A cup of tea with Stephen D. is a podcast that will take you on a trip back in time. I will be joined by those dear to me and I'll be asking them to rewind the clocks back to their younger days, to learn new things about their life, about their highs and lows, and to hear more about their family and friends.
In this episode, the final episode of this series, I am continuing my conversation with my father John Dirou, and I will be asking him the questions whilst he is pouring the tea. John will share with us his memories of being out of a job and then subsequently starting in a new role as a district horticulturist after his General Manager position at the Tropical Fruit Research Station was made redundant. He will also recall the purchase of his very first home and share with us the brutal truth, that he was a much more patient grandfather than he was a father!
14 Mar 2021
Episode 8: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 8
In this double episode, I am concluding my conversation with my mother Sophie, who will be reflecting on 50 years of marriage whilst I am pouring the tea. Sophie will also tell us her memories of moving the family from the Riverina to the Northern Rivers of New South Wales and the loneliness in those initial first weeks and months having settled in Alstonville. In the second half of this podcast, and back my popular demand, we hear the story of Maryanne Harmer who I have now found out possesses a real talent for poetry. Maryanne will share with us her memoirs as I pour the earl grey.
14 Mar 2021
Episode 7: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 7
In this episode, I am continuing my conversation with my father John Dirou, and I will be asking him the questions whilst he is pouring the tea. John will reminisce the 9 years he lived in Narrandera as Station Manager of the Inland Fisheries Research Station where he was successful in sourcing $750,000 in funding to build the John Lake Centre as a showcase for freshwater fish. Narrandera was also the start of his career as a Group 20 rugby league referee where he was appointed Grand Finals in both his first and second years. Also in this episode I am joined by a very special guest who will read for us a very special feature on John’s mother Rachel.
8 Mar 2021
Episode 6: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 6
In this episode, I am continuing my conversation with my mother Sophie, and I will be asking her the questions whilst she is pouring the tea. You will hear Sophie describe giving birth in the 70’s when fathers weren’t allowed in the delivery suite of hospitals. She will also describe the fear she felt when advised her second born would be a breach birth. Sophie will share with us what it means to her to be a mother and grandmother. And she will remember how several near-death experiences have meant that she does not enjoy camping holidays.
1 Mar 2021
Episode 5: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 5
I am continuing my conversation with my father John Dirou, and I will be asking him the questions whilst he is pouring the tea. You will hear John describe the night he attended a Saturday night dance at St Pats in Bathurst where a young lady named Sophia van de Vorstenbosch caught his eye during the winter of 1969. John will share memories with us of this engagement and wedding day and you’ll also hear in this episode a very special feature on John’s father Frederick.
24 Feb 2021
Episode 4: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 4
A cup of tea with Stephen D. is a podcast that will take you on a trip back in time. I will be joined by those dear to me and I’ll be asking them to rewind the clocks back to their younger days, to learn new things about their life, about their highs and lows, and to hear more about their family and friends. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
In this episode, I am asking the questions whilst my mother Sophie is pouring the tea for part two of her story. Having travelled to Australia from Holland as a seven year old to start a new life with her parents and ten siblings, we will pick up our conversation talking about life as a child in Bathurst during her school years. We will learn about her first job in the womenswear department at Woolworths and later she will recall the night she met her future husband at a St Pats dance.
23 Feb 2021
Episode 3: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 3
A cup of tea with Stephen D. is a podcast that will take you on a trip back in time. I will be joined by those dear to me and I’ll be asking them to rewind the clocks back to their younger days, to learn new things about their life, about their highs and lows, and to hear more about their family and friends.
In this episode, I am continuing my conversation with my father John Dirou, and I will be asking him the questions whilst he is pouring the tea. You will hear John recount the five years he spent at boarding school from the age of 12. You’ll hear how the highlight of his time at Woodlawn College was playing halfback for the First XIII in a curtain raiser, to a Kangaroos test match against the French at the SCG in 1964. You’ll also hear about life as a "Mott" at Hawkesbury Agricultural College where John earns the nickname”Short-shafts”
18 Feb 2021
Episode 2: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 2
A cup of tea with Stephen D. is a podcast that will take you on a trip back in time. I will be joined by those dear to me and I’ll be asking them to rewind the clocks back to their younger days, to learn new things about their life, about their highs and lows, and to hear more about their family and friends. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
In this episode, I am asking the questions whilst my mother Sophia is pouring the tea for the very first time. You will hear mum recount heroic stories about her father from the war years including the time her father dressed a slaughtered piglet in a bonnet to look like a baby in order to smuggle it past the Gestapo in a brave attempt to provide food for the nuns. You will also hear about a very bold decision Opa made which ultimately saved his family from a bombing blitz. Plus you will also hear what it was like growing up in Australia as an immigrant in the 1950s.
17 Feb 2021
Episode 1: A cup of tea with Stephen D. Episode 1
A cup of tea with Stephen D. is a podcast that will take you on a trip back in time. I will be joined by those dear to me and I’ll be asking them to rewind the clocks back to their younger days, to learn new things about their life, about their highs and lows, and to hear more about their family and friends. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
In this episode, the first episode of this series, I am asking the questions whilst my father John is pouring the tea for the very first time. You will hear John recount the story of how his parents, Fred & Rachel, first met; you will hear how, as a young boy, he would torment his sister, Maryanne, so badly she would wet her pants, you’ll also hear about life growing up in the remote township of Burren Junction in the 1950s.
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