Streets of Your Town

Danielle Caruana is an award winning singer songwriter - better known to many by her on-stage moniker of Mama Kin.This spellbinding singer and percussionist taps into the DNA of generations of creatives before her as half of the duo Mama Kin Spender - mesmerising audiences with her firebrand performances and songwriting. Mama Kin Spender’s latest album Promises was nominated for an Aria this year, and on this episode of Streets of Your Town Danielle tells us how she lays her heart bare in the lyrics and emotion of this album, going into the layers of the demise and saving of her relationship with fellow musician John Butler. She also wholeheartedly explores how to stay fierce as a woman and is unapologetic about desiring success and recognition for her work. It was such a joy to speak to Danielle from her base at the eclectic creative hub of Fremantle in Perth about her songwriting, her upcoming performance at Woodford Folk Festival on the other side of the country, and her philanthropic work.

This episode of Streets of Your Town is a tribute to 30 years of friendship, and the power of the creative process in whatever form it takes.Wren Valentino is an author, playwright, actor, film producer, entrepreneur and teacher based in Sacremento California. He’s the CEO and owner of Blue Dasher Productions, helping to bring more than 100 independent movies to the screen and championing the transformative power of the arts. Eight of his original screenplays and seven of his stage plays have been adapted for the screen.And by an incredible stroke of kismet, this little Aussie Wandering journo met Wren almost exactly 30 years ago in a youth hostel in New York, where we bonded our friendship by sharing our artistic dreams over a hair dryer, while listening to a banging 80’s soundtrack during one of the city’s most savage snowstorms. And we celebrate all of that on this episode of Streets of Your Town. For more shownotes and links go to my Streets of Your Town substack magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.comYou can find more information on Wren on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok. You can find more of his works at wrenvalentino.com

Sometimes our lives deviate from what we expected in ways we could never have imagined.For Cairns based journalist, media trainer and author Kirsty Nancarrow, her bestselling and now award winning book Himalayan Dreams is proof that you never know what could be around the corner.As a journalist for 15 years with ABC Radio in Queensland’s far north, Kirsty had covered literally thousands of stories for broadcast. However one of them stuck with her more than any other.She met Som Tamang after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Som was living in Cairns but still had strong links to his homeland of Nepal through his ongoing work with the organisation he founded - Friends of Himalayan Children. He went straight back to Nepal with volunteers from Cairns to help in the aftermath of of the earthquake where thousands of people lost their lives.Kirsty soon discovered the backstory - that Som had made it his mission since escaping child slavery himself, to give all Nepalese children access to education and a better life.She would eventually go to Batase Village as a volunteer teacher 18 months later, and decided then to write the story of this remarkable man in her first book.As Kirsty tells us on Streets of Your Town, she is constantly inspired by Som’s story and how much of a difference he has made particularly for girls, saving many from a life of early marriage and back breaking labour. She says he shows the difference that anyone can make when they don’t allow the obstacles in their life to overcome them.For more shownotes and links - please go to my Streets of Your Town magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.comYou can find more information on Kirsty at https://www.kirstynancarrow.com/

For proud Darumbal and Wulli-Wulli man Garret Lyon, singing and connecting with his audience has been integral to his existence since he was a small child when he would sing show tunes to his family.But just when he thought his talents were all coming to fruition, it was cruelly turned around in a way he didn’t expect.However on reflection, he’s realised now that experience was a gift, and that what we sometimes see as failure, can be turned into success.Garret has taken his singing from the bush where he grew up in Rockhampton in central Queensland, to all over Australia, performing and teaching the next generation of First Nations talent wherever he goes.And as he tells us on Streets of Your Town from the dressing rooms of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre before another performance, he’s now come full circle, returning to performing the musicals that he first fell in love with.For more shownotes and links - please go to my Streets of Your Town magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.comYou can find Garret on Instagram @garretrueben and his single Circles on Spotify

In a culture swamped by AI and technological change, it can become easy to dismiss our creative urges and tell ourselves that we missed our opportunity to shine.However multi-instrumentalist, choir leader, singer and performer Kate Barzdo shows that creativity can burst forth at any time in our life, but only if we heed it and listen to it.Kate has emerged from the recording studio again and released her third album of uplifting and inspirational melodic sounds that come straight from her heart.Called Be the Love - this album defies genres with a mix of folk, country, gospel and reggae, and as Kate tells us on this episode of Streets of Your Town, it’s filled with messages of hope peace and joy. Kate is a strong advocate for the benefits of music in everyone’s lives.For more shownotes and links - go to my Streets of Your Town magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.com

