 France. Without identification or any way home, she sets out to right a wrong that has broken her family for generations. She meets her young grandfather, an Australian soldier, who has a secret family – a French wife and daughter. Ruby is the only person who knows the true danger they are in, and sets out to rewrite her family’s past. A local resistance fighter Henri, with secrets of his own, is the only person who can help her. As they navigate dangerous terrain, Ruby is torn between the love of this mysterious hero, and the life she left behind. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Vicki Bennett about the enduring power of the hand-written letter, how the letter can facilitate communication across time and generations, and her deep personal and family connection to this story.

Things are going well for Matt Buchanan. After some hard times, life is peaceful as sole-charge constable for the small, isolated settlement of Haast on New Zealand's wild West Coast. He's made friends among the locals, won their trust. He keeps their little world safe. And he's working in spectacular surroundings - the fierce Tasman Sea, the dense beech forest, the dark, cold swamps, the snowy Southern Alps. But then his much-loved predecessor, Gus, is discovered beside a river with a bullet through his head. He'd been looking into a disturbing murder-suicide from 1978: the parents' bodies were found, but not their daughter's. Suspecting a darker truth, Matt is certain the answers can't be too far away in this close-knit community. How does former forest service ranger Liam, with his gang links, fit into the story? What about Joe, the alcoholic hermit whose knowledge and intelligence seem so at odds with his appearance and lifestyle? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Chris Blake about the wild west coast of the South Island of New Zealand as the perfect setting for a dark and bloody crime thriller, how Senior Constable Matt Buchanan might have has escaped his demons, and the challenges for Chris Blake as both a serving police officer and an award-winning novelist.

When acclaimed historian Henry Reynolds moved from Hobart to Townsville to teach Australian history in the 1960s, he discovered the books of the period covered very little about northern Australia and First Nations peoples. He set out to help remedy the situation and ended up transforming Australian history in ways he could never have imagined. In 'Looking from the North', Reynolds again turns Australian history on its axis with an exploration of colonisation north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Reynolds tells the stories of the European, Chinese, Japanese and Pacific Islander people who were vital to the settlement of the north. Along with the experience of First Nations peoples, from employment on stations and as native police to the land rights and homelands movements, In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Henry Reynolds about how the the colonisation of Australia's north was very different to the south, how there has never truly been a 'white Australia' in this part of this continent, and why the implications of the Australian Federal government's white paper Our North, Our Future of a decade ago may be contrary to Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007.

Overnight, Seka Torlak’s life as a regular teenager is upended as Srebrenica, her once peaceful town, falls under siege and she faces starvation, shelling, and sniper attacks. When desperately needed antibiotics and food disappear and are sold on the black market, Seka vows to investigate the corruption and bring the culprits to justice. As the war ravages Srebrenica, Seka's resilience is tested as she navigates the harsh realities of war. Yet, amidst the devastation, she finds a glimmer of hope as her relationship with Ramo blossoms from friendship to love. But as she fights for justice and love the brutal war threatens to tear everything apart? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Amra Pajalic about the complex Balkan history behind this story, Amra's own experience of living in Bosnia, and how historical fiction has the power to tell the stories of real people amidst the brutal realities of war.

Retired academic Martin Pottinger's romantic aspirations for the delectable head of his former university's archaeology department, Professor Mary Blake, seem about to be realised. If only he could devise a plan to manage the demands of his eccentric elderly mother, Edwina.Recently bereaved Grace Cavendish spends her days helping out at All Souls Church, making it her mission to drown out the Reverend Rod's tone-deaf hymn-singing and give each funeral recipient a hearty send-off. Yet the peace she craves remains elusive despite the comforts offered by psychic medium Rhondda and her eight-year-old son, Hudson. When Martin and Grace meet and bond at an All Souls service, they unwittingly set off a chain of events with far-reaching consequences. They become funeral crashers. But who could have predicted that crashing funerals might have such life-changing and life-affirming outcomes? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Joanna Nell about how funerals are not just a stage in the grieving process, her career in aged care and advocacy for ageing positively, and creating stories and characters that reflect the realities of later life.

