Half Ties

Lauren & Hamish share interesting perspectives on ‘Aussie’ culture, both having been raised in the UK; Lauren’s heritage is British-Australian and Jamaican, and Hamish is ‘as Anglo-Saxon as they can get’. We discuss feelings around their ancestry test and lineage; meeting each other’s parents and dinner table manners, and how we can continue to improve the conversations around diversity, racism and inclusion in Australia. 

Karen & Martin first-generation Australians who parents have traveled far and wide; Karen’s family is from the Philippines but lived in both Zambia (where Karen was born) and Singapore, and Martin grew up in Germany. They talk about their families migrating to Western Australia and growing up not looking or sounding ‘Australian’ in the suburbs of Perth, the differences in their respective Polish and Filipino cultures and customs, and raising their mixed kids in modern-day Australia.

Samuel and Johnny are your modern day, queer, blended family couple. Co-parenting their mixed children with another lesbian couple, these two New-Zealanders born from two different ethnic backgrounds talk about their racial experience growing up ‘white’ and ‘brown’ in New Zealand, and how they navigated ‘difficult conversations’ with their families. Checkout Samuel & Johnny’s latest stage show that has been touring the globe ‘ ‘Reckōning: “Te Waiata Paihere Wairua – The Sounds of Woven Souls”, a one hour multi art form exploration into the intertwining indigenous cultures of New Zealand and Australia through storytelling, song and dance. https://www.reckoningsounds.com/

Caroline is a First Nations Aboriginal woman who is married to Michael, who is half-Australian and half-Greek. They share openly on both the heavier and lighter sides of their family history including their connection and love for food and family heirloom recipes; the darker stories of their parents and grandparents circumstance; and the benefits of attending couples counseling. Caroline also hosts a podcast called ‘Yarning up First Nations Stories’ - a show that helps redefine the way listeners engage with First Nations people, stories, experiences and perspectives. Follow Caroline and her heartfelt conversations on this podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/yarning-up-first-nations-stories-with-caroline-kell/id1549511820

You could not get more multicultural and international examples than Nima & Louisa - Nima is of Canadian-Iranian heritage but grew up in Japan, and Louisa is born to a German father and Nigerian mother and grew up in Dusseldorf, Germany. The definition of what it means to be a 'third-culture' kid, these two globe-trotters met through their shared love of basketball, on the courts, and where else but on the other side of the world in Naarm, Australia. Listen to their amusing and diverse stories including the different ways they were raised, their perspectives on dealing with prejudice and racism, and how they respond to their favourite question "But where are you really from?'.

Meet married couple Mars and Casey - Mars was born and raised in New York City and is of multi-ethnic heritage, whilst Casey was raised in Dingley Village in Melbourne, Australia. Everything is on the table with these two - including their heart-pumping 'love-at-first-sight' meeting at the club, how they co-parent and raise Casey's biological son as a same-sex couple, and navigating all the hard conversations around privilege and racism. Mars & Casey also host their podcast 'The Practice Project' - podcasts soon, 'The Door41' and 'The Practice Project' - for more information follow their Instagram @door_fortyone and @thepracticeproject_official.