Rambling: Good blokes, great conversations.

Rambling #53 - On telling stories with Mark Smith

Mark Smith is Surf Coast based author of five novels, including his critically acclaimed Winter Trilogy. The Road to Winter was shortlisted for multiple awards and is on the school curriculum around Australia. The sequel, Wilder Country won the 2018 Australian Indie Book Award for Young Adults. His first adult fiction novel, Three Boys Gone, was published in 2025 and his latest Where Truth Ends, has just been released. Mark's own story of how he became a professional writer is a classic sliding doors moment. In this fascinating conversation we discover how Mark incorporates Country within his stories, his methodology of writing, and how his passion for teaching young people to love reading has shaped his career. You can learn more about Mark here. [https://www.marksmithwriter.com/] ______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month. [https://www.patreon.com/Rambling_podcast]

Rambling #52 - On soil, farming and Aussie punk with Darren Aitken

Darren "Dags" Aitken is a market farmer with a life-long love of plants and the soil. He is champion of biodynamic farming and its importance in maintaining healthy and sustainable farming practices in the face of corporate industrial intervention in food production. Dags chats with Scott and Brian about the relationship between the soil and biodynamic farming practices and how small farms are struggling to stay relevant in the face of lack of government support and increasing bureaucracy. He also make a fascinating comparison between how farmers in China are supported by the government while in Australia they are increasingly being left to fend for themselves. In typically Rambling fashion, the conversation twists and turns to finally ends up at Dags' love of Australian punk music and the live music scene in Geelong and Melbourne in the late 80's and early 90's. To learn more about Darren Aitken and his farm Vortex Veggies, click here [https://www.notillgrowers.com/blog/2021/9/20/darren-aitken-of-vortex-veggies] or join him on his field day here. [https://demeterbiodynamic.com.au/events/vortex-vegies-inverleigh-vic-2/] ______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month. [https://www.patreon.com/Rambling_podcast]

Rambling #51 - On a second chance at life with Rob Lytzki

Rob Lytzki is one of the founders and directors of Foundation 61, a community organisation offering residential rehabilitation programs to men and women with drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues. Rob is a former Senior Australian of the Year nominee and an official Surf Coast Shire Local Legend. Rob discovered alcohol from a young age which led to years of sustained alcohol and drug abuse. He used drugs and alcohol as a way of hiding from trauma and grief he'd experienced throughout his life. Rob then found a way through his addiction and, long with his wife and 3 other founders began offering accommodation to recovering addicts. This evolved into what is now Foundation 61 a residential rehab facility in Mount Duneed between Geelong and Torquay offering a 15 bed facility for men and a 6 bed facility for women. This is an incredibly heartfelt and revealing conversation with a bloke who has used the experience of his own emotional suffering and addiction issues to help others overcome theirs. Learn more about Foundation 61 by visiting their website here. [https://foundation61.org.au/] ______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month. [https://www.patreon.com/Rambling_podcast]

Rambling #50 - On 50 Rambling episodes with Shunter and 8-Ball

Shunter AKA Scott Hunt and 8-Ball AKA Brian Hine catch-up and reminisce about reaching 50 episodes of Rambling. They chat about their favourite episodes and discuss plans for the next 50 episodes. The also talk about Scott's plans for a new podcast and dig back into Scott's vinyl collection for another 6 albums for Brian to take home and review. This time it's a random selection of some favourite albums.

Rambling #49 - On connecting to the garden with Shaun McLeod

Shaun McLeod was working as a plumber when he had a life-changing experience in the Andes mountains in Peru which turned his focus toward permaculture and helping people connect with their gardens and make the best use of their backyards with intelligent design and permaculture principles of sustainability and zero waste. In this chat, Shaun explains what he means by "foodscaping" and "water harvesting" and how we can turn even the smallest spaces into productive gardens. We also discuss the importance of retaining the knowledge of how to grow our own food, composting as a key element to sustainable gardening, the role chickens can play in the suburban backyard, and we unpack what a shamanic permaculture course actually is and how undertaking one changed Shaun's life. Shaun's radio program "Diggin' It", is on 94.7 The Pulse on Thursday afternoons from 2-3pm. You can listen it live on the Community Radio Plus app [https://www.cbaa.org.au/membership/station-services/community-radio-plus] or listen back to it anytime on The Pulse website. [https://947thepulse.com/shows/diggin-it/] You can learn more about Shaun on his website Intuitive Garden Design [https://intuitivegardendesign.com.au/] or follow him on Instagram. [https://www.instagram.com/intuitive.garden.design/] _____ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month. [https://www.patreon.com/Rambling_podcast]