Australian Story

Like many families across the country, the family of Christine Forster and her brother, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, was divided by the same-sex marriage debate. After 10 years together, Christine has married her long-term partner Virginia Flitcroft, in one of 2018’s first high-profile gay weddings. Invitees to the wedding included well-known drag queens, Liberal politicians, and Tony Abbott and his mother Fay, both of whom voted against same-sex marriage last year. But beyond the champagne, frocks and flowers is a story of overcoming heartbreak, regret and family divisions. Australian Story goes behind the scenes at the wedding and speaks exclusively to Christine’s friends and family, documenting her journey from a Catholic, married mother of four, to high profile same-sex marriage lobbyist and Liberal politician. Ultimately, it’s a love story and a wedding not to be missed.

When scientist Jim Bowler saw a human skeleton emerging from the sandhills of the remote Willandra Lakes in 1974, he had no idea his chance discovery would radically rewrite Australian history. The full excavation revealed a complete skeleton covered in red ochre and in astonishingly good condition. Scientists would date ‘Mungo Man’ at around 42,000 years old, pushing back the known date of human occupation in Australia by thousands of years. But for Mungo Man’s traditional owners, the Mutthi Mutthi, Ngiyampaa and Paakantyi/Barkandji peoples, his discovery and removal to Canberra was a deep source of upset. When his remains were finally returned to country late last year it was an emotional homecoming for all, including Jim Bowler.

Meet the Billy Elliots of Australia! From humble beginnings in western Sydney, Steven McRae and Alexander Campbell have made it to the top of world ballet. The two men first met as boys competing on Sydney’s dance circuit and their careers have been closely intertwined ever since. Both followed unlikely paths into ballet — Steven grew up in a family of drag racers and Alexander was a talented cricketer. Now, in a rare feat for Australia, they’re both principal dancers at the prestigious Royal Ballet in London. A surprising story of rivalry, family sacrifice and sheer determination.

When medical student Dinesh Palipana was left a quadriplegic after a horrific car accident, he was told he would never become a doctor. Unable to feel anything in his arms and legs, he knew as a third year medical student that his spine had been damaged and his life had changed forever. Not even his best friends thought he would be able to finish medical school. Eight years later, he's one of the top young medicos working in busy Gold Coast University Hospital.

Outback nurse Gayle Woodford was working alone at night on call in the remote South Australian community of Fregon when a man came to her door asking for Panadol. Moments later she had vanished. "I knew she was in trouble," said her husband Keith Woodford who woke up the next morning to an empty bed. "I just knew". The discovery of Gayle's body in a shallow grave three days later threw the tightknit community of Fregon into freefall and ignited a debate about the security of remote area nurses working alone. In an effort to ensure they stay protected, a grassroots campaign began with the goal of introducing “Gayle’s Law” into every parliament in the country. In this Australian Story exclusive, we hear from Gayle Woodford’s husband and work colleagues for the first time and about the issues they hope can be resolved in the aftermath of her death.

The Matildas are the "darlings" of Australian sport right now. Their recent run of wins and positive style of play has seen them catapult to number four in the world rankings and attract media attention like never before. But it has been a long hard road to football fame. Today’s celebrity footballers were yesterday’s "circus freaks". We go behind the scenes with today’s team and legends of the game as they reflect on the events that have shaped today’s Matildas.

Eddie Woo is Australia’s most famous maths teacher. He first came to prominence with "Wootube”"— his free YouTube channel that went viral with its fun and easy-to-understand explanations of difficult maths concepts. Over the past year since Australian Story first profiled Eddie, his career has skyrocketed. He’s gone from suburban high school maths teacher to award-winning celebrity, because of his unique and contagious teaching style. He was named the 2018 Australian Local Hero in the Australia Day Awards and he’s in the running for the $1.3 million Global Teacher Prize — and the title of the world’s best teacher. But Eddie’s spectacular success has come at some cost to his own students and family.

