Speakola: Recent Episodes
Speakola
Speakola is the home for great speeches on the web.
Tony Wilson is the founder and curator of Speakola, which now hosts more than 2000 speeches, some famous – think Churchill, Obama, Gandhi - some not so well known.
In each episode, Tony interviews someone who has written, delivered or studied a great speech to reveal the stories behind the scenes, to provide context to the historical moment, or in the case of eulogies, birthdays and other common events, to inspire people to hit new creative highs.
Tony will also play a ‘speech of the week’ to honour great words by great orators. Released fortnightly.
Speakola, for all speeches great and small.
On 26th April 2014, Megan Washington delivered a TEDx Talk that immediately trended on Twitter, and has gone on to be viewed nearly three million times. It's a beautiful public declaration about her stutter, and has so many interesting and funny moments about what a stutter is, and how it affects the life of a public performer. In her own words, Meg ends her TED Talk with a TED Sing, and it's absolutely spellbinding, a live performance of her song '‘To Or Not Let Go’.
In recent times, Meg has been the voice of Calypso on Bluey, and also the writer of the acclaimed Australian movie, 'How to Make Gravy', adapting the Paul Kelly song of the same name. Her song, 'Fine', won a AACTA Award last year for Best Original Song.
Megan's most recent album is GEM. She has gigs coming up in Feb-April 2026 in Tugun, Brunswick Heads, Cleveland, St Kilda and Main Ridge.
You can help Speakola library, podcast and newsletter survive by joining Substack, the Patreon, or straight donation.
Tony has written stories about taking his son Jack to music gigs on Good one, Wilson (3500 subscribers)
Tony has signed picture books for sale, as well as middle grade and sports books for adults.
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In 2010, The Church were reluctant inductees to the ARIA Rock Hall of Fame, and reluctant speakers too. Steve Kilbey says in this interview that they hadn't planned to speak, but felt the pressure to say something as every other inductee spoke beautifully before them. What he eventually delivered was an after dinner classic, a funny, virtually off the cuff speech about Australian music, the other four inductees and tales from the road. In this Speakola episode Steve gives an account of that night, but also a wonderful biographical summary of his life in music, including his first gig in Canberra, his mum and dad, receiving his first bass, playing school shows, forming The Church, and much more.
Steve Kilbey's speech transcript is up on Speakola library.
The Church's The Singles Tour has announced some new dates in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in February.
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Tony's 'How To Get on Race Around the World' articles are up at Good one, Wilson.
Tony has signed picture books for sale, as well as middle grade and sports books for adults. Grab a signed copy for Christmas!
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In March, I chatted to speech collector Dana Rubin for Women's History Month (there have been delays releasing the episode - my apologies, Dana). It's a great chat with a kindred spirit. Dana has created the Speaking While Female speech bank that showcases speeches by women across history and around the world.
She also edited the book Speaking While Female: 75 Extraordinary Speeches By American Women
The episode is topped and tailed by two speeches in Dana's collection.
Emma Watson's HeForShe launch speech at United Nations, 2014
Oprah Winfrey's 'Times Up' speech at the Golden Globes, 2018
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My mother, Margaret Joan Wilson died on the 20th of April 2025 while I was away in Budapest. It was a big shock and a terrible day. We had a private family ceremony on 7th May and a more public celebration of life on the 8th. This speech was delivered at the second event. The text and video of the eulogy is up at Speakola newsletter and in the Speakola library. My brother Ned did the MCing and was brilliant.
My Mum truly was 'Margaret Wilson, Mother of Readers' I'll miss her always.
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Read about Mum winning Miss Footy 1969.
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Author & documentary maker John Safran talks in this episode about his eulogy for 'the People's Priest', Father Bob Maguire at St Patrick's Cathedral Melbourne in May 2023. He also discusses his latest book 'Squat' about his week squatting at Kaye West's LA Mansion and his creative life as Australia's best known 'valid troll' (to use John's own expression)
Safran has a live show Squatting at Kanye's and Other Adventures at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival on April 17th, as well as shows in Hobart and Paramatta.
He's our first return guest on the podcast. He was also on episode 27, 'Unsmoke the World'
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Tony's film 'Ange & The Boss - Puskas in Australia' is currently showing at Cinema Nova (daily sessions) and Thornbury Picture House.
Follow the film's progress and Tony's writing generally at Good one, Wilson!
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Comedian Sammy J is a Melbourne International Comedy Festival Great Debate regular. He is the interviewee for this first episode of 2025 and the feature speech is his opening argument for the negative team in 2018, 'That we must go to Mars'.
Sammy J's currently touring show is 'The Kangaroo Effect' which is on in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in the next month or so. This years Melbourne International Comedy Festival Great Debate will take place on 12th April at Melbourne Town Hall.
Tony's feature documentary 'Ange & The Boss' about Ferenc Puskas and his time at the South Melbourne Hellas is currently in cinemas! He is very excited about this, it has had a great run and stellar reviews.
All sessions are up at angeandtheboss.com
This week's sessions include the fiollowing Q&A events:
BRISBANE Thursday 27th March
6.30 The Barracks
Q&A pre-film with Tony Wilson & Cam Fink
BRISBANE Thursday 27th March
6.30 Five Star New FarmQ&A with Tony Wilson & Cam Fink plus 1991 Hellas star Daniel Wright
ADELAIDE Saturday 29th March
7.00 Picadilly, North Adelaide
Q&A with Tony Wilson & Cam Fink
MELBOURNE Sunday 30th March
6.15 Thornbury Picture House
Q&A with director Tony Wilson
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A brief update confirming that the podcast will resume in March 2025. Episodes have already been recorded with Sammy J (on comedy debates), John Safran (eulogy for Father Bob Maguire) and Dana Rubin (speech collector, Speaking While Female).
I'm also announcing the release of our documentary 'Ange & The Boss - Puskas in Australia'. After selling out at the Greek Film Festival (second most viewed film there) are in cinemas around the country from 13-16th March. Tickets and session times
MelbourneThurs 13/3 - Palace Pentridge Coburg, 6.30pm, guests Gus Tsolakis and Peter Khalil
Fri 14/3 - Nova Carlton, 6.30pm, guests Paul Trimboli and Francis Leach
Fri 14, Sat 15, Sun 16/3 - Sun Theatre Yarraville
Sat 15/3 - Classic Elsternwick, 3pm, co-director Rob Heath joins us;
Sat 15, Sun 16/3 - Palace Westgarth, 3pm (Sun only), guest Kimon Taliadoris (pre film)
Sat 15, Sun 16 - Palace Pennylane, Moonee Ponds
Sat 15, Sun 16 - Palace Balwyn
Sat 15, Sun 16 - Palace Brighton Church Street
Sun 16/3 - Lido Hawthorn, 3pm, guest Kimon Taliadoris and Libbi Gorr;
Sat 22/3 - Cameo Belgrave, 3pm, Hungarian community special
Sat 22 & Sun 23 and Tues 25/3 - Thornbury Picture House, 6pm, guest David Bridie (Sun only)
GeelongSun 22/3 - The Pivotonian, 1pm, with guest Steve Horvat
SydneySat 15, Sun 16, Mon 17/3 - Norton Street Leichardt, 6.30pm (film maker introduction to film, Mon only)
Mon 17/3 - Ritz Randwick, 7pm, guest Daniel Garb (Q&A post film)
BrisbaneSat 15, Sun 16/3 - Palace James St Thurs 27/3 - Palace Barracks, 6.30, (film maker introduction to film)
Thurs 27/3 - Five Star cinema, New Farm, 6.30pm (guest Daniel Wright)
AdelaideSat 15, Sun 16 - Palace Nova ProspectSat 29/3 - The Picadilly North Adelaide, 7pm, guest John Thompson-Mills
Canberra
Sat 15, Sun 16 - Palace Electric
Perth
Sat 15, Sun 16 - Palace Raine Square
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Since 2006, Andrew Moran has been a baritone with Opera Australia in Sydney. When he visited Melbourne as part of a touring production of Puccini's Tosca, Tony spoke to him about a lovely eulogy he delivered for his father, Lawrie Moran, the man who inspired him to sing, in Surrey Hills, Melbourne, on 9 November 2023.