'I am Nannertgarrook' is based on the true story of Tasma Walton’s ancestor, a powerful, heart-wrenching novel about maternal love that endures against pitiless odds. Kidnapped by sealers and enslaved far from her homeland, Nannertgarrook has a spirit that refuses to bow/ From her idyllic life in sea country in Nerrm (Port Phillip Bay, Victoria), Nannertgarrook is abducted and taken to a slave market, leaving behind a husband, daughter and son. Pregnant when seized, she soon gives birth to another son, whom she raises with the children of her fellow captives. In the distant highlands, a puma named Dusk is killing shepherds. Down in the lowlands, twins Iris and Floyd are out of work, money and friends. When they hear that a bounty has been placed on Dusk, they reluctantly decide to join the hunt. As they journey up into this wild, haunted country, they discover there's far more to the land and people of the highlands than they imagined. And as they close in on their prey, they're forced to reckon with conflicts both ancient and deeply personal. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Tasma Walton and Robbie Arnott about their ARA Historical Novel Society of Australasia's prize winning novels for 2025. Tasma and Robbie share their thoughts about the role of mythology within the genre of historical fiction, the destruction of landscape and culture that has come with colonisation, and how very different approaches to research have informed their novels.

Europe, 1940. With war on their doorstep, German classmates Klara and Rachel, and French brothers Lucien and Paul, are forced to leave their homes. They are taken to Gurs, a French detention camp in the south-west of France. It's a crowded place, with little comfort and even less food. When Klara and Rachel are promised safe refuge in a remote French village, Lucien and Paul are anxious to join them — and will risk their own lives to get there. Filled with adventure, danger and intrigue, this is the story of four unlikely friends desperate to escape from a war that keeps coming closer. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Suzanne Leal the source of her fascination with World War II history, why finding the right setting for young people's introduction to historical fiction is critical, and why combining themes of loss, resilience and empathy with a great story are essential to engaging with the subject.

"How do you library?" is a statewide campaign that aims to expand visitation and encourage deeper engagement and participation at libraries across Queensland by highlighting the diversity of services, programs, resources and surprising things people can do at their local library. Libraries offer much more than you think; they are places for everyone to connect to knowledge, ideas, technology, community, history, and even other people, the list goes on. Using the word library as a verb invites the reader to consider how they currently engage with their library and how they can curate their own experience to connect to the people and things that matter to them. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Katie Edmiston about how your local library is no longer just about books, magazines and newspapers but are now critical community hubs for learning, engagement and services, how going digital has opened up new worlds for accessing information and broadening collections of all kinds, and while libraries will remain the go-to destination for quality information and research guidance, libraries around the state have a bright future that will continue to serve the changing needs of both urban and rural communities.

Constable Paul Hirschhausen is checking firearms. The regular police audit: all weapons secured, ammo stored separately, no unauthorised person with keys to the gun safe. He’s checking people, too. The drought is hitting hard in the mid-north, and Hirsch is responsible for the welfare of his scattered flock of battlers, bluebloods, loners and miscreants. He isn’t usually called on for emergency roadside assistance. But with all the other services fully stretched, it’s Hirsch who has to grind his way out beyond the Mischance Creek ruins to where some clueless tourist has run into a ditch. As it turns out, though, Annika Nordrum isn’t exactly a tourist. She’s searching for the body of her mother, who went missing seven years ago. And the only sense in which she’s clueless is the lack of information unearthed by the cops who phoned in the original investigation. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Garry Disher about the character of Paul Hirschhausen he originally envisaged, how his own research into far right and sovereign citizen groups turned out to be very timely, and why small town Australia is defined by the people who live there.