This week on Streets of Your Town, we’re going to Adelaide to celebrate one of the great founders of Australian rock music.Bunna Lawrie is the frontman and founding member of the band Coloured Stone, whose song Black Boy released in 1984 is still an anthem for First Nations people.He most recently performed at the Sydney Opera House in Generations and Dynasties, alongside his children, sharing stories of resilience, creativity, discrimination and empowerment through their music.The proud Mirning Elder from the Nullarbor is also a passionate environmentalist and whale dreamer as well as his prolific music career, where he continues the songlines of his people to protect these ancient creatures.He is a leader in the Fight for the Bight campaign, working against big oil and gas exploration companies in efforts to have the Great Australian Bight preserved as a World Heritage Site.His connection to country and fight to protect it make him a perfect fit for Streets of Your Town podcast, and we are so lucky to have him share his story with us.For more shownotes and links - go to my Streets of Your Town magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

Danielle Aquilina has forged a path from slam poetry to devising her own award winning play, taking on the taboo topic of women’s bodies with fearless abandon.Fat Girl may sound like a confronting title for a one woman show, but as Danielle tells us on Streets of Your Town - it’s an apt moniker for her  unapologetic take on body dysmorphia, societal norms, and inner demons.She’s fresh from winning the 2025 Darwin Fringe Festival “Risky Award”, and is now taking her defiant show on the road with a quick season in her home town of Brisbane, and invitations to take it further afield.Drawing on her background in improvisational comedy and blending that with live performance, Danielle brings disarming honesty to the stage to make us all take a sharp breath before questioning our own assumptions, with a deeply personal yet universal story of reclaiming space, voice and worth.https://anywhere.is/event/fat-girl/For more shownotes and links - please go to my Streets of Your Town magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

There are not many foods that have almost universal appeal, but bacon would have to be one of them.So much so that the Queensland country region famed for producing bacon in many different varieties celebrates this feat with an annual Baconfest Festival.Kingaroy in the South Burnett will become the hub for all things bacon related over the weekend of August 15 to 16, bringing with it a variety of country music performers and incredible food.Local girl and country singer Amber Goldsmith is supporting headline act Troy Cassar-Daly for the main Saturday night concert. She tells us how excited she is to bring the region she loves to a bigger stage for more people to appreciate.While Chief Baconeer Rob Fitz-Herbert tells us how the lure of the South Burnett converted this once city boy into an unabashed country man.Yarning over the coals of a backyard fire in this chilly part of the world, he tells us why Baconfest is much more than eating fabulous food that’s produced in the region.https://www.kingaroybaconfest.com.au/https://www.ambergoldsmithmusic.comFor more shownotes and links - please go to my Streets of Your Town magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

Imagine for a moment, that it is 1788 and you are watching a mysterious fleet amassing on the harbour. This is the premise for the play The Visitors about the monumental events of 1788 from an Aboriginal perspective, giving audiences a unique opportunity to see these events from a viewpoint not covered by the history books.The play first debuted in 2020 and has evolved since. Overseeing the evolution of The Visitors is director and Quandamooka playwright Wesley Enoch, now the newly appointed chair of the Australia Council Board of Creative Australia.He tells us on Streets of Your Town about the significance of this play showing an Aboriginal perspective on colonisation, particularly given contemporary events. He talks about his hopes that people who are challenged by the idea of seeing historical events from an Aboriginal point of view are exactly those who come to see The Visitors.We also hear from actors John Blair and Zoe Walters about the responsibility they feel and take to heart every time they perform in The Visitors, standing on the harbour rocks on stage that form the foundation of this story.For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