You can read and listen to the eulogy on Speakola.
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Comedy writer Declan Fay is Tony's Speakola guest. Declan was the co-writer of Ronny Chieng International Student and the hilarious Crossbread podcast, about a Christian rap duo who hit the big time, but don't happen to be Christians (stars Megan Washington and Chris Ryan). Declan was head writer for this year's AACTA Awards, and has been part of writers' rooms for Rove, Dirty Laundry Live, Problems and You're Skitting Me. His The Sweetest Plum podcast with Chris Kennett was one of Australia's pioneering comedy podcasts, and ran for many years.
He also speaks regularly in schools via Booked Out Speakers Agency, who also represent Tony for school visits.
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The cohost of ABC breakfast radio in Adelaide, Jules Schiller delivered a beautiful best man speech for his old comedy partner Tony Moclair when he married Kate in 2003. It's a Speakola favourite, and in this episode, Jules comes on in the aftermatch of a Married at First Sight best man speech abomination to talk about what makes a great best man speech, or wedding speech generally.
Opening audio is from Tony Moclair afternoons on 3AW.
I wrote a piece about best man speeches recently for the Speakola podcast.
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For the sixth year running, Tony awards his speeches of the year on Triple R's 'The Grapevine' with Dylan Bird. This year, no Kulya who has moved on from the show after 13 years. Congrats Kulya. Thank you to Triple R for the audio. Dylan will be back in 2024 with a new show called Future Perfect.
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Merry Xmas, Happy holiday, have a great New Year
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For 15 seasons and 181 episodes, Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis have been the dual hosts of 'Rockwiz', bringing their wit, charm and performance energy to Australia's legendary music quiz show. In this episode Tony chats to them about what makes a good MC, and they share tips and yarns from several decades of hosting big events.
In the second half, Tony's 12 year old son Jack joins the conversation. He's a big fan of Julia and Brian (and Rockwiz), and fancies himself as a bit of an MC himself. He prepared some questions for his heroes, and it's a lovely and funny end to the episode.
There's some extra Jack questions that will be in the bonus Patreon feed, and on the Speakola newsletter.
To read about Jack's visit to the Rockwiz Good Friday Show.
To read and see video of Jack going to the Bruce Springsteen show at AAMI Park.
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Lahra Carey's husband Ben Cowen died in paragliding accident on 8th of January 2017. A few days later, Lahra spoke at her husband's graveside, paying tribute to 'the Ben effect' and summoning friends and mourners to 'Ben's Army'. The speech is recreated for the episode, and Lahra talks to Tony about love and loss, and the challenge of giving a eulogy in the toughest moments.
Lahra Carey's eulogy for Ben Cowen is one of the most popular speeches on Speakola.
Lahra Carey's speech at time of one year anniversary is also amazing.
Lahra works at Narrative Comms in crisis management
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Donate to the Cowen kids Parachute organisation, to help children who are dealing with death, illness or divorce of a parent, and are under financial hardship.
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Dr Brendan Nelson was Liberal Party leader and Leader of the Opposition in Australia in 2007-08. After he retired from politics, he became Director of the Australian War Memorial, and has a masterly knack of sharing the stories of this country's military heroes. The feature speech here was delivered in 2014 at a Soldier On charity fundraiser. Tony's cohost for this episode, comedian and Utopia star Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann was MC that night, and watched in awe as Dr Nelson explained the significance of a George Lambert print and its special frame, and watched bidding rocket from $1000 to $40,000 immediately. Lehmo says it is the greatest speech he ever saw live. The original audio is not available but Dr Nelson told the story as part of his 'five most significant artifacts at the Australian War Memorial' section of his Howard Oration in 2021, and that audio is included.
There is also some beautiful singing at the end of this 50th episode of the podcast, by Private Ken Gant who was killed at the Battle of Long Tan, and recorded a song for his mother the day before he was deployed.
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Brendan Nelson's autobiography 'Of Life and Leadership' is available here. All proceeds to Legacy and Lifeline.
You can book Lehmo for comedy and more, here.
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Clare Wright is an award winning author and documentary maker and a previous guest on this podcast (Ep 46). This very personal speech about depression was delivered at a The Wheeler Centre event called 'Epic Fail' featuring well known authors and artists sharing their stories of failure.
Clare's description of a state of depression is so evocative that Melbourne musician Suzannah Espie wrote a song using the words of the speech as lyrics, 'I'm sorry, I failed'. The episode concludes with that song.
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This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. Clare's narrates the film, Utopia Girls , which you can stream at Docplay.
Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!
The number for Lifeline Australia is 13 11 14.
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Brendan Gale became CEO of Richmond in late 2009, and delivered this speech to the whole of the football club in the rooms in the old Punt Road grandstand in early 2010. it was a vision for the future, and it was mocked in the press at the time. Richmond had not won a final for 30 years and had competed in finals twice in the previous fifteen. Gale outlined a plan to win three premierships in ten years. It's an articulate corporate speech in a sporting environment with brave goal setting. I spoke to Brendan Gale as part of interview process for my Allan Jeans biography (Yabby, Hardie Grant, 2024)
The transcript and audio reenactment of Gale's speech is on Speakola.
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This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.
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Tomorrow is ANZAC Day in Australia, our most important day for commemorating and recognising the sacrifice of armed servicemen and women. To coincide, here is a re-release of speechwriter Don Watson's interview about the Paul Keating's 'Eulogy to the Unknown Soldier' delivered at the Canberra War Memorial on Remembrance Day 1993.
The occasion was the interment of the remains of one Australian solider, dug up from a battlefield on the Western Front.
It is a revered speech in this country, the words are now chiselled into the Australian War Memorial itself and the phrase 'He is all of them, and he is one of us'; was even at the centre of a political stoush in 2013 over whether it should replace Kipling's 'Known Unto God' on the graves of Unknown Soldiers. (Kipling won the day).
This is a shorter episode than the usual Speakola length. If you are interested in Don Watson and his speechwriitng career, the previous episode is much more detailed, and discusses Watson's somewhat broken relationship with the former Prime Minister.
Watson's most recent books are 'There it is Again' (Collected Writings) and The Bush.
The speech is now up on Speakola for the first time with vision thanks to Rhett Bartlett and Rhettrospective.
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Read analysis of this speech in newsletter
Read the Barry Humphries speech mentioned in the introduction, 'Through the Thin End of an Asparagus Roll', National Press Club, 1978
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Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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A bonus episode with Walkley winning journalist Andrew Rule recorded when we chatted about his eulogy for his father (episode 44)
This episode is about Andrew's eulogy for Les Carlyon, a fellow legend of Australian journalism and writing. The speech was delivered on March 12th 2019 at Flemington racecourse, the home of Australian racing and the location for some of Carlyon's most beautiful writing. As Andrew says in the speech, he was the poet laureate of the turf.
Andrew Rule has a 'Life and Crimes' podcast and I was a guest talking footy rogues, 'Black sheep in footy boots'.
I read out a list of thank yous in this episode to people who have been 'super subscribers',(Beyond the $5 per month) either as 'founding members' at the newsletter or 'Standing Ovation' donors on Patreon
I'm also very grateful to every person who has helped me over these last two years to provide an income stream for this project.
Thanks also to those who are donors just through Paypal
This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.
Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!