When Little Peach Tree was just a sapling, all they could see was row upon row of other peach trees. And, on top of the hill, watching over the orchard - the Peach King. As seasons pass, bringing cycles of change, Little Peach Tree grows and grows. But darker changes are stirring. Soon rain is scarce, the forests turn brown, animals flee and the sky turns red.To protect the orchard, the Peach King faces grave danger and Little Peach Tree must find their voice. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Inga Simpson and Taanya Harricks about their shared passion for the natural world, why stories of resilience in nature have meaning for us all, and why the peach is the king of fruit.

For Blake 'Blakey' Johnston growing up around the beaches of Cronulla, life was good and surfing was everything. At sixteen, he turned pro and took off around the world, chasing his dream to become the world's best. The thing about dreams, though, is that they change - sometimes by choice and sometimes by circumstance. For some people, that change can be too much. 'SwellBeing: Everyone Deserves to Feel Awesome' is a powerful memoir and mental health toolkit from the world record holder for longest surf. Blake Johnston's first book is an honest and inspiring story about carrying a family history of suicide and struggling with mental illness, what he did to rise back up and the lessons he wants to share to help others. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Blake Johnston about his idyllic childhood growing up in the beachside suburb of Cronulla, his early success on the pro surfing circuit, and the toolkit everyone one needs to make it through the tough times and live their best lives.

Jessie Hickman was a woman who lived outside the norms of her time. A brave and formidable woman, Jessie lived a life full of adventure, action and danger. At the age of eight she joined a travelling bush circus, learning to perform as a whip cracker, sharpshooter and rough rider. She would perform dangerous feats, like tightrope walking or handstands on bare-backed ponies. When the circus closed, Jessie became an outlaw and cattle rustler, famous for her daring escapes. This picture book brings to life the fascinating but little-known story of Jessie Hickman (1890–1936), Australia’s so-called ‘Lady Bushranger’. This lavishly illustrated picture book immerses the reader in the wilderness of what is now the Wollemi National Park as Jessie’s life unfolds with every turn of the page. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac about their shared passion for Australian history, about life in a travelling bush circus at the turn of the twentieth century, and how a young girl from humble beginnings became an Australian bush legend.

When 37-year-old Leila suffers a health tragedy, she doesn't recover as quickly as she expected. Her partner, James, suggests a year away from the city - they'll stay on his family farm, where the wide, open spaces and clean country air will help her come to terms with her grief.But the property is remote and the house oppressive. Leila is disturbed by strange noises, fleeting visions and intrusive dreams. James worries that her medication is causing hallucinations.As Leila's isolation grows amid the haunted landscape, so does her suspicion that she isn't the first woman James has relocated to the farm. Is what she's experiencing real? Or is it all in her head? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Jessica Mansour-Nahra about the power of imagery to create a ghostly atmosphere, how isolation can lead to heightened sensory experiences, and how a barren open landscape can contribute to an intense feeling of claustrophobia.

Walking Sydney invites you to walk with a city’s writers as they share their places of home and imagination. From the streets of the suburbs to the shores of the harbour, as we walk amid diasporas, countercultures, activists, artists, dreamers and thieves, the city comes alive with story. Written by Belinda Castles from walks taken with fifteen writers, Walking Sydney is an opportunity to see the city afresh. Eveleigh and Carriageworks with Jazz Money – Surry Hills with Fiona Kelly McGregor – The Rocks, Walsh Bay and Circular Quay with Gail Jones – Parramatta with Eda Gunaydin – King Street, Newtown with Vanessa Berry – Freshwater with Malcolm Knox – Yagoona and Bankstown with Sheila Ngọc Phạm – Rushcutters Bay Park and Elizabeth Bay with Delia Falconer – North Willoughby and Middle Cove with Jakelin Troy – Casula and Liverpool with Max Easton – Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills with Neal Drinnan – Bronte and Clovelly with Beth Yahp – Bankstown and Punchbowl Boys’ High School with Michael Mohammed Ahmad – Cooks River with Michelle de Kretser – City and Redfern with Larissa Behrendt. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Belinda Castles about her fascination for the people, places and history of the city of Sydney, why walking is both a physical and creative experience, and the hopes she has for the future of this city and for its people