When Justin Yerbury’s family members began to die from motor neurone disease he made a life-changing decision. He turned his back on a professional basketball career and enrolled in a science degree. Almost 20 years later, he is an internationally recognised expert on the disease, leading the way in the search for a treatment. Recently, however, Justin’s work took on a terrible urgency as he too developed symptoms of MND. As Australian Story filmed with Justin and his family, his condition deteriorated dramatically, requiring difficult decisions to enable him to continue his search for a cure. Having met Justin in 2016, Professor Stephen Hawking recorded the introduction to this story shortly before his death from motor neurone disease.

Mick Bainbridge is a former commando who was left battling a crippling case of PTSD after five overseas deployments. When Mick sought support from his command to move to a training role he says was told to go back to Afghanistan or leave the Army altogether. Enrolling in a law degree, Mick decided that instead of getting mad he would get even, employing his new-found knowledge to take on the system Now as the youngest councillor ever at the NSW RSL he’s using his legal skills to help other veterans take up the fight.

Brisbane woman Emma Betts was living her dream as an aid worker in East Timor when someone suggested she have a mole on her back checked. A year after she had it removed, melanoma showed up in most of her major organs. At 22 years of age, she was given only months to live. Reeling from the diagnosis, Emma was shocked to learn that melanoma is now the most common cancer killer in 20 to 39 year olds. Emma fell in love, got married and then devoted herself to a blog called Dear Melanoma. Her honest account of living with terminal cancer and her candid acceptance of her impending death endeared her to tens of thousands. Using her newfound fame she began campaigning for better awareness of the disease among her generation and in the process has helped save others’ lives.

Dassi Erlich and her two sisters are a formidable force. Their ongoing battle to extradite former headmistress Malka Leifer from Israel to face sexual abuse allegations in Australia has made headlines across the globe. But despite the public attention, the personal stories of the three sisters have remained largely private. In the first program of a two-part special, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper give their first Australian interviews and, together with Dassi, speak candidly about their time at the Adass Israel school in Melbourne. The program also features extracts from Dassi Erlich’s teenage diary which provide a haunting account of her traumatic childhood.

Concluding the story of Dassi Erlich and her two sisters, who are fighting to extradite their former headmistress from Israel to face sexual abuse charges. After the alleged abuse against the three sisters came to light in 2008, principal Malka Leifer was stood down by the Adass Israel school which facilitated her immediate departure to Israel. Although Australian authorities have been trying to extradite her for several years Malka Leifer convinced the Israeli courts she was too mentally unwell to face a hearing. That prompted an undercover operation to prove her mental fitness which recently resulted in Malka Leifer’s return to jail. For Dassi and her two sisters — Nicole and Elly — justice finally seems closer than ever before.

When Claudine and Dave Fitzgibbon’s unborn baby boy was diagnosed with spina bifida, it was devastating. This was their third diagnosis and they couldn’t contemplate the idea of terminating another pregnancy. Their doctor told them about a risky but revolutionary operation that had only been performed in Australia once before. This in utero procedure wasn’t a cure but would hopefully correct a large number of the baby’s physical abnormalities. The stakes were high, but Claudine and Dave decided to take the gamble. Baby Harvey entered the world 18 months ago, but questions remained. Would he still be badly affected by spina bifida? Would he ever be able to walk? This week, Australian Story catches up with Claudine, Dave and baby Harvey to see whether their gamble has paid off

Morris Stuart is a charismatic choir director bringing the sacred sounds of the Central Australian desert to the world. Over a decade ago, the retired pastor found himself at a loose end and wandered down Alice Spring’s central mall recruiting for a choir. Within a year he’d moulded 50 amateurs into a top-notch choir. When word of Morris’s magic spread to the Aboriginal community, the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir was born. And so began an unlikely and inspiring trip from the Red Centre to the cathedrals of Germany.

Like most parents Stephen and Sally Damiani will do almost anything for their children. So when they were first told that their baby boy Massimo had a mysterious illness, the first thing they did was hit the medical textbooks. Despite their lack of scientific training, they shocked the medical world when they helped crack their son’s genetic code and diagnose a new type of leukodystrophy. Australian Story first told the remarkable story of the Damianis four years ago. Since then Stephen and Sally Damiani have made huge strides in their efforts to find a cure for their son’s illness and are now at the forefront of cutting edge research which may one day yield a treatment.