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We've just had the terrible news that Ron Joseph, Speakola's guest for E36 of this podcast, died this week aged 77. He was so accommodating with this interview, and we chatted for nearly two hours about his incredible life in footy administration and in particular the North Melbourne footy club. I'll put up some of the general (non speechy audio) from that day on the Good one, Wilson podcast, which is at my personal newsletter page.
This is a republish of that episode from last year, which featured Ron Joseph's eulogy to Lou Richards, which is one of the great AFL speeches.
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RIP Ron Joseph
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Vida Goldstein was the first woman to campaign for elected office for a national parliament in the English speaking world. It was the election of 1903, Ms Goldstein ran for the Senate in the Australian parliament, and she lost! Her launch speech was at Portland in Victoria and podcast guest Prof Clare Wright read it aloud for the Sydney Writers Festival's 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen' event in 2022.
In this episode, Clare talks about Vida Goldstein's speech, but also her place in the women's suffrage struggle of the 1880s and 90s. She explains quite brilliantly how that period of women's history unfolded, and how Australian women became leaders on the world stage helping other white women win their struggles in the UK and the USA. Vida was an invitee to the Roosevelt White House, and helped and inspired Emmeline Pankhurst. Clare also explains that the early suffragists did not help indigenous women win or in the case of South Australia, retain the vote. They were products of the White Australia' era they inhabited.
The audio of the speech as read by Clare Wright is courtesy of the Sydney Writers Festival. You can purchase tickets to the 2023 festival here.
Clare's books include the Stella Award winning The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka and You Daughters of Freedom.
Join Speakola newsletter here. For IWD, I released Part 1 and Part 2, Great speeches by women, decade by decade, 1910-2023.
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Thanks also to those who are donors or Patreons.
This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. Clare's narrates the film, Utopia Girls , which you can stream at Docplay.
Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!
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Between 2010 and 2013, Michael Cooney was speechwriter for Australia's 27th Prime Minister, Julia Gillard who was also its first female Prime Minister. Michael has written an excellent book about this experience, called 'The Gillard Project: My Thousand Days of Despair and Hope'. In this episode he talks about what a Prime Ministerial speech writer does, and shares interesting and funny yarns from the coalface of political power, including his trip to Washington for the Prime Minister's meeting with President Obama.
Episode contains clips from Prime Minister Gillard's address to Congress, her speech at the Gallipoli Dawn Service 2011, The Misogyny Speech, and her remarks on losing the leadership ballot to Kevin Rudd in 2013.
Michael now works at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers as the General Manager of Public Affairs.
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Thanks also to those who are donors or Patreons.
This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.
Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!
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Andrew Rule is a Gold Walkley winning journalist and author (Underbelly) who grew up on a farm in Gippsland and made his way from The Maffra Spectator to the pinnacles of Australian investigative reporting. His father, Keith, spent his life felling and fashioning timber, and this eulogy is a beautiful ode to a man and his axe. It was written as a feature for The Age in 1998, written as Keith Rule lay in the next room dying, and then adapted slightly to be read at the funeral in Lake Tyers on 27th June 1998. There is no audio of the original speech, so Andrew Rule has re-recorded the speech for this podcast.
Andrew Rule mentions his colleague Les Carlyon in this chat, and Andrew's eulogy for Les Carlyon is also on Speakola.
Andrew Rule has a 'Life and Crimes' podcast and I'm the current guest talking footy rogues, 'Black sheep in footy boots'.
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Thanks also to those who are donors or Patreons.
This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.
Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!
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Ruth Clare is an Australian author who wrote the award winning memoir 'Enemy — A Daughter's story of how her father brought the Vietnam War home'. She suffered the trauma of domestic violence as a child, and has been talking about trauma for a living since she became a parent herself. She has delivered three TEDx talks:
If you don't own your stories they'll own you, TEDxYouth@LGS
The pain hiding your true self, TEDxYouth@LGS
The power of Plan B Thinking, TEDxUniMelb (online event)
Ruth talks to Tony about her traumatic childhood, her healing through therapy, the story of her most successful TEDx talk which has had over 100,000 views, and some tips on writing TED talks. She's brilliant!
Ruth Clare's website.
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Thanks also to those who are donors or Patreons.
This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.
Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!
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For the fifth year running, Tony awards his speeches of the year on Triple R's 'The Grapevine' with Kulya Coulston and Dylan Bird. Thank you to Triple R for the audio.
Listen to The Grapevine on Triple R Mondays 9-12am. They are on break now until 2023.
This is the new hub/community base for Speakola with over 5300 subscribers, and a few of those are paying subscribers. Thanks so much! Signing up here either for free or paid is the best way to help me out. Speakola also has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
This is my website for books I've written. There's a 20% discount for paid subscribers at the newsletter.
Episode sponsored by Docplay, the best streaming service in the world for documentaries. Get a 45 day free trial.
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Laura Lexx is an acclaimed British comedian who has appeared on many television shows ('Roast Battle', 'Mock the Week') and has written a novel 'Pivot' and a bestselling humour book 'Klopp Actually'. Her tweets imagining a steamy yet sensible love affair with Jurgen Klopp lit up Twitter for a weekend in 2020, and scored her a book deal! But this episode is about her real life wedding in 2015 to fellow comedian Tom Livingstone (The Noise next Door) and the excellent bride speech she gave thanking him and her sister. It's a hit on YouTube and Laura is great on the whole question of how to do a bride or groom speech.
Laura website
Includes audio from this YouTube of Lin Manuel Miranda serenading bride Vanessa with help of friends and family at their wedding.
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This is Tony's wedding speech to wife Tamsin. '10 Things I Love About You'.
This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.
Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!
His books are for sale here
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'Give me your children' is one of the most harrowing and disturbing speeches in history, It was delivered by Chief Elder and Nazi appointed representative of the Jews in the Lodź ghetto, Chaim Rumkowski. In the speech, Rumkowski announces that children under ten, the elderly, and the sick and infirm will be handed over to the Nazis to fulfill deportation demands, in order to save the rest of the ghetto. Holocaust survivor Abram Goldberg was in the ghetto's main square on that terrible day, and heard the speech and the screams of the crowd. In this episode he talks about Rumkowski, the leader's controversial and tarnished reputation, as well as Abram's own incredible story of survival, including a heart breaking promise to his mother at the train station at Auschwitz.
Assisting 97 year old Abram in our interview is Fiona Harris, the co-author of his recent memoir, 'The Strength of Hope' (Affirm Press, 2022). Fiona has written children's books and co-produced and starred in the hit series, 'The Drop Off'.
The reenactment of Rumkowski's speech is voiced by Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Outlander, Game of Thrones for Almeida Theatre's 'Figure of Speech' series. It is on YouTube
Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Speakola is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. The documentary 'A Film Unfinished' about a Nazi propaganda film in the Warsaw ghetto is excellent.
Tony will share photos and write about his day with Abram and Fiona for his writer blog, Good one, Wilson.
Email comments or ideas to tony@speakola.com
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The great actor and activist Uncle Jack Charles died in Melbourne on the 13th of September 2022 of a stroke. Five weeks earlier, Speakola's Tony Wilson recorded a chat with him during filming of their AFL Finals promo. Tony had written the words. Jack delivered the voice. During Jack's break, Tony chatted to him about life and career highlights. It was just recorded on a phone, so doesn't have the usual Speakola sound quality. it's a beautiful chat though, typically feisty and irreverent from Uncle Jack. Tony wrote it up for his column /newsletter Good one, Wilson, so it is up there too, with transcript.
There is also a column about Tony writing what he calls his 'Nike poetry'.
Uncle Jack talks about touring with Archie Roach on the Enter the Bloodstream tour and singing Archie's 'We Won't Cry'. That song finishes the episode, recorded at TEDx Sydney, 2017.
Jack Charles was a proud and eloquent Bunurong and Wiradjeri man. RIP.
Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Speakola is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. The documentary 'Bastardy' about Jack Charles is on the platform.
