Podcasts of author talks, information sessions, and special events that have been hosted by Cockburn Libraries.

Talks, lectures and events

Local author, David Beckwith talks about his first fiction book Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, a collection short stories featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's famous character.  

As well as talking about the book itself, David gives an insight into getting his booked published with a 'Print on Demand' publisher.

Interesting listening if you are partial to a good murder or mystery story in the style of Sherlock Holmes, or if you are a budding writer looking to publish your work with a 'Print on demand' publisher.

Recorded at Spearwood Library on Saturday 15th of October 2011.

David Beckwith - Author Talk - Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes

In an effort to answer some of the questions and dispel the myths behind this complex and divisive issue, Sandra Bartlett presented ‘Asylum Seekers – the human reality’  as one of our regular ‘Lunch & Listen’ events at Spearwood Library.

Sandra has not only carried out extensive academic research into the question but as a Caseworker for asylum seekers living in Perth knows firsthand the challenges faced by refugees in their adopted country. With facts and statistics she was able to put some of the misconceptions to rest and remind the audience that every refugee is a human being not just a number.

Recorded at Spearwood Library on Monday 16th March 2015.

Asylum Seekers: the human reality - Sandra Bartlett

The Unlocking: An Autism Story unfolds in pandemic-stricken Melbourne, charting one family’s desperate battle against the escalating behavior of their autistic toddler. Amid the lack of in-person services, Harry exhibits severely restricted eating, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, crippling separation anxiety, and a demand avoidance that impedes every function in his young life. Harry meets the description of Pathological Demand Avoidance, a sub-type of autism that is not yet recognised in Australia, where an individual exhibits an anxiety-based need for control by avoiding the ordinary demands of living. During a break between lockdowns, and with much trepidation, the family embark upon a journey with applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy. ABA is an intensive therapy considered the gold standard in early intervention for autism, but with a controversial past. The outcome is life-changing. Beneath the veil of dysfunction and anxiety, they discover an outrageously creative, highly intelligent, and hilarious little boy.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Porscia Lam about the attitude adjustment she was compelled to make, the challenges she faced in understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance and Applied Behavioural Analysis therapy, and the impact on her family's mental health.

Porscia Lam on a life-changing journey in 'The Unlocking: An Autism Story'

From the coast of Western Australia to Sydney’s suburbs, young people are discovering nature in their neighbourhoods and setting up nesting boxes for birds, cleaning up waterways, planting to attract bees and koalas, and building insect hotels. They’re learning about amazing native species and finding ways to protect them.

The Bee Squad inspires you to take part in these exciting adventures and projects that support threatened species by doing things like:

learning how to put together a nature sleuth toolkit
planting to attract pollinators
using the tally sheet to record flora and fauna sightings
following the tips to ace your wildlife photography.
The best part is, you don’t need to live near a national park or protected area to get involved – you can make a difference from your balcony, backyard, local park or school.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Dr Judy Friedlander about biodiversity and why it is so important to all species in the food chain, why pollination is critical and not limited to just bees, and how 'Biodiversity Champions' can work together to create change and a greater appreciation of the natural world.

Judy Friedlander's new book for kids, 'The Bee Squad: Boosting Biodiversity in Your Neighbourhood'

Ange Crawford is the winner of the the inaugural Walker Books Manuscript Prize. With themes including coercive control, coming of age, and finding yourself, her debut young adult novel, How to be Normal, authentically deals with timely issues with insight, sympathy and well crafted humour.

Good Reading and six students from Cerdon College in Merrylands, NSW, caught up with Ange to ask her about her inspiration and what to do if you know someone who is experiencing coercive control.



Age Guide 12+

'How to Be Normal' Q&A with author Ange Crawford and Cerdon College Merrylands

‘What does it mean to be on land that was taken from other people? Now that we know how the taking was done, what do we do with that knowledge?’

Kate Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River. More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, Grenville is still grappling with what it means to descend from people who were, as she puts it, “on the sharp edge of the moving blade that was colonisation”. So she decides to go on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions. This gripping book is the result of that journey

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Grenville about where her journey into her family history took her and what she found there, about the words and language we've adopted to describe the history of colonisation of Australia, and where the defeat of the referendum on a Voice to Parliament might lead us as a nation.

Kate Grenville on her family pilgrimage in 'Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place'

The First Wiradyuri War of Resistance ended in 1824 with a series of massacres conducted by settlers in the Bathurst region. From the 1830s, colonists began occupying more and more Aboriginal land across western New South Wales and stocking it with sheep and cattle. By 1838, a dramatic fightback began across the entire frontier of the colony. What has been called the Second Wiradyuri War of Resistance, from 1839 to 1841, was, in fact, part of a vast arc of conflict from present-day northern Victoria through to southeast Queensland. At the time, it was seen by many contemporaries as a concerted and coordinated ‘uprising’.