Sometimes just as local history seems about to be forgotten, a bold project comes along to bring it back to life. So it is for the new production from Brisbane indie arts company PiP Theatre, with its bold reimagining of the classic play Accidental Death of an Anarchist.This adaptation of Dario Fo’s timeless political farce is relocated to 1980s Brisbane in the tense years leading up to the Fitzgerald Inquiry. It’s fast, funny, and fiercely relevant, exploring themes of institutional corruption, public trust, and the chaotic pursuit of truth through the lens of satire and theatrical madness.Police corruption was rife in Queensland at the time, and it took brave journalists to uncover it. It was blown apart by the ABC Four Corners investigation by Chris Masters called The Moonlight State, alongside courageous reporting from Phil Dickie at The Courier-Mail. Eventually the extent of the systemic police corruption was revealed, and shown to go right to the top to the Commissioner himself.Evidence from the resulting two year Fitzgerald Inquiry would ultimately lead to four government ministers and police commissioner Terry Lewis going to jail, and the demise of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen government. For this episode of Streets of Your Town I speak to the play’s director Calum Johnston, and Pip Theatre’s Creative Director Deidre Grace who adapted the play to its Brisbane setting and also stars in this production. We find out what prompted them to feature this shady chapter of Queensland history.For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

The pitoval First Nations celebration that is NAIDOC Week is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year - and continues until Sunday 13 July. The 2025 theme—The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy—looks firmly to the future while celebrating the achievements of the past. And that theme has inspired this episode of Streets of Your Town.Renowned Torres Strait Islander artist Ken Thaiday is a cultural custodian whose remarkable kinetic sculptures have featured in exhibitions around the world.Together with his son Paul Thaiday, they are restoring and creating new artworks for this year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair or CIAF, starting on July 10.Born and raised on Darnley Island - the man affectionately known as Uncle Ken has spent decades interpreting traditional Torres Strait Islander ceremonies through these striking moving sculptures, dance masks and headdresses that move with dancer and appear to come to life.He uses a mix of modern and traditional techniques and materials to keep his culture alive, continuing a tradition that has been handed down for hundreds of generations over thousands of years.Even now in his senior years, with his mobility declining, Uncle Ken cuts bamboo to exact proportions on his lap ready for assembly, with the armrests of his wheelchair also showing the saw marks from his work.As Uncle Ken and Paul tell us on this episode of Streets of Your Town, these three shark masks and three dugong sculptures are symbolic ceremonial objects, that show the power of intergenerational collaboration.Streets of your Town podcast would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians on whose land this story was gathered, the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji peoples.I acknowledge that for tens of thousands of years First Nations people walked this country and shared stories on this great land down under, and I walk in their footsteps today.  I pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

Three hours drive from Cairns in the vast wilderness of Cape York in far-north Queensland, is a little town called Laura. And for 128 years, this little town that is not much more than a roadhouse and a pub has hosted the annual Laura Amateur Turf Club Race meeting, attracting jockeys, horses and racegoers from all over the state.Fans and competitors alike come from hundreds of kilometres around to take part in what has grown into an internationally known race, rodeo and campdraft event, all surrounded by a huge bush camp thronging with 3000 fans  gathering for the weekend’s festivities. Tickets to this year’s event on the last weekend of June completely sold out.On this episode of Streets of Your Town, we’ll meet some of the amazing bush characters and rodeo riders that keep this annual tradition alive, and even a couple of the journos who keep on top of their 150,000 kilometre patch of wild outback country to report what’s going on for their treasured Cape York Weekly readership - in one of the few print editions of a weekly regional newspaper left in Queensland.You'll the legendary 80 year old former jockey Slick Davies - who now acts as the caretaker all year round for the Laura racetrack, so that it’s ready for its annual moment of race day glory. He was kind enough to speak to me just before the Laura Races, from the verandah of his house overlooking the track he takes so much pride in.Slick is joined by his old mate Bluey Forsyth - who’s called the Laura Races and many others on the country horse racing circuit in Queensland’s far-north for decades. I love how you can hear their close mateship reflected in their conversation…Then of course there are the rodeo riders like Anthony Ryan who make this annual event such a spectacle.Shandelle Hilditch talks to us too - she's competed in campdraft and rodeo events on the circuit since she was a child, and now takes great pride in her children taking part as well.Spending the weekend at the Laura Races and Rodeo has shown me not only what a great event this is for bringing together locals from all around the far flung reaches of this remote stretch of far-north Queensland, but it’s also shown me the cultural importance of keeping this Australian tradition alive.As shown by the presence of two reporters from the Cape York Weekly - the editor Lyndon Keane and journo Chisa Hasegawa, who reported extensively on the event. We talk to them in this special edition nod to my Journo Project series.Thanks to all the characters who I met at the Laura Races Rodeo and campdraft who you can hear in this order:Laura Racetrack caretaker Slick Davies and race caller Bluey Forsyth from 2:53International professional bull rider Anthony Ryan from 13:59Legendary campdraft and rodeo rider Shandell Hilditch 18:38Cape York Weekly journo Chisa Hasegawa and editor Lyndon Keane from 24:25You can read the latest happenings in this remote corner of the world at the Cape York Weekly here: https://capeyorkweekly.com.au/For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