Email comments or ideas to tony@speakola.com
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Ted Baillieu was the 41st Premier of Victoria, elected in November 2010. In this episode he talks about this speech he delivered as Leader of the Liberal Party Opposition in February 2009 at a Day of Mourning ceremony for the Black Saturday bushfire victims at Rod Laver Arena.
Mr Baillieu is an excellent speechwriter and orator, and he shares tips and anecdotes gleaned across a long illustrious career in public life.
Subscribe to Tony Wilson's 'Good one, Wilson' substack, to receive a weekly taste of his writing. An email a week, like this one about 'Nike poetry'
Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
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Author James Button's 2008 eulogy for his politician father John Button was one of the first speeches ever added to Speakola. It's a beautiful speech, full of stories about one of Australia's most significant Labor politicians. It's also a eulogy that has an honesty to it, it talks about John Button's moodiness, his taciturn nature, his absences. But it also demonstrates his intelligence, wit and charisma. There's a sadness in Senator Button's past that James didn't bring up in the eulogy, which he now regrets, as he discusses in the interview. it's a brilliant speech and episode.
James Button's books include Speechless A Year in My Father's Business and Comeback: the Fall and Rise of Geelong.
Tony's footy books include 1989 The Great Grand Final.
Subscribe to Tony Wilson's 'Good one, Wilson' substack, to receive a weekly taste of his writing. An email a week, with stories like this one about his son.
Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also we welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
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Peter Malinauskas was elected the 47th Premier of South Australia on 19th March 2022. He gave a terrific victory speech that night, one that was described by The Australian's literary critic as having 'flawlessly controlled momentum' and reaffirming a belief in democracy. The Premier was a wonderful interviewee and talks about how he wrote the speech, and the importance of victory and concession speeches in the peaceful handover of power in Australia and in democracies generally. And he talks about his footy career with 'the Scum' at University Blacks Adelaide. He's still playing, even as Premier!
Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also we welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off. Thanks to Mike Jones, John Groarke, Marjorie Spiller, Alison Johnston and Geoffrey Stump for recent donations.
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Lou 'The Lip' Richards was an icon of Australian football in the latter half of the twentieth century. He was an excellent player, playing 250 games for Collingwood between 1941 and 1955, including captaining the 1953 premiership. But he found fame in his home town of Melbourne as a columnist, television wit, and play by play commentator. He died in 2017, and was honoured at a state funeral. Friend and North Melbourne administrator Ron Joseph delivered an excellent eulogy, much of it pitched in Lou's voice, that did justice to Richards' cheekiness and charm.
Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also we welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
Tony AFL themed footy books include 1989: The Great Grand Final, A Boy Called Bob, The Selwood Boys series and his debut novel, Players. He co-directed a footy documentary about an AFL tour of Ireland in 1967 called The Galahs.
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Subscribe to Tony Wilson's 'Good one, Wilson' substack, to receive a weekly taste of his writing. He'll add the story of his mum's 1969 World of Sport trivia triumph shortly.
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A speech described by The New York Times in the days after delivery as 'the greatest speech since Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address'. Jimmy Reid's speech was reprinted in full and praised around the world.
In this episode, Jimmy Reid biographer and Westminster MP Kenny MacAskill (member for East Lothian in Scotland since 2019) talks about this famous speech, as well as 'no bevvying' shipyard address, and Reid's life and achievements as a worker advocate, politician, union leader, and media commentator. There are snippets of speeches from Jimmy Reid's funeral, which included eulogies from Billy Connelly and Sir Alec Ferguson.
Kenny MacAskill reads a full version of the Glasgow University speech as speech of the week, because no full audio version exists.
MacAskill's biography, 'Jimmy Reid: A Scottish Political journey' is excellent.
Speakola is supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support for as little as $3/mth. Also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
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Tony's signed books are for sale at his website.
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Gabriel Sterling speech and interview re-release.
Republican electoral official Gabriel Sterling was a witness called before the January 6 committee this week to give evidence into what went on in the days leading up to the attack on the Capitol.
This is a Speakola interview released as episode 23 in August 2021, during the Olympics. Sterling talks about the art of off the cuff speech making, as well as the anger he felt about threats of violence directed towards low level contractors working in the Georgia count. He also talks about the heat in modern day politics, the invective, and the push towards extremism.
His 'Somebody is going to get killed' speech is the defining speech of The Big Lie period. As he says in this episode. 'It sucks to be right'.
Tony Wilson has a new writing substack (free) you can subscribe to if you enjoy his words.
Speakiola also has a newsletter where Tony unpicks a favourite speech. Subscribe here.
Please donate on the patreon, or by paypal or credit card.
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Terrific episode on Winston Churchill, his prodigious skills as a rhetorician, and in particular his speech to a joint sitting of US Congress on Boxing Day, 1941. Our guest is Richard Cohen, founder of the popular Winston Churchill facebook group and a legal scholar who has immersed himself in all things Churchill. He was a proof reader of Andrew Roberts 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny' biography, and a great interviewee for this one.
Churchill speeches mentioned in the episode include, the Dunkirk 'Beaches' speech, and The Iron Curtain 'Sinews of Peace' speech.
Richard Cohen's own candidature speech to Board of Deputies of British Jews is also on Speakola.
Speakola is supported by listeners. I have a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. Also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
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Wendy Harmer is a legend of Australian media, and comedy, a mainstay since 'running away to join the circus' and the standup scene in the mid 1980s. She talks about those years at the Last Laugh and Le Joke, and also the shows that established her, 'The Big Gig' and 'World Series Debating' on the ABC. where she captained a comedy debate team each episode against Andrew Denton (who has also been a guest on this podcast).
Wendy talks about the art of the comedy debate, what separates it from straight standup, shares snippets and stories. The debate featured as the speech for this 1993 episode is 'That Australia Needs the Royal Family'
Tony has a new website for the books he has written, including Harry Highpants mentioned in this episode.
Andrew Denton's episode on Speakola is his eulogy for John Clarke.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
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Episode supported by the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #6 out shortly. For free pdf offer, email hello@podread.org and mention Speakola.
@byTonyWilson @speakola_
on Twitter and Instagram.
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On the eve of her wedding in India, The Outer Sanctum's Rana Hussein got a birds and the bees talk from her devout, hijab wearing, doctor, mother. She told the story at Comedy Republic's 'Stranger than Fiction' night, in hilarious and excruciating detail. The story is about two firsts, and as funny as the birds and the bees bit is, it's heartbreaking to hear about the other first that finishes this great piece of writing and speaking.
Speech audio courtesy of Comedy Republic. To see their MICF lineup visit website.
Rana Hussein is the Inclusion and Diversity officer for Cricket Australia. She is also part of The Outer Sanctum team.
Tony also spoke on the night, read this article, and he'll put that audio up on patreon .
Tony has a new website for the books he has written, including Harry Highpants mentioned in this episode.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #5 out now. For free pdf offer, email hello@podread.org and mention Speakola.
@byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
Email comments or ideas to tony@speakola.com
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A different style of episode we're calling 'Speakola Reads'
On 4th March 2022, Shane Warne, Australia greatest ever bowler, died of a heart attack in Thailand. This episode is Tony reading a tribute he wrote for Shane Warne in 2011. The piece was titled 'The Mile Wide Spin Club' and was included in a coffee table book called 'Australia: Story of a Cricket Country' (Hardie Grant, 2011, ed. Chris Ryan). The book ranked the greatest players in Australia's cricket history, and the top 5 were each captured in a dedicated article. Tony spoke to junior coaches, cricket academy people, and Warne's teammate Damian Fleming to write this. The conclusion was updated to salute Warnie's early and tragic passing.