Over the next two weeks Australian Story and the ABC’s Unravel podcast series will be exploring the mysterious death of teenager Mark Haines. When Mark’s body was found on train tracks near Tamworth 30 years ago his family were immediately suspicious- was there more to his death than met the eye? Despite the family’s concerns police dismissed any idea of foul play and closed the file on the case. It was only when ABC journalist Allan Clarke embarked on a five year investigation that things started to change. Police have now reopened the case and the podcast team have discovered startling new evidence which suggests Mark’s death was no mere misadventure.

Australian Story and the ABC’s Unravel podcast series present a major breakthrough in the mysterious case of teenager Mark Haines. When Mark's body was found on train tracks near Tamworth 30 years ago police put it down to misadventure, a theory his family never accepted. Now, after a five year investigation, journalist Allan Clarke has unearthed explosive new evidence and a key suspect.

By Christmas 2011 Queensland chef Matt Golinski was on top of his game. He had a successful catering business and a national media profile courtesy of the Ready Steady Cook television show. But when a fire tore through his Tewantin home on Boxing Day his life and career plans were destroyed in minutes. Matt woke from an induced coma two months later to the news his wife and three children had died in the fire and that he had serious burns across his upper body. "I just sort of went, God, really? You spent eight weeks keeping me alive? Why would you bother," he recalls. A painful and protracted rehabilitation followed and many of Matt’s friends and family doubted he would find a passion for life ever again. But almost even years on, his career is flourishing and he’s found new love and a second chance at fatherhood. For the first time on television he describes how he overcame the unthinkable and found a new passion for life.

Kathleen Folbigg is serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing all four of her infant children. During her 2003 trial the court heard that Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura were all killed by a mother who was driven to smother her children in fits of rage. Having exhausted her rights of appeal, Folbigg has her hopes pinned on the outcome of a petition seeking a judicial review of her case. Drafted by a Newcastle legal team and submitted three years ago to the NSW Attorney General’s department, the petition argues amongst other things that some of the medical evidence against Folbigg during the trial was flawed. During this program we hear from Kathleen Folbigg for the first time, as she speaks out from behind bars about her conviction and the incriminating diary entries that were instrumental in securing the jury's guilty verdict. We also hear from the then NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery, who remains firmly of the belief that the jury got it right.

Graham Long’s decision to retire presented a real challenge for Sydney's Wayside Chapel. How best to replace a visionary pastor who had served the city's homeless and vulnerable for 14 years? When Graham took over as pastor in 2004, the iconic Sydney institution had gone to wrack and ruin. Under his leadership, it grew from a crumbling drop-in centre for the homeless to a vibrant community offering a range of services for those in need. Graham always remembered a young social worker-turned-pastor he had met in Western Sydney. Jon Owen had thrown in a comfortable middle-class existence in Melbourne to move his family to Sydney's Mt Druitt and run a mini version of the Wayside from his lounge room. Jon joined Wayside Chapel as assistant Pastor in 2016, and after a robust international search, he successfully won the role as CEO and Pastor in 2018. Now installed as the new pastor, Jon is proving a popular choice, bringing generational change and continuing the same unconditional love that the Wayside is famous for.

In June last year, Mark and Julie Wallace were forced to face every parent’s worst fear when their 21-year-old daughter Sara Zelenak went missing after a terror attack in London. For three days, their desperate calls and messages to the young nanny went unanswered as they found themselves caught up in the world of international terrorism, dealing with Scotland Yard, phoning hospitals and navigating the news media from their Redland Bay home. They were en route to London when they received the news that Sarah had died. A year after their daughter’s death, Sara’s parents are making sense of the senseless act of terror by focussing on building a fitting legacy to Sara. They’re working towards building "Sarz Sanctuary", a healing retreat to help others facing unimaginable grief and trauma.

