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Uncommon Sense – Triple R FM

Uncommon Sense – Triple R FM

Written by: Amy Mullins
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 Long-form conversations about politics and current events, international affairs, history, art, books, and the natural world – presented by Amy Mullins, Tuesdays 9am-noon on Triple R 102.7FM.All rights reserved Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Interview with Lynette Silver AM MBE, The Untold, Uncensored Story Of WWII Nurse Vivian Bullwinkel (Extended Interview)

    Interview with Lynette Silver AM MBE, The Untold, Uncensored Story Of WWII Nurse Vivian Bullwinkel (Extended Interview)
    Apr 25 2026
    For ANZAC Day, historical detective, author, and distinguished military historian Lynette R. Silver AM MBE delves into the evidence she has uncovered to piece together the untold, uncensored story of Australian nurse Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel. Sister Bullwinkel was the sole survivor of a massacre of 21 Australian nursing sisters at the hands of Japanese soldiers on Radji Beach on Bangka Island, east of Sumatra in the Indonesian archipelago on 16 February 1942. But that's not the whole story. Lynette's latest book where she details the alleged war atrocities against 22 Australian nurses in World War Two is called, 'Sister Bullwinkel: The Untold Uncensored Story.' It is also a fulsome biography of Bullwinkel's remarkable life and achievements. Hear Sister Vivian Bullwinkel recount the official story of what happened in the Bangka Island massacre in her interview for the National Library of Australia's oral history archives. Lynette Silver writes that Sister Bullwinkel put on a brave face to the world, recounting this "official" but sanitised version of events ever since she was released from a Japanese POW camp in Sumatra at the end of World War II. Vivian revealed the horrific truth of what happened on Radji Beach on Bangka Island to army investigators and was prepared to tell the Tokyo War Crimes Trial but, according to Lynette's research, "they censored her testimony and chose to obliterate it from the record. Despite her best efforts, Vivian was gagged from the outset by her own government and by the Australian army, who ordered her to keep quiet – an order that, as a serving member of the military, she was bound to keep. Vivian was desperate to speak out. She knew that the truth would set her free from the years of torment. Thwarted by higher authorities, by a succession of men who thought that they knew better, she was prevented from doing so." Through extensive research, Lynette Ramsay Silver has uncovered what she believes really happened on Bangka Island. Here's an example of eyewitness testimony published in 1946 (Trove). Broadcast on 21 April 2026. This is the extended interview, to hear the shorter interview that went to air, listen back here: https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/podcasts/uncommon-sense/episodes/8221-for-anzac-day-hear-the-untold-uncensored-story-of-nurse-vivian-bullwinkel-the-bangka-island-massacre
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Interview with Alison Pouliot on her exquisite photography & global forays with fungi

    Interview with Alison Pouliot on her exquisite photography & global forays with fungi
    Apr 14 2026
    After an extended (reluctant, but necessary) hiatus Amy Mullins returns to the Triple R airwaves with long-time friend of the show and fungi expert Dr Alison Pouliot! She speaks in-depth about her two latest visually stunning books, 'Funga Obscura: Photo Journeys Among Fungi' (NewSouth Publishing) – a book about fungi and the photography of fungi, and 'Mushroom Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Fungal Lives' (University of Chicago Press). Enchantingly illustrated by Stuart Patience, Alison’s book takes us on a global tour of some highly peculiar and fascinating fungi across a 24-hour period. Amy’s current favourite; the Hairy Nuts Disco (Lanzia echinophila) lives in the spine of a chestnut and is based in Europe – take a look for yourself! Or go on a tour with Alison in person and attend one of her workshops, fungi forays, talks, and other events this autumn between April and June. Alison is a headline speaker at the fourth annual Moorabool Mushroom Festival in Bacchus Marsh, organised by MYCOmmunity, which takes place on April 18–19 2026. PS. A little note from me to say, thank you for your patience and kindness while I've been on leave and for all the generous messages of support and encouragement on the textline welcoming me back on air. Community radio, and specifically this show for me is about having independent, earnest, and stimulating conversations, with a foundational shared passion for beauty, critical-thinking, and justice. It's a listening, learning, and creative corner of the radio-verse for people who care. Much love back to all who listen xx Broadcast on 14 April 2026.
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    50 mins
  • Interview with Don Watson, Trump, Harris, and America on the Brink

    Interview with Don Watson, Trump, Harris, and America on the Brink
    Sep 23 2024
    Amy Mullins chats with Don Watson, acclaimed author and former speechwriter to Paul Keating, about his Quarterly Essay, 'High Noon: Trump, Harris and America on the Brink.' In this historically rich and incisive account, Watson explores Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and a nation approaching its democratic high noon. As part of his research, Don travelled across the U.S. earlier this year, exploring the question: Is the United States disintegrating? Key themes of his essay include voter suppression, the rise of fascist politics, Australian parallels, and deeply rooted systemic racism, with his queries capturing a critical juncture in history. Furthermore, he says: “The core of the problem lies in their founding documents — the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, as they never began resolving the race debate.” Broadcast 17 September 2024.
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    58 mins
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