Tony has a new website for the books he has written, including sports books 1989: The Great Grand Final, A Boy Called Bob, The Selwood Boys, and Australia United.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #5 out now. For free pdf offer, email hello@podread.org and mention Speakola.
Tony is @byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
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Jahmal Cole is running for Illinois' First Congressional District in 2022 as a Democrat. He's a community activist and founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, which is an after school program that offers disadvantaged kids broader city wide experiences beyond their neighbourhoods in Chicago.
'it's not regular' is a brilliant speech that was delivered at a Martin Luther King jr. Day Interfaith Breakfast in Chicago, on 21st January 2018. Full text and audio here. There were a thousand people in attendance, and Cole's speech was shared around the world.
Jahmal gives such good speaking advice in this episode, and we wish him well with his campaign. If you wish to donate, you can at https://www.cole2022.com/
To support My Block, My Hood, My City, visit their site.
Jahmal Cole's book is 'It's Not Regular: How to Recognise Prejudice in Palin Sight'
Tony has a new website for the books he has written, including Harry Highpants mentioned in this episode.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome credit card donations, which can be monthly or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #5 out now. For free pdf offer, email hello@podread.org and mention Speakola.
Tony is @byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Doyle is one of Australia's greatest comedy performers, as the Rampaging Roy Slaven half of 'Roy and HG'. On October 7th 2005 he delivered this Andrew Olle media lecture for the ABC, which was a wide ranging speech discussing sensationalism in news, opinion, War in Iraq, 9-11, journalistic integrity, the ABC and fistfights at the Walkleys. It's very funny in parts, serious in others, and all delivered with a little of that Rampaging Roy lilt, even though this was pure John Doyle.
John Doyle has a memoir out, written in lockdown, about being fifteen years of age in Lithgow. It's called 'Blessed: The Breakout Year of Rampaging Roy Slaven'
Podcasts mentioned on the show:
John Doyle on Conversations - The Dark Lithgow Childhood of Rampaging Roy Slaven
Tony on Conversations - The Speech Collector
Damian Callinan's The Bodgy Creek Community Podcast
Slate's Slow Burn S5, War in Iraq
Tony has a new website for the books he has written, including Players mentioned in this episode. Happy to sign and personalise.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #5 out now. For free pdf offer, email hello@podread.org and mention Speakola.
Speakola also has Twitter @Speakola_ and Facebook feeds.
Tony is @byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
New patrons and donors: Andrew Pritchard, Jo Peake, Simon Balderstone, Mark Freeman, Phillip Lewis, Frances Colley, Ben Ellerton, Graham Thomas. Thank you!
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For the fourth year running, Tony awards his speeches of the year on Triple R's 'The Grapevine' with Kulya Coulston and Dylan Bird. Categories include sports, arts, issue, historical significance, young speaker, and pandemic related speech of the year.
Tony has a new website for the books he has written.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our other sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #4 out now.
Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf.
Speakola also has Twitter @Speakola_ and Facebook feeds.
Tony is @byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This isn't a regular interview + speech episode. Tony thanks the 15 guests who have appeared on the podcast in 2021, and shares a story from episode 26 guest Martin Flanagan about his journey into the Tarkine wilderness in Tasmania, with a Sherrin and six friends from his university football days to protest against the construction of a dam. The piece originally appeared in Footyology, and Martin reads it for Speakola here. His episode of the podcast was the most listened to this year, so Martin, almost like he is The Queen, gets to deliver the Christmas message.
Tony has a new website for the books he has written.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our other sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #4 out now. Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf.
Speakola also has Twitter @Speakola_ and Facebook feeds.
Tony is @byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam Elliot won the Academy Award for Best Short Animation in 2004 for his film 'Harvie Krumpet'. His nomination rocketed him to celebrity status in Australia, and the country celebrated as he received the gold statue with his producer Melanie Coombs beside him. His speech was short, and did the job of some important thank yous. In this episode, we talk about the experience of being nominated for an Oscar while on the dole, attending the ceremony, the Governor's Ball, the after parties, with some discussion of the speech too, delivered to half a billion people. Adam thanked his boyfriend Dan in the speech and was credited with being the first person to thank a same sex partner in the ceremony. Dan and Adam are still together, seventeen years later.
Here is the text and audio of Adam's speech
Tony has a new website for the books he has written.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our other sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #4 out now.
Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf.
Speakola also has Twitter @Speakola_ and Facebook feeds.
Tony is @byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Isra Mohammed's speech to her school in Newcastle, UK, went went around the world in December of 2015. She was a 15 year old student at Kenton School, Newcastle, and she'd been subjected to racist and Islamophobic taunts after the ISIS attacks on Paris, that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more. When her brother and sister were targeted, Isra decided she had to do something, and so arranged to address the whole school, to tell her fellow students about Islam, and to try to dispel myths and ignorance about the religion. One delivery of this speech (she gave a few) was recorded, uploaded to YouTube and went around the world as a viral sensation.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our other sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #4 out now. Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf.
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Speakola also has Twitter @Speakola_ and Facebook feeds.
Tony is @byTonyWilson on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Safran is an author and satirist who recently wrote the book 'Puff Piece, How Phillip Morris Set Vaping Alight and Burned Down the English Language'. He chats to Tony about a corporate message from Phillip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak, which is focused on 'unsmoking the world', 'ending the problem of smoking' and Phillip Morris ambitions to become smoke free. John explains the contradictions at play here, the pressures on PMI from vaping and governments, and how tricky use of language, and a tobacco heating device called the IQOS, are potentially Phillip Morris' ticket to salvation. 'Phillip Morris always wins' is a phrase in Safran's book and he uses it again here. A funny and revealing chat, about corporate obfuscation and skulduggery.
Buy Puff Piece here.
John Safran's other books and TV shows are on is website.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth or as much as $20/mth. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
If you're a regular listener, you can give Tony a financial kick along so he can keep making it!
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our new sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf.
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Speakola also has Twitter @Speakola_ and Facebook feeds.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Martin Flanagan is a much loved Australian sportswriter, known for his lyrical phrase and passion for stories that intertwine sport and culture. In 2018 he delivered a monologue in praise of Melbourne Football Club legends, and also ordinary supporter and officials. It is a majestic piece, 'Thinking about you, Ron Barassi' and it first aired during Preliminary Final week, 2018 on radio station SEN. It's the feature speech of this episode, as Martin discusses his torn allegiances for Grand Final day, having spent lengthy periods as an 'embedded' writer at both Footscray (Western Bulldogs) and Melbourne. He also talks about key figures in the piece, Jim Stynes, Robbie Flower, Liam Jurrah, Sean White, Nathan Jones, and of course Ron Barassi. Because Flanagan wrote a book on the 2016 Bulldogs, 'A Wink from the Universe', he also has stories about Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore, Bob Murphy and Easton Wood. It's a great grand final episode, covering the Western Bulldogs and the Demons.
Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth or as much as $20/mth. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off. If you're a regular listener, you can give Tony a financial kick along so he can keep making it!
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our new sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf.
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 2016, Julian Leeser was elected as the Liberal member for Berowra, an electorate comprising suburbs and bush north of Sydney. His maiden speech to parliament delivered 14th of September 2016 was shared around the world, as it told the story of the death of his father to suicide. He spoke about the tragedy of that day, and also what needs to be done in Australia on the suicide prevention and mental health fronts. RUOK Day embraced his 'signs' message as the theme of the 2017 campaign. This episode is being released on RUOK Day 2021, and Leeser discusses the mental health strain related to the pandemic and lockdowns. Julian also discusses federalism and the Australian Constitution, as well as his support for 'voice' proposals for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recognition in the document.
Australians seeking support and information about suicide prevention contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. There are equivalent services in most countries.
Tony talks about the death by suicide of his best man, Chris Daffey. That episode of the podcast is here.
Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth or as much as $20/mth. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off. If you're a regular listener, you can give Tony a financial kick along so he can keep making it!