From a homeless alcoholic living in the wild to academic success and a book deal, Out of the Woods tells the inspiring comeback story of forest-dweller Gregory Smith. When he left school at 14, dogged by the crushing assessment that he was "functioning at the lower level of the dull range", Gregory Smith had already endured a violent upbringing and months in an orphanage after the break-up of his family. At 35, struggling with a lifetime of trauma, he opted to escape into the wild with no desire to return to the society that had failed him so dismally. Exhausted by years of living off the land and sleeping rough, Gregory emerged from the forest ready to change his life, and gained an undergraduate degree and then a PhD at Southern Cross University. His story offers hope for the most damaged amongst us. "Gregory represents the capacity for transformation against all odds and a real triumph over adversity," says one of his students, Kerry Pritchard. "How to take the crap in life and grow beautiful things out of it.

She was a wife, a mother, a sister and a daughter. Lyn Dawson had everything to live for, so why did she disappear without a trace 36 years ago? Her husband Chris, a PE teacher, always insisted she abandoned him and their two young daughters to “sort things out”. Days later he moved his teenage lover into the family home. Two coroners concluded Chris Dawson murdered his wife but to this day, he has never been prosecuted. The case has gripped audiences around the world since the release of a new podcast, The Teacher’s Pet, by investigative journalist Hedley Thomas. Australian Story first covered the story 15 years ago. This next chapter features exclusive interviews with friends and family of Lyn Dawson and those charged with enacting justice, both then and now.

When Emma Watkins became the Yellow Wiggle in 2012, she overcame a backlash to make the yellow skivvy her own, winning over a new generation of fans. As Emma's star rose, behind the scenes her health was failing. Eventually she was diagnosed with endometriosis and her decision to go public brought much-needed attention to the disease. Her health problems led her to re-evaluate other areas of her life and at the beginning of the year she separated from her husband, fellow Wiggle Lachlan Gillespie. Emma speaks exclusively about the separation, its fall-out and the couple’s determination to continue working together.

The South Australian steel town of Whyalla was facing extinction two years ago. A one-company town, its big employer, Arrium, went bust and the jobs of 3,000 steelworkers were hanging in the balance. But the town was determined to save itself. Workers voted in favour of a 10 per cent pay cut and were rewarded when British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta came to town.

Taryn Brumfitt is the Adelaide mother-of-three behind a global movement inspiring women to make peace with their bodies. Like many mothers, Taryn loathed her post-baby shape and threw herself into dieting and bodybuilding to attain the ‘perfect’ body. Realising it was an impossible ideal, she made the choice to love her body instead and posted a photo of her "real" body online … and the response was extraordinary. Taryn started a movement, made a documentary and is now knocking on Hollywood’s door to spread the message that women should embrace the skin they're in.

Samuel Symons led a quietly inspirational life. Diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour at age four, he spent most of his life in and out of hospitals. But Samuel's witty personality always shone through, despite the seemingly endless and gruelling treatments. Samuel grew up with his two brothers, Raphael and Joel, mother Elly and his television and radio personality father, Red Symons. But his parents never spoke publicly about Samuel’s illness. That was until Australian Story started filming with them in 2006 and continued tracking Samuel's progress for three years for an intimate and raw look into the journey of childhood cancer. Samuel passed away on October 3, 2018, age 27. His mother Elly introduces this story which looks back on Samuel's remarkable life.

Prince Harry has spoken exclusively to Australian Story ahead of the Invictus Games which will open in Sydney next week. Founded by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Sussex in 2014, the Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veteran. One of those competitors will be Garry Robinson who credits His Royal Highness and the Invictus Games with saving his life. In 2010, the former commando narrowly survived a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan. After two years in rehab, he returned home to the challenges of learning to live with a traumatic brain injury and significant physical disabilities. Garry struggled to cope and it wasn’t until his rehab team at Holsworthy Army base encouraged him to enter the inaugural London Invictus Games four years ago that he found a new lease of life.

