Julie McCrossin
ARCHIVES
This page of archived material is not meant to be comprehensive. Rather, it offers a representative selection of Julie's radio work, writing and public speaking as well as some evocative and informative photographic images. For more detail on Julie's work history, look under About Julie / Work History on the main menu. If you're looking for something more droll from Julie's background, head on over to fun stuff.
RADIO
Radio National: Life Matters
Julie presented the social issues program "Life Matters" on ABC Radio National for five years, initially with Geraldine Doogue and then as solo presenter.
Irene Inwald Returns to Poland, 16 April 2001
Julie has had a 25 year friendship with Irene Inwald, a Jewish survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto. She got false papers and posed as a Catholic nanny during the war. Mrs Inwald was a strong influence on Julie's later social activism. In 2001 she and Sophie Inwald accompanied Irene back to Poland to visit her hometown, Auschwitz where many of her friends and relatives perished. It was a moving experience for all involved. Go to the Radio National web page with links to tape sales.
Wilcannia Public Forum, 14 Jul 2004
One of the more satisfying attempts at community outreach took place in July 2004, when Life Matters was broadcast live from the far western NSW town of Wilcannia. Julie was involved in a public forum that discussed issues for the remote community, thereby telling us "something about the whole country - in many different ways".
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LIFE MATTERS INTERVIEWS
What's Next With Doctor Livingston
Dr Gordon Livingston is the author of Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need To Know Now, published by Hodder.
Part 1: Dr Livingston talks about his life, happiness and depression and yes, why it's important to not just talk about problems but decide what to DO next (first broadcast 8 Aug 2005, repeated 2 Jan 2006). read more
Part 2: Dr Livingston urges people not to hang onto what they perceive as 'damaging' things which happened to them as children. Further, acceptance of responsibility for what we do and how we feel requires an act of will - and most importantly, it requires action above words (9 Aug 2005/3 Jan 2006). read more
Part 3: This interview centres on a chapter in Dr Livingston's recent book titled: The Problems Of The Elderly Are Frequently Serious But Seldom Interesting (10 Aug 2005/4 Jan 2006). read more
Part 4: Dr Livingston talks about love in all its manifestations including unrequited, married and disintegrating (11 Aug 2005/5 Jan 2006). read more
Vietnam And Now: An On-Air Reunion
A live on-air reunion between two remarkable men who haven't spoken to each other since they were medicos in Vietnam 37 years ago. The two doctors are Gordon Livingston, from Maryland in the US and Bill Maguire, an orthopaedic surgeon from Brisbane. Today, we hear about life and work in war-torn Vietnam and what has happened personally and professionally since (first broadcast 17 Aug 2005, repeated 6 Jan 2006). read more
Geraldine Brooks and the Imagined Father
Geraldine Brooks is an Australian-born journalist and writer, who has long lived in the US. She was a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal; and her experiences in the Middle East lead to her highly-regarded non-fiction piece, Nine Parts of Desire. She has also written on the power of correspondence, in her book on pen friends Foreign Correspondence; while her first novel, Year of Wonders, took us into the past. And it seems that she has combined all of this in her latest novel, March, which tells the story of the mostly-absent father in Louisa May Alcott's classic American novel, Little Women. It's a story of the brutality of war - so closely observed by Brooks in her experience as a foreign correspondence; the power and elusiveness of letter writing; and the lure of the past. On Life Matters, however, Brooks spoke about the appeal of impractical ideologues, and the "real Mr March" - Louisa May Alcott's father, Bronson Alcott. (first broadcast 12 Apr 2005, repeated 28 Dec 2006). read more
William McInnes: A Man's Got To Have A Hobby: Long Summers With My Dad
William McInnes is best known for his role as Max in the ABC television series, Seachange. Now, William has turned his attention to his boyhood, producing a funny and poignant memoir called A Man's Got To Have A Hobby. The book is a wonderful tribute to William's late father, Colin, who returned from WWII to raise a family of five children in Redcliffe, Queensland. The book is full of real life characters living life to the full ... and mourning the passing of loved ones whose greatest contribution was just being themselves (broadcast 19 Dec 2005). read more
Shirley MacLaine is Out on a Leash
Shirley MacLaine is an actor, writer, activist, dancer, performer, and believer in the spiritual. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Mrs Winterbourne; Guarding Tess; Postcards from the Edge; Steel Magnolias; Being There; The Turning Point; Irma La Douce ... She has won an Oscar; three Emmies; and ten Golden Globes. She is an activist for civil rights, for women's rights, and has campaigned actively for spiritual understanding. Her books range from memoir to spiritual explorations, including Don't Fall off the Mountain and Out on a Limb. She's also very fond of her dog, Terry, about whom (and with whom) she has written her latest book, Out on a Leash: Exploring the Nature of Reality and Love (broadcast 29 Dec 004). read more
Christmas and Family Talkback
In our final 2004 talkback we pull together the sounds, smells and experiences of Christmas pasts and ask "why do we do this to ourselves, year after year"? Is the Christmas family gathering pleasure or pain and how can we encourage more of the first and avoid the other? A poet and a psychiatrist offer delightful insights:
Dr Robert Gordon (psychiatrist and psychotherapist, former head of the Department of Psychotherapy at Westmead Hospital, Sydney) and Chris Wallace-Crabbe
(professor emeritus, poet and essayist, founding Director of the Australian Centre, Melbourne University) (broadcast 17 Dec 2004). read more
Social Policy
For an overview of issues covered by Life Matters in 2004, click here.