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our new sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf.
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In June 2011, Emily Rowe lost her husband Matthew Carney to a cardiac arrest, caused by his chemotherapy medication. In the tragic aftermath, Emily Rowe[ delivered a stunning eulogy, extolling Matt's philosophy of living in the present, and making the most of each moment. IN the period since, Emily became a grief coach in order to help other people overcome the pain of loss and sadness. For this episode, she talked about meeting Matt, falling in love, sharing a life, the loss, and the writing and delivery of this speech. She also recorded the speech, for which there was no original audio in existence.
Emily's counselling service is The Good Grief Coach and she also has videos on YouTube.
Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3 per month. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off. If you're a regular listener, you can give Tony a financial kick along so he can keep making it!
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our new sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. It launched in August, issue one featuring Christopher Hitchens, Peter Thiel, Arlie Hochschild, Margaret Atwood and Frank Wilczek
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gabriel Sterling was voting system implementation manager for his home state of Georgia during the heated aftermath of the 2020 election. President Trump and his supporters were claiming the election had been stolen, and were not accepting facts as provided by Sterling and other Republicans in the Georgia administration. When a 20 year old employee and his family received death threats, an angry Sterling fronted the media and delivered this ad lib speech that went around the world.
Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3 per month. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off. If you're a regular listener, you can give Tony a financial kick along so he can keep making it!
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Our new sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. It launches this month, issue one featuring Christopher Hitchens, Peter Thiel, Arlie Hochschild, Margaret Atwood and Frank Wilczek
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bob Hawke was the 23rd prime minister of Australia and the most electorally successful Labor politician in Australian history. He delivered a speech on 9th June 1989, five days after the tanks and 27th Army rolled into Tienanmen Square and massacred students gathered there.
Hawke delivered this speech in the Great Hall of Parliament House in Canberra, which was largely written by speechwriter Stephen Mills who is our guest for this episode.
In the middle of the prepared remarks, Hawke also read from a diplomatic cable that contained graphic descriptions of what went on in the Square. He wept as he read from the cable, and it became one of the iconic moments of his prime ministership.
It's recently been revealed in an ABC podcast, China if You're Listening, hosted by Matt Bevan that the contents of the cable was not accurate in terms of the scale of atrocities or the number of deaths in the square.
Listen to full episode of China if You're Listening with Matt Bevan.
Listen and watch 730 Report story about the diplomatic cable.
Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3 per month. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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Jessie Street was a pioneering feminist in Australia, who fought for women's rights, equal pay, reproductive rights, as well as indigenous rights during an amazing 81 year life. She was one of the activists behind the changes in the 1967 referendum. Dr Lenore Coltheart is a historian who was employed by the Street family to update Jessie's autobiography and is now writing the first full blown biography of a great and sometimes overlooked pioneer.
There is no surviving audio for 'Is it to be back to the kitchen?' so it is read for this podcast by actor Blazey Best.
The opening audio of Jessie Street speaking is from 'Women's Status in the United Nations Charter' recorded for the International Women's Radio League.
Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3 per month. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kyaw Moe Tun is Myanmar's permanent representative to the UN who spoke out against the military takeover in his country in February 2021. It was a moving speech, he was choking back tears by the end and finished with the three fingered Mockingjay salute of the Burmese democracy movement.
In this episode, Tony talks to a Burmese woman in exile from her country, someone who was there for the terrible events of February 1st, but who has since left Myanmar. 'Andrea' talks about the UN speech, what it meant in terms of hope and inspiration, as well as discussing the coup in a broader context.
To read and listen to the speech, visit its page on Speakola.
Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3 per month. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
You can support the civil disobedience movement in Myanmar here.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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Simon Hill is the voice of Australian football. Manchester born, he called Premier League football and FA Cup finals for BBC in the UK, before emigrating to Australia to work for SBS and Foxsports. His calls of the Socceroos matches in their history making World Cup finals run in 2005-6 are iconic and still send shivers down the spine. In this episode he talks about how he became a commentator, why he journeyed Down Under, the mayhem of those historic nights, and what makes great commentary, with examples of great moments included. Aguerrrrrrro!
Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join IF you want to offer regular support for as little as $3 per month. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.
The 'Ferenc Puskas and the South Melbourne Hellas' documentary mentioned in the podcast is crowd funding here.
If you'd like to purchase a signed copy of Australia United, or any of Tony's books visit https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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Neil Kinnock was leader of the UK Labour Party from 1983-1992, and a member of parliament from 1970-95. With his Welsh accent, and his brilliant cadence and rhythm, he was renowned for his oratory and remains one of the most natural off-the-cuff speakers in the history of British politics. He lost the 1987 election to Margaret Thatcher, and the 1992 election to John Major.A fascinating chat with Tony about growing up working class, music, sport, his early political life, meeting Nye Bevan, the 'I Warn You' speech before the 1983 election, gaining the Labour leadership, the miners' strike, and the 1985 Labour Party Conference. He also talks about losing two elections, the rise of Tony Blair, the socialism of the COVID era, and Brexit.
The feature speech for the episode is Kinnock's speech in Bournemouth at the 1985 Labour Party Conference, where he tore strips off people in the far left faction of the party known as Militant.
If you'd like todonate support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help. Love it if you'd rate and review the podcast!
Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Also looking for another sponsor for 202. Contact if keen tony@tonywilson.com.au
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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Rob Carlton is a well known actor in Australia most famous for his portrayal of Kerry Packer in 'Paper Giants'. He's a great speaker and this episode examines salon style storytelling at events like 'The Moth'. Rob talks about a speech he delivered at the Wheeler Centre in 2016 about an object dear to him for ''Show and Tell for Grown Ups'
You can book Rob as a speaker or MC.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies. Love it if you'd rate and review the podcast!
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/.
Also looking for another sponsor for 2021. Contact if keen tony@tonywilson.com.au
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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Regarded by many as the greatest speech of all time, preeminent King historian Dr Clayborne Carson attended the March on Washington as a 19 year old. He tells about the experience of seeing 'I Have a Dream' in person, and then provides insight into how the speech happened, the drafting process with co-writer Clarence Jones, and the brave and history making decision to jump off-script. Dr Carson also talks about King's life in a broader sense, including other speeches, and the powerhouse contribution of Coretta Scott King.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
I'm also looking for another sponsor for 2021. Contact me if keen tony@tonywilson.com.au
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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Stella Young was just 32 when she died suddenly in December 2014. She was just winning fame as a comedian (Best newcomer, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2014) and her TED talk from June of that year was a smash. That talk about the objectification of people with disabilities as 'inspiration porn' has now been viewed over 4 million times. Her memorial at Melbourne Town Hall was an amazing event, attended by many in the intersecting worlds of comedy, media and disability. Stella's great friend Nelly Thomas delivered one of the eulogies, and it was funny and uplifting, and reminded everyone of the scale of the loss. 'That girl was on a rocket ship to the moon' is one of Nelly's beautiful closing lines.
Nelly Thomas is a writer and comedian, and you can book her as MC or purchase one of her excellent 'Some' books here.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
I'm also looking for another sponsor for 2021. Contact me if keen tony@tonywilson.com.au
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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A different sort of episode to finish the year, as regular host Tony Wilson turns interviewee to pay tribute to his best man and best friend, Chris Daffey, who took his own life on 21 December 2013 as a result of depression. Tony talked about Chris, and the eulogy, as part of an interview on ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler on 4 May 2020. The ABC And Conversations kindly allowed us to republish the part of the chat that related to this eulogy, which was a key inspiration for the creation of Speakola.
'The Speech Collector' episode of Conversations is here.
The text and audio of Tony's eulogy is here.
Many thanks to John and Maureen Daffey for providing access to audio from the funeral service.