There are some conversations that take you to places you never expected, and this one on the banks of the Brisbane River in Brisbane’s cultural precinct was certainly one of them.This chat with Kate Baggerson I hope will inspire you to be more creative in your everyday life, as it did for me.The executive director of Everybody Now is celebrating the tenth year of this unique arts organisation which harnesses the power of storytelling, creativity and artistic collaboration to make art with impact all around Australia and now overseas.To mark the anniversary year, Kate Baggerson tells us on Streets of Your Town how Everybody Now is doing a year-long program of events collaborating with artists, community members and organisations across the country, celebrating the power of art as a catalyst for social cohesion, and to improve our wellbeing.Upcoming dates for Everybody Now productions in its tenth anniversary year 2025 include:2–4 July: ‘Tin Can Radio’ at Mackay Festival.19 July: Ipswich Civic Centre 50th Anniversary concert event.September: ‘Artist in Place’ Residency 2 creating immersive soundscapes with Kombumerri man Lann Levinge.October: ‘Artist in Place’ Residency 3 Home Stories with award-winning puppeteer and theatre artist Ros Oades.September - October: Artist-led workshop ‘Creative and Connected’ to generate social connection and wellbeing.November: ‘A Place to Belong’ - a new collaboration between Everybody NOW! and UK based global design sensation Morag Myerscough.29 November: Art in the Park - Everybody NOW’s annual, open and accessible Art in the Park eventFor more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

There’s a little patch of paradise in Queensland’s south-east corner - in some ways not far away from the big city lights of Brisbane, but when you get there, you feel like you could be at the end of the earth.The Scenic Rim spans more than four thousand kilometres with landscapes ranging from lush rainforests to rolling paddocks and serene lakes, with stunning views and an increasingly world renowned foodie scene.This June is Scenic Rim’s Eat Local Month - and Streets of Your Town is taking you there to the cornucopia of pleasures on offer from the region’s farmers, who are increasingly teaming up with local chefs to create unique experiences from farm to plate.Eat Local Month is a great opportunity to meet the makers - as I did at the launch of the event to whet the appetite for the 100 unique culinary experiences just an hour’s drive from Brisbane and the Gold Coast that fill June with joy - ranging from a Long Lunch under the Jacarandas to High Tea and Cocktails in the Rainforest.So sit down with me and Executive Chef and Owner of restaurant Roastbeef and the Frog Olivier Boudon, and then Theresa Scholl from Valley Pride Produce to hear about how they are diversifying into agritourism and making meaningful connections with customers right on the farm.For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comhttps://www.eatlocalmonth.com.au/nancehaxton.com.au

Recently I spent a gloriously rare fine day in Glasgow for Streets of Your Town, wandering around the city’s renowned concert halls and gig venues with music journo Fiona Shepherd - who’s also the co-founder and lead guide of Glasgow Music City Tours.She’s been taking tourists back stage around Glasgow’s renowned live scene for ten years now, sharing many stories from decades past right up to the present about the iconic performers who have come to the city to perform, or who made their big debut here.And even though Australia is about as far away from Glasgow as you can get - she hears that rich vein of musical influence clearly - going both ways across the seas.So come get your walking shoes on and join Fiona and I at the celebrated Glasgow live venue King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, to chat about how Glasgow became so celebrated that it became one of the first three cities in the world to be given the title of UNESCO City of Music.For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comhttps://glasgowmusiccitytours.com/nancehaxton.com.au