In Uprising, Stephen Gapps reveals the incredible story of this extensive frontier resistance warfare for the first time – a series of wars that were conducted along a huge area of the Murray-Darling river system, across many First Nations’ lands, in a concerted defence of River Country.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Stephen Gapps about why we are yet to fully recognise that the colonisation of Australia was achieved through frontier wars, how wool was one of the prime economic drivers for the invasion, the extensive networks of communication that existed for First Nations across the colony of New South Wales and why memorials to this war should form part of our national remembrance.

Stephen Gapps on his new book 'Uprising: War in the colony of New South Wales, 1838–1844

You may have heard the story of the man from Snowy River and his fearless ride through the mountains. This is Colt’s story, of nickering mares and a rearing stallion. How did Colt escape the man? What did Colt see, feel and smell as he charged through the bush?

Beloved children’s author Dianne Wolfer responds to The Man from Snowy River, creating an essential companion to the original poem. It is illustrated with exquisite collages by Erica Wagner, which convey the depth of emotion with great tenderness. They encapsulate the mood of Wolfer’s text, transporting the reader into the Snowy Mountains.

End-matter includes the full text of Paterson’s poem, along with additional information on Paterson himself, brumbies and the Snowy Mountains, and bush poetry. All gathered together, this is a new Australian classic in the making.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to author Dianne Wolfer and illustrator Erica Wagner about their inspiration for recasting this iconic piece of Australian bush poetry, their deep connection to the Snowy Mountains, and the man behind the legend of 'The Man From Snow River'.

Dianne Wolfer on the retelling of an Australian classic in 'The Colt From Old Regret'

Vaccination is arguably the greatest public health achievement in history, yet the disappearance of many diseases has also seen an increased focus on the side effects of vaccines and the rise of the anti-vax movement. The COVID-19 pandemic propelled anti-vaccination sentiment into the mainstream – including from some leaders in the medical profession – in an explosion of pseudoscience and disinformation that’s made it increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction.

In Vaccine Nation, internationally acclaimed epidemiologist Raina MacIntyre examines the history of vaccines and how they work, vaccine safety, public policy, cutting-edge new technologies, and the miraculous new developments in vaccines to fight cancer and other chronic diseases. At a critical time when vaccination rates are falling globally, MacIntyre argues that science must reclaim the stage or we will lose centuries of gains that vaccines have brought to the world.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Raina MacIntyre about how vaccines work and why they are essential for public health, about the new mRNA technology and how it may change our treatment for a whole range of conditions, and the threat of misinformation, pseudoscience and the ant-vaccine movement on the progress of medical science. 

Raina MacIntyre on science, reason and the threat to 200 years of progress in 'Vaccine Nation'

The three species of black cockatoo in Western Australia are all under threat of extinction. 

Trish Brennan from the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre will explain the threat to our beloved feathered fauna. 

Learn about the work done by Kaarakin’s dedicated volunteers making it one of WA’s most important wildlife conservation projects.

Recorded at Spearwood Library on Thursday 13th August 2015.

Black Cockatoos - Facing Extinction

Get to know what makes dogs tick, how to introduce dogs to babies, how to talk to your dog and read your pooches body language, as well as how to handle difficult, aggressive or anti-social dogs.

Dubbed Perth’s Dog Whisperer, Kathy Kopellis McLeod is a well-respected Dog Behaviour Consultant and her expertise is sought out to tackle a range of dog behavioural problems.

Kathy is a regular guest on local radio and has a Sunday Times column. A great dog lover, she shares her life with her cherished Siberian Huskies and has been a regular competitor in obedience and agility trials.

Recorded at Spearwood Library on Saturday 18th July 2015.

Dog Whisperer - Kathy Kopellis McLeod

Join Eric McCrum –  aka the Birdman – as he is known on ABC Radio, as he talks about the flora and fauna of the Western Australian wetlands and the threats they face.

Recorded at Spearwood Library on Wednesday 21 October 2015.

Event: Eric McCrum – The Birdman

Recording of a talk at Spearwood Library, November 2016. Kylie Bullo from The Orangutan Project and the Perth Zoo, talks about her work with the Orangutan Project, about Temara, the world’s first zoo-born orangutan to be released into the wild, and about the book  - Reaching for the Canopy - she wrote about Temara's release.

David Beckwith - Author Talk - Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes

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