Over many years, Australian Story has followed the efforts of farmer Peter Andrews to drought-proof the land. His unorthodox approach, which involves planting weeds and installing 'leaky weirs', was once considered heretical but a growing band of supporters has taken up his cause At Mulloon, outside Canberra, Tony Coote and a group of like-minded landholders set out to prove that the Andrews method works. Now, during one of the worst droughts in living memory their results are cause for hope and have attracted the eye of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

When Australian Story first filmed with Dr Justin Yerbury, the world-renowned scientist’s research into motor neurone disease had taken on a terrible urgency. Diagnosed with the disease in 2016, his condition had begun to deteriorate dramatically. By last Christmas he was unable to breathe unassisted and without major surgery to provide permanent mechanical ventilation he wouldn’t survive. Determined to continue his search for a cure and spend more time with his family, he had the operation and when the episode aired early in the year he was in ICU, struggling with post-operative complications. He would remain there for six months. But the past couple of months have seen some remarkable developments. Not only has he finally returned home, he is now going into the office two days a week to continue his vital research into the disease. Australian Story caught up with Justin and his family to record his astonishing progress.

When former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer and his wife Judy learned that their young son was autistic, they were told he would probably never have a job or live independently. But Harrison Fischer, now aged 25, has defied everybody’s expectations. Harrison has a job helping primary schoolers in Wodonga, is paying tax and has his own home. As his father Tim Fischer, one of Australia’s most-loved politicians, battles a life-threatening illness, Harrison’s growing independence is a source of joy for the Fischer family.

By the time this year’s Queensland schoolboy rugby union season was over, four teenagers had broken their necks, their lives changed forever. Two of them, Conor Tweedy and Ollie Bierhoff, should have competed against each other. Instead, after separate accidents a week apart, they found themselves side by side in the Spinal Injuries Unit contemplating quadriplegia. In hospital, both boys threw themselves into their recoveries. One had a recovery deemed ‘miraculous’; for the other, the road back is much steeper.

As Western Australia reels in shock from a succession of family mass murders, Perth advocate Dr Ann O’Neill offers a powerful message of hope. Twenty-four years ago, Ann’s estranged husband killed their two children and left her an amputee. She turned her grief into good and rebuilt her life to become one of the country’s leading trauma experts. In this update of a powerful episode from 2004, we follow Ann as she works with the Margaret River community in the wake of May's horrific mass killing. As she helps those struggling with sudden loss, Ann offers hard-won wisdom about how to carry on in the face of sadness and grief.

When Kerryn Phelps first spoke to Australian Story in 1998 she was a celebrity TV doctor with no public political aspirations. Twenty years later she defied the odds to pull off the upset political victory of the year, winning former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s blue-ribbon Sydney seat of Wentworth as an independent following his departure from politics. But making history is nothing new for Kerryn Phelps and wife Jackie Stricker-Phelps. Dr Phelps was the first female leader of the Australian Medical Association and is a long-term community health educator and same-sex marriage advocate. We join Kerryn Phelps and her family and friends behind the scenes to learn about the extraordinary personal events leading to her new career in Canberra and ask: can she win Wentworth a second time when next year’s federal election comes around?

As the 10th anniversary of the Black Saturday fires approaches and the nation braces for another devastating bushfire season, we examine the fatal Churchill blaze and the investigation that led police to the enigmatic arsonist, Brendan Sokaluk. The story retraces Sokaluk's footsteps on the day and delves into his past to look for clues to why he lit a fire on a day of extreme fire conditions. His actions led to the death of 11 people and the widespread destruction of property, wildlife and bushland. Featuring never-before-seen police interview footage of Sokaluk, The Burning Question asks what we can learn from the events of that day and how we can use this case to identify potential arsonists in the future.

In a television exclusive, the untold story of James Ricketson, the Australian filmmaker locked up in Cambodia for 15 months on espionage charges. Ricketson endured squalid conditions and failing health as he found himself a pawn in much larger game of Cambodian politics. Meanwhile in working for his release his family faced a dilemma — to go along with the Australian Government’s "softly, softly" diplomatic approach or ceding to James’s demands to shout injustice from the rooftops and risk even harsher punishment.