On my recent travels through the UK and Ireland for Streets of Your Town, I was amazed to find how strong the cross pollination between Australian and Indigenous music and Gaelic traditions were, and how it continues to evolve.While I was in Glasgow, I was lucky enough to meet Graham Mackenzie from award winning instrumental folk trio Assynt. Sitting in his Glasgow living room, his fiddle sits between us, never far from his thoughts, as we chat about the band's recent Australian tour.The band launched in 2018, and had long held aspirations to play in Australia. Even the pandemic - while delaying their plans - couldn’t hold them back for long, and last year they came to the Woodford Folk Festival to perform and do workshops. The trio also toured down the East Coast on a hectic trip for the Festival of Small Halls.Inspired by the great piping, fiddle and Gaelic traditions of the Highlands where he grew up in Inverness, McKenzie’s self-penned melodies for Assynt have a contemporary edge while rooted in centuries-long musical traditions.Graham tells us on Streets of Your Town how he is relieved to find their workshops and performances both in Scotland and Australia are now filled with young people embracing their fiddles and traditional Celtic instruments, and wanting to pick up tips. One of his favourite aspects of coming to Australia was hearing First Nations performers at Woodford Folk Festival, seeing it as a rare opportunity for two age-old cultures to learn from each other.For more shownotes - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.com

For this episode of Streets of Your Town, wander with me Nance Haxton to County Kerry on Ireland's west coast, to discover how close Australian and Irish cultural traditions are beyond the musical sphere.Tim Hanafin has lived in Kerry all of his 85 years, in a tiny village called Inch. The town is still known by many as the location where the epic Oscar-winning movie Ryan’s Daughter was filmed, putting County Kerry on the tourist trail in the 1970s.Tim is known throughout the Dingle Peninsula as the man who recites poetry from a deep well of decades of learning, with a poem appropriate for every event, whether it be wedding, funeral or spontaneous celebration.When I speak to him in front of a cosy fire at Foley’s Bar overlooking the miles of sand dunes constantly evolving on Inch Beach, it doesn’t take long for the Australian influence on this far-flung county to appear from his extensive back catalogue of poetry.Tim tells us how he thinks the affinity the Irish have with Australians goes back to the days of British rule, and continues to be expressed to this day.and for more shownotes please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.com

It’s not often that we get to watch a musical star on the rise. A performer whose passion and talent has enabled them to rise from tentative beginnings to starring in one of the world’s most beloved musicals.Here on Streets of Your Town, we’ve been lucky enough to watch Vidya Makan’s singing and writing prowess be recognised over a few short years. We first met her in the pivotal role of Catherine Parr in the juggernaut Australian production of Six, then as the creator, writer and performer in her musical The Lucky Country at Hayes Theatre in Sydney, and now we catch up with her again in one of the most competitive and sought after roles around the world - as Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton.And for those who can’t get to Sydney for this run, make sure you watch ABC TV on December 20 at 730pm or the digital broadcast on Iview, to see Vidya’s part in A Very Musical Christmas, recorded in Sydney and with all proceeds going to mental health charity Beyond Blue. Her greatest joy is watching her fellow performers shine. Sit back and enjoy our chat on Streets of Your Town, with Vidya Makan.and for more shownotes please go to my substack for this episode at https://soyt.substack.com/p/makan-creamer-mcgrady

If you thought that a play about post-apocolyptic zombies couldn’t be compatible with meaningful and hilarious social commentary and analysis of colonial occupation, then you haven’t heard of the radical new production Eat, Slay Zombie.Emerging First Nations playwright Alinta McGrady tells us on this episode of Streets of Your Town how she took her idea born in covid lockdown and created this fast-paced action packed show that is about to open in one of Brisbane’s most prestigious theatres.This is just the start for this talented Aboriginal woman who has been storytelling in various forms her entire life.Eat Slay Zombie shines a spotlight on modern Blak and queer experiences through a horror/comedy lens, with a fresh take on the hero narrative that places historically marginalised characters at the forefront of a dangerous world.Will our Blak women heroes survive this nightmare, and navigate a world that is actively trying to kill them? Let’s sit down for a chat with Alina to get some insight into her creative process….and for more shownotes on Alinta please go to my substack on this episode at https://soyt.substack.com/p/makan-creamer-mcgrady

On this episode of Streets of Your Town, we feature someone I’ve wanted you to meet on this podcast for years. I’ve written about him for national media outlets such as The New Daily and National Indigenous Radio Service, about his achievements acting as a Barrister on some of the most challenging human rights class actions across Australia. Joshua Creamer is a proud Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, who still sees himself as the boy from Mt Isa. But his role now is Chair of the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry in Queensland - which has been gathering the history of the state since July 1 this year.He tells us how significant this Inquiry is for Queensland and Australia, and what a privilege it is for him to lead this once in a generation investigation to give Indigenous people a voice in Queensland’s history.and for more show notes on Joshua please go to my shownotes at https://soyt.substack.com/p/makan-creamer-mcgrady