Life Matters on Audio Tape
Information on how to purchase tapes of Life Matters programs is available here.
ARTICLES
Selector Life Food Wine
Rare Inisght, Spring 07
"A nine-day adventure holiday to the Northern Territory with a mob of people from the Fred Hollows Foundation and World Expeditions gave me so many life-changing experiences it is hard to know where to begin." read more
Sydney Morning Herald
Secular saints inspire the spirit, 26 January 2007
"It was an iconic image. The happy face of the recently appointed first female beefeater in the 522-year history of their service at the Tower of London. Moira Cameron, 42, stood bursting with pride between the men in scarlet tunics, who looked just like the ones on the gin bottles. She was an inspiring role model." read more
Have wheels, will travel. It's a joke, 13 January 2007
"You see a lot more people on the streets in wheelchairs when you visit cities such as London, Manchester, San Francisco, New York or Vancouver than you do in Sydney. You even see more in Melbourne." read more
Life etc
Julie is a regular contributor to the ABC magazine Life etc, conducting interviews with people of interest to the general Australian reading public.
The Drive to Win
"There's a fine line in sport between being excellent and being a true champion. It's a line that is primarily psychological, especially in a solo sport like golf. The Australian golfer who has crossed the champion's line most consistently is a 32-year-old from the small town of Ayr in the sugar-cane country of far north Queensland. Her name is Karrie Webb." read more
Man on a Mission
"Dr Chris Sarra, Director of the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute in the Queensland Aboriginal community of Cherbourg and former award-winning principal of Cherbourg State School, is a man on a mission. He calls it a 'crusade' that he is 'deadly serious about'" read more
From Hostel to History
"If you want to get to know Julia Gillard and understand what drives her political passions, you have to know the story of her Welsh immigrant family, especially that of her father, John." read more
The Unquiet Australian
"'My dad's sister, Kath, was one of the 21 nurses who were captured and killed during the Second World War in Borneo with Sister Bullwinkle, who was the
only one to escape,' Phillip Noyce says plainly." read more
Back to Basics
"Meeting actress Kerry Armstrong face-to-face is a compelling experience. Not only is she attractive and affectionate, but her intelligence and intensity demand your attention. To me, she is like a champion racehorse in the marshalling yards before a race, emotion flickering across the surface of the skin." read more
A Unique Intellect
"Researcher and inventor Professor Richard Cotton, 65, director of the Genomics Disorders Research Centre at Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital, is a man on a global crusade. If he's successful, he could improve the lives of millions of people all over the world by helping doctors to treat or prevent diseases with a genetic component." read more
Australian Financial Review
From 1999-2000, Julie wrote a fortnightly column exploring issues
and topics in Australian society, drawing on her own experiences
and the news of the day.
Sex On The Fatal Shore Is No Laughing Matter, 3 Dec
1999
"We often learn more about the present than the past when people
write about historical events. The Birth Of Sydney (Text
Publishing) by bestselling author Tim Flannery is a classic
example. This selection of eyewitness accounts of the early history
of white settlement, edited and introduced by Flannery, will seduce
the most reluctant reader into a passion for Australian history.
Flannery's reputation for writing and speaking with passion and
authority about conservation, mammals and natural history will
ensure a receptive audience for this engaging work." read more
Dear Lord, Must I Smite The Neighbours?, 28 Jul 2000
"The Bible and homosexuality have been in the news again this
month. The Uniting Church has decided at its latest national
assembly in Adelaide to continue accepting "diversity". There will
be no witch-hunts to weed out gay and lesbian parishioners or
clergy. Nor will there be open acceptance. Each parish will be left
to sort out its own approach. Some Churches will be known as
"gay-friendly", and some will make it very clear indeed that such
"diversity" is not welcome." read more
Making Sure Kids Don't Forget Themselves, 1 Dec 2000
"When times are tough and the pressure I draw on what I know of my
family history. Looking back from the serene vantage point of
middle age, the family stories about Dad's job as a Pathfinder
pilot during the war help me feel that I can handle the relatively
trivial pressures of a professional life in the media. Dad had to
fly out ahead of the pack in Bomber Command and drop flares above
German targets so that the Lancaster bombers coming behind could
try to unload their deadly cargo with accuracy. With blood like
that in my veins, I should be able to handle almost anything."
read more
Australian Left Review
Julie wrote a satirical advice column "Dear Dr Hartman" from
1990-1991, based on her standup comedy psycho-therapist character
Dr Mary Hartman.