Chris Daffey's novel about primary school is 'A Girl, A Smock and a Simple Plan' (Penguin 2003)
Chris Daffey's speech about being an articled clerk is here, with video & transcript.
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
If you are thinking about suicide or experiencing emotional distress, help is available. There is hope. Please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia. There are equivalent services around the world.
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Fredrik Logevall is a Pultizer Prize winning historian and the author of the wonderful JFK: Coming of Age in an American Century 1917-1956. The second volume will concern itself with the JFK presidency, but Fredrik joined Tony to jump ahead and talk about one of the great speeches of the 20th century, with its famous line, 'ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country'. This is a fascinating chat that ranges across the life of the 35th President of the United States with a particular focus on his oratory, and the writing and performance of his most famous speech.
The inaugural speech is on Speakola with transcript, as are other Kennedy speeches mentioned in this episdoe including the American University speech and the Amherst speech.
Thanks to JFK Presidental Library which allows downloads of speech audio on website as part of public domain.
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds
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A bonus from the Don Watson interview that was the feature of last week's Redfern episode. To commemorate Remembrance Day (Armistice Day), speechwriter Don Watson talks about Paul Keating's beautiful 'Eulogy for the Unknown Soldier' that was delivered at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on 11 November, 1993. The occasion was the interrment of the remains of one Australian solider, dug up from a battlefield on the Western Front.
It is a revered speech in this country, the words are now chiselled into the Australian War Memorial itself and the phrase 'He is all of them, and he is one of us'; was even at the centre of a political stoush in 2013 over whether it should replace Kipling's 'Known Unto God' on the graves of Unknown Soldiers. (Kipling won the day).
This is a shorter episode than the usual Speakola length. If you are interested in Don Watson and his speechwriitng career, the previous episode is much more detailed, and discusses Watson's somewhat broken relationship with the former Prime Minister.
Watson's most recent books are 'There it is Again' (Collected Writings) and The Bush.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies. He mentions The Minister for Traffic Lights in this episode, a picture book about a traffic light loving politician who invents a mauve traffic light as a cure for road rage.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds
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Paul Keating's speech delivered to a mainly indigenous audience at Redfern Park on 10 December 1992 is regarded as one of the great Australian speeches. In an ABC radio listener poll in 2007, it was voted the third greatest speech ofr all time, behind 'I Have a Dream' and 'The Sermon on the Mount'. Here is the video and transcript.
In this episode,Keating's speechwriter Don Watson discusses the speech, its construction, its impact. He also talks about language, Keating's gifts for language, as well as the souring of his relationship with Australia's 24th Prime Minister, after the publication of his best selling and award winning memoir, 'Recollections of a Bleeding Heart'. in 2001.
Watson's most recent books are 'There it is Again' (Collected Writings) and The Bush.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies. He mentions Harry Highpants in this episode, a picture book about protest and pants freedom!
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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On July 1st last year, a traditional day of celebration and protest in Hong Kong, pro democracy activists stormed the Legislative Council complex (Leg Co) and broke into the legislative chamber. One protestor, Brian Leung Kai-ping, seized the moment and stood on a desk to deliver a memorable speech calling for solidarity in the protest movement, and for the wider citizenry of Hong Kong to join them in the occupy. It was a speech of such passion and eloquence, the bravest speech we added to Speakola last year. To increase the stakes, Leung removed the mask he had been wearing to reveal his identity to the assembled media, to the Chinese authorities and to the world.
In this episode, Tony chats at length to Brain Leung who talks about the movement, the night of the occupy, the speech, and what has happened since. He also talks to author Antony Dapiran, who released City On Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong this year and who is fantastic at explaining a basic political background, If you're well schooled in Hong Kong politics and want to skip Ant's introduction, Brian Leung starts at 30.00mins.
After the interviews, we play Leung's speech, first in Cantonese, and then with an English overdub. It's the first foreign language speech we've featured on the podcast, and thanks to Melbourne journalist Wing Huang who voiced the English version.
Here is Brian speech with transcript.
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Do You Hear the Hong Kong People Sing? 問誰未發聲
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer
試問誰還未發聲 都捨我其誰衛我城 天生有權還有心可作主 誰要認命噤聲
試問誰能未覺醒 聽真那自由在奏鳴 激起再難違背的那份良知和應
為何美夢仍是個夢 還想等恩賜泡影 為這黑與白這非與是 真與偽來做證 為這世代有未來 要及時擦亮眼睛
試問誰還未發聲 都捨我其誰衛我城 天生有權還有心可作主 誰要認命噤聲 試問誰能未覺醒 聽真那自由在奏鳴 激起再難違背的那份良知和應
無人有權沉默 看著萬家燈火變了色 問我心再用我手 去為選我命途力拼 人既是人 有責任有自由決定遠景
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As a New York Times columnist, Anna Quindlen won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1992. She later 'took the leap' and quit her Times column to write bestselling novels and non fiction books. She is one of the most sought after commencement speakers in the USA, and has delivered more than a dozen since her famous offering for Villanova, which became the text for her bestselling small book, 'A Short Guide to a Happy Life'.
In this episode Anna talks a little about that speech, but also about the commencement form generally, the courage she has shown in her own life, the state of her country, and in particular a speech she delivered at Washington University in St Louis in 2017.
In this episode she mentions Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural, Hillary Rodham's speech at Wellesley in 1969, Mario Cuomo's Tale of Two Cities speech, Oswald Mosley in 1930s England, and Joseph McCarthy's 'Enemies from Within' speech.
They are all on Speakola, with transcript.
Visit Anna Quindlen's website.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's books are available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for signed copies.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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This episode features award winning Australian journalist Stan Grant's stirring speech in an IQ2 debate at the Ethics Centre on the topic 'That racism is destroying the Australian Dream'. The speech went viral after it was broadcast in early 2016, and sits as one of the most articulate and challenging speeches ever delivered on the subject of racism.
The IQ2 speech is on Speakola, as is Grant's powerful UNSW address in the aftermath of Four Corners revelations of brutality in Northern Territory youth detention centres. The episode opens with a snippet of James Baldwin speaking on a similar topic at the Cambridge Union in 1965.
Stan Grant's books are available through Harper Collins, and his 'Tell it to the World' memoir is on Amazon.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's books available online and at his website. Send an email to swap details for a signed copy. The video of Tony reading Jack 'The Cow Tripped Over the Moon' is here.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados.
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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Writer, comedian, satirist John Clarke was a legend in his native New Zealand and his adopted Australia. He came to prominence with his character Fred Dagg, but was also the creator of farnarkling, 'The Games', and the Clarke and Dawe satirical political interviews.
John Clarke died on 9 April 2017 while hiking in the Grampians. On 2 July that year, there was 'A Celebration of John Clarke' at the Melbourne Town Hall, hosted by The Wheeler Centre and the Clarke family. There were numerous speakers, and the full audio of the event is online and outstanding.
One of the speakers was Andrew Denton, a friend of Clarke's and a legend of Australian television himself, as the host of Enough Rope.
This episode features Andrew Denton's eulogy on that amazing night, as well as a funny, emotional interview with Denton on the impact Clarke had one his life and career. Denton talks about the wisdom of his mentor and friend, particularly with respect to 'the art of living a life'.
To read a transcript of Andrew speech, visit Speakola.
To listen to the speech, listen to the podcast or visit the Wheeler Centre site.
You can Andrew Denton's end of life law reform movement, Go Gentle Australia here. The National Press Club speech referred to in the episode is this one.
The Clarke family were incredibly supportive with respect to this episode. My sincere thanks to Helen, Lorin and Lucia, and you can support John's chosen charity Trust for Nature here. You can also buy his recording and books at his website, including the clips used with permission in the episode.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's '1989 The Great Grand Final' is available online or directly from Tony, signed as a Fathers Day gift. His other books are available too if you felt like supporting him in lockdown.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at http://lovemyavocados.com.au.
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
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At 22 years of age, Kokoberra woman Tania Major delivered an amazing speech to conservative Prime Minister John Howard when he visited Cape York in August 2003. She began with the words 'Here I am' and then preceded to describe the situation in her community, using the prism of her 15 classmates, and what has unfolded for them. In this episode, Tania talks about how she came to deliver the speech, and its core policy heart, which related to education, and how more children in remote communities can have a decent chance in life. Tania was named Young Australian of the Year in 2007, was Generation One ambassador in 2010, and is such an accomplished pubic speaker. Her TEDx talk in Melbourne is also part of this episode.
You can contact Tania Major to employ her as a speaker, or for information on her consulting services with TMC, relating to cross cultural understanding and indigenous Australia.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at http://lovemyavocados.com.au.
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Tony Wilson's author website is here. He's on twitter @byTonyWilson.
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Kate Mulvany studied theatre at scriptwriting at Perth's Curtin University, and graduated to a career in which she has won national awards in both categories. She won a Helpmann Award for her season as Richard III at the Sydney Opera House. She won a Phillip Parsons playwriting award for her debut play, The Seed, which drew on her real life experiences as a childhood cancer survivor resulting from her conscripted father's exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. When she was asked to return to deliver a commencement to humanities students in 2017, she wrote a beautiful tribute to the humanities, in all their broad, life-affirming glory, binding the various disciplines together using a bridge called 'imagination'.
It's this episode Kate tells the story of the speech, how it was written, what she was hoping to achieve, as well as fleshing out the autobiographical detail that make this commencement such a delight. At the speech's conclusion, Kate quotes Albert Einstein, 'For all of us here, no matter who you are, "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will get you everywhere."
This speech is a love letter to imagination, to the humanities, and to 'humans doing'.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at http://lovemyavocados.com.au.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
To purchase a signed copy of Tony's sports book, 1989: The Great Grand Final visit his website. It's also available widely online.
To purchase Humpty Dumpty Sat on the Slide and Tony's three other nursery rhyme backstories for A$80 + postage (The Cow Tripped Over the Moon, Hickory Dickory Dash, Baa Baa Blue Sheep), email via website.
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Tony Wilson's author website is here. He's on twitter @byTonyWilson.
Kate Mulvany stars in the series Hunters opposite Al Pacino, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
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Historian Ramachandra Guha is perhaps the leading Gandhi authority in the world today. He has written two major biographies, Gandhi Before India(Vintage 2013) dealing with his time as a lawyer and activist in South Africa, and Gandhi 1914-1948 The Years That Changed the World (Vintage 2018).
Ram Guha speaks to Tony about five speeches. Four relate to the struggle for independence. They are the Banaras University speech of 1916, the Statement at the Great Trial of 1922, The Eve of Salt March Speech of 1931 and the Quit India speech of 1942. For our speech of the week, Ram reads a fragment of this last speech.
The fifth and final speech is speech of the week, and is a spiritual statement Gandhi made at Kingsley Hall in Oxford during a summit he attended in England in 1931.
Guha expertly weaves information about these critical speeches into the broader narrative of Indian independence, and even has things to say about partition, Gandhi's assassination the cult of Godse, and current day tensions between an ascendant Hindu nationalist movement under Prime Minister Modi and various minorities. Ramchandra Guha was himself arrested in his home city of Bengaluru protesting against a discriminatory citizenship law. He was carrying a poster of Gandhi at the time of arrest.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at http://lovemyavocados.com.au.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Also for sporting artworks, gifts and home wares, check out Sporting Nation. Ram's cricket book is A Corner of a Foreign Field and is a classic of sportswriting.
To purchase a signed copy of Tony's sports book, 1989: The Great Grand Final visit his website. It's also available widely online.
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Tony Wilson's author website is here. He's on twitter @byTonyWilson.
Ramachandra Guha is @Ram_Guha and he has 2.2 million followers.
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In May 2008, Margaret Edson delivered a brilliant commencement at Smith College dedicated to the glory of classroom teaching.
She is a teacher herself, for many years teaching kindergarten (prep grade) in Washington DC and Atlanta, and now teaching sixth grade social studies at Inman Middle School.
She's also a Pulitzer Prize winner. Her play, 'Wit', written in 1991, debuted in theatres in 1995, had a run in Connecticut and then off-Broadway in 1997-8, and then ran for 545 performances at the Union Square Theatre between December 1998 and April 2000. Wit won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1999, and the New York Critics' Circle Prize for Best New Play the same year. In 2001, it was made into an Emmy award winning HBO telemovie starring Emma Thompson, and when it re-ran on Broadway in 2012 it won two Tony Awards.
Throughout it all Margaret Edson remained Maggie Edson, classroom teacher. She still is, although she plans to retire in two years.
I discovered this speech on a site called The Eloquent Woman, and I think of it as one of the truly great commencement speeches. Structure, delivery, emotion, love, and originality. The most beautiful tribute to the classroom teacher ever delivered.
"This day is a day of love. It’s not a day of achievement, really. It’s a day of your family’s love for you, your love for each other and your teachers, and your teachers’ love for you."
Send it on to a teacher you love.
Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at http://lovemyavocados.com.au.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola, and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Tony Wilson's author website is here.
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Allan Jeans is a great of Australian Rules football
He was coach of powerhouse Hawthorn during it's most successful era, from 1980-90, which included seven consecutive VFL grand finals and three premierships. He might have had four but he suffered a brain aneurysm at the end of 1987 and missed the 1988 flag that was secured by caretaker Alan Joyce.
This is the story of Jeans' famous speech on Grand Final Day, 1989.
it is told by players who heard the Pay the Price speech ─ the allegory of the boy, his mother and the shoes.
Speakers include Dermott Brereton, Robert Dipierdomenico, Gary Ayres, Chris Wittman, Chris Langford, Dean Anderson, John Kennedy Jr and Peter Schwab.
The interviews were originally recorded for Tony Wilson's '1989: The Great Grand Final' (Hardie Grant, 2020), available online at major retailers. To purchase a personalised, signed book, visit Tony's website or email tony@tonywilson,com.au.
Episode sponsored by GreenSkin and PurpleSkin avocados at http://lovemyavocados.com.au.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Please continue to subscribe to newsletter, suggest speeches, and visit Speakola.
The two Allan Jeans audio speeches featured are this 'Crossroads' reenactment and this Richmond guernsey presentation night speech, both on Speakola.
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Melbourne comedian Damian Callinan talks about the two eulogies he wrote, in very different circumstances, for his parents' funerals.
How did he balance his natural inclination towards comedy, with the need to pay proper tribute?
What’s the right balance between laughter and tears?
Should you read a eulogy or try to memorise?
What are some tips for connecting with both your loved one's story, and the congregation?
Speech of the week is Damian's loquat jam speech at The Wheeler Centre at Tony Wilson's 'Show and Tell for Grown Ups.
Damian's hilarious podcast about life in isolation in the already isolated Bodgy Creek is The Bodgy Creek Community Podcast . He has plays, merch, and comedy downloads on his website.
Visit Speakola to browse our huge collection of speeches. Read Damian's eulogy to his mother Kathleen, and watch & read his eulogy to his father Adrian. For a regular feed of great speeches you can follow Speakola on facebook and Twitter.
The story of how Speakola started is on this week's 'Conversations' podcast with Richard Fidler.
If you'd like to donate to support Speakola in both its website and podcast form, Tony would appreciate any help in these covid times!
Tony's new book is '1989 The Great Grand Final'.
Send him an email or a DM on Twitter and he'll sell you a signed copy.
The show sponsor for episode one is 'Mr Yum', the pick up and home delivery service for Melbourne restaurants Hotel Jesus and Mamasita.
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, get in touch with Tony.
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