Pooey Nappies, Jun 1990
"I had a childcare activist come into my clinic this week in a
shocking state. She had this extraordinary idea that all Australian
children have the right to good quality child care regardless of
their parents' ability to pay. What a load of nonsense! I mean, we
don't all drive BMWs, we don't all eat at Berowra Waters Inn and we
don't all go to Scots and Grammar, or Geelong Grammar and Scotch
College - so why on earth should we all expect to have a nanny as
good as mine!" read more
Toddler Torture, Dec 1990
"Hello patients. This is a difficult time of the year for those of
you who have been silly enough to obey your biological clock and
produce offspring. The Christmas holidays are approaching and soon
you'll have to spend prolonged periods of unbroken time in close
company with the bearers of your genetic material." read more
Professional Upstarts, Feb 1991
"Hello patients. I've been having problems with the nursing lassies
lately. Actually the little bitches have been showing signs of
restlessness for quite some time. Last week I saw a sticker on a
car in the staff section of one of my clinics. It said, "Nurses
care - about wages". I sacked the girl on the spot. A few days
later, at a major public hospital, I saw a notice for a staff
meeting on the Casualty noticeboard. It was addressed to the "rank
and file nurses". What next? Matron Norm Gallagher?!" read more
Australian Society
Sydney Star Observer
Australian Vogue
BOOKS
Forever Yours, ABC Books, 2005
Co-editor
Who would have thought there were so many romantics hidden in
laconic Australia? When ABC Radio National began a competition
suggesting that people send in their love letters, a true
cornucopia of heart warming correspondence emerged. Some were fresh from the pen of the enamoured,
others emerged from attics and trunks, deep within family
archives. To obtain a copy, send a cheque or money order for $20.00 made out to "Julie McCrossin" to Julie McCrossin, c/- Annandale Village Newsagency Box 3, 113 Johnston Street ANNANDALE 2038 NSW AUSTRALIA.
What Women Want, Bantam, 2002
Contributor
When marie claire magazine decided to explore the burning
issues facing Australian women, they were inundated with readers
who flocked to attend a forum. A sellout crowd heard Wendy Harmer,
Natasha Stott Despoja, Julie McCrossin, Tracey Curro and Belinda
Emmett say important things about what women care about today.
Love, Lust and Latex!, FPA Health, 2000
Interviewer
Julie McCrossin talks about sex, love and relationships with
twelve famous Australians, most of whom grew up under the shadow of
the Grim Reaper's messages about HIV, AIDS, STDs and an avalanche
of other sexual acronyms.
Partners, Allen and Unwin, 1999
Contributor
Eighteen of Australia's most famous, infamous and not-so-famous
couples come clean on the nature of getting together, being
together and staying together. From sex to politics, money to
children, work to play, no subject is left untouched in this
intriguing, intimate and sometimes amusing collection of pieces.
Edited by Anne Henderson and Ross Fitzgerald.
Good News Week 2, ABC Books, 1998
Contributor
Good News Week was a weekly television comedy panel show
commenting on the latest news with celebrity guests. Julie was a
weekly team leader with Mikey Robins and the host, Paul McDermott.
GNW screened on ABC TV from 1996-1998 and the TEN Network from
1999-2001.
Good News Week, ABC Books, 1997
Contributor
Good News Week was a weekly television comedy panel show
commenting on the latest news with celebrity guests. Julie was a
weekly team leader with Mikey Robins and the host, Paul McDermott.
GNW screened on ABC TV from 1996-1998 and the TEN Network from
1999-2001.
SPEECHES
The Sydney Institute
A conservative think tank dedicated to the principle of policy
debate, The Sydney Institute conducts more than 50 lectures,
seminars and panel discussions each year.
Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride, 3 Dec 1999
"I'm going to say a few things that I've never heard anybody else
say publicly. When I was asked to speak, which was before the
recent law reform in NSW in relation to the recognition of same sex
relationships, I was asked to talk on anything I cared to. Now, I
consider myself an eclectic person with a wide range of passions.
But I discovered that, hitting bedrock, the topic I really cared
about was access to the institution of marriage." read more
University of Canberra
The annual Celebration of Excellence at the University of Canberra awards staff for their special contributions and recognises milestones in longlasting service.
Promoting What Really Matters, 10 Feb 2006
"My primary message is I want to say thank you. Education has the power to change lives and change nations - great teachers change lives. Thank you for sticking with the higher education sector, which is misunderstood and massively undervalued." read more
QUICK LINKS
RADIO
- Radio National: Life Matters
ARTICLES
- Sydney Morning Herald
- Life etc
- Australian Financial Review
- Australian Left Review
- Australian Society
- Sydney Star Observer
- Australian Vogue
