Exploring the younger years and turning point moments of authentic, outstanding and inspiring people. See the world through the eyes of someone who may have grown up in an entirely different way to you.
No one in Coburg was gay in the 1980's - Patrick Bonello’s story of courage, resilience and finding connection
Patrick Bonello takes us to the 1970s and 80s, to the working-class suburb of Coburg, where his young self was destined to start his life’s journey as an identical twin. We venture through the ups and downs of childhood and into his passion for radio and all things gadgets. All the while, Patrick is learning that he must keep the secret that he is gay, to keep himself safe.
Come with us on this heady romp as we look at the politics of sexuality, the AIDS crisis and the prevalent homophobic views of the 80s, through the eyes of a young man who is trying to understand himself and find connection.
31 Mar 2026
Christine Nixon: Portrait of a trail-blazing leader
New podcast out now featuring Christine Nixon. Join us as we have a chuckle talking about childhood northern beaches summers, fierce independence, love of swimming and Brownies, before we get into Christine’s most impressive, change-making career. Imagine the burly world of policing in NSW in 1972 when there were only 130 women in the police force, and 8,000 men. Now imagine being asked at a job interview if you planned to get married and have kids. What would a young, educated, feminist do with a workplace that wasn’t moving with the times? Come along as Christine shares the wild ride of her incredible leadership career with humour, humility and an uncommon openness. I have deep respect for this beautiful human!
Thanks to Leadership Victoria for connecting Christine and I, so we could share this delightful conversation with you.
4 Mar 2026
Dan Stubbs is Victoria’s first Public Advocate with a declared disability. From blind skiing to his huge career in advocacy, Dan shares the story about losing his sight and creating a unique path towards his calling in life.
Dan shares the stories of his childhood, growing up in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Bundoora in the 1970s and 80s. Cricket and football in the street, boundless bike rides, the freedom he was given to roam and explore.
At fourteen Dan loses his sight. His parents fight to keep him in mainstream education and with the help of a few great teachers and aides, he learns new ways of learning. He continued his mission through his late teens and twenties to ensure that he could experience as much of the world as his sighted peers, which led him to overseas travel, skiing, scuba diving, surfing and bushwalking.
Dan talks openly of his journey, the challenges and supporters he has had through his long career in advocacy. Today Dan is the first Public Advocate in Victoria with an open disability, using all of his knowledge and life experience to support some of our most vulnerable people with disability.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories (https://www.memorylanestories.com/) production with host Nina Fromhold.
Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia.
Music licensed through PremiumBeat.
Design by Pass the Salt Studio (https://passthesalt.studio/).
Learn more about the podcast or recording your own life story: www.memorylanestories.com
30 Jan 2026
Fiona Garrivan, celebrant and podcast host of Deadly Serious Conversations talks about death and dying with foresight and kindness.
Fiona shares the stories of her childhood, growing up in Northern Ireland during the civil war known as The Troubles. Her life was on a steady path of fitting into the expectations set out for Irish Catholic women in the 1980 and 90s, until she went to Uni in Dublin and met a lovely girl from Australia. This friendship opened up the possibilities of the world to Fiona, and with some action and courage on her part, she changed the trajectory of her life.
Fiona now calls Melbourne home. She is a celebrant for funerals and weddings and has a podcast called Deadly Serious Conversations. Through her work, she noticed that people in Australia often aren’t talking about death, dying and legacy, and so may not know where to start when they lose a loved one. She has created a wonderful library of episodes that looks at all different aspects of death and dying with kindness, respect and compassion. Let’s find out how she got into the tender work of funerals.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production with host Nina Fromhold.
Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia.
23 Sept 2025
Dr Kathryn Lomas on growing up in New Zealand, taking risks, being an entrepreneur and researching our natural world for answers to human problems
Dr. Kathryn Lomas discusses her New Zealand upbringing, risk-taking, entrepreneurship, and researching the natural world to solve human problems in an interview with Nina Fromhold.
23 Aug 2025
Mathan Ratinam shares his early life story in Sri Lanka, a considered perspective on colonisation, and the joys of architecture and Hip Hop.
Host Nina Fromhold interviews Mathan Ratinam, who shares his journey from Sri Lanka through civil war and immigration to a career in architecture and social justice, offering insights into resilience and purpose.
23 Jul 2025
Merita Tabain on Melbourne's 1970s alternative music scene and discovering what life has in store for you
Merita Tabain recounts her experiences growing up as the child of immigrants in 1970s Melbourne and discovering the alternative music scene, eventually leading to unexpected career opportunities, in this interview.
23 Jun 2025
Dr Trishima Mitra-Kahn on family violence, sociology and debating, from New Delhi to London and Melbourne.
Dr. Trishima Mitra-Kahn recounts her journey from New Delhi to London and Melbourne, detailing how early experiences with family violence fueled her career researching the sociology of violence in this interview.
23 May 2025
Pat's story of growing up in Frankston North in the 1960s
Nina interviews Pat, who recounts his 1960s-70s childhood in working-class Frankston North, Australia, revealing how sport and intellect helped him overcome socio-economic challenges in this interview.
23 Apr 2025
Kabinga Mazaba talks about growing up in Zambia, childhood trauma and how she reclaimed her life.
In this episode Nina interviews Kabinga Mazaba, International Bestselling Author and Inspirational Speaker. Kabinga takes us back to her early life in Zambia where we talk about her experiences of marriage customs, funeral customs and property grabbing in Zambia, as well as her childhood experiences of love, family, loss and sexual abuse. Then Kabinga shares her journey with her husband and children as they establish themselves first in Scotland and then in Australia, while working through her healing journey and inspiring those around her to rewrite their stories.
We thank Kabinga and invite you to enjoy her story. Kabinga Mazaba is the author of C.O.N.F.R.O.N.T. Reclaim Your Life (https://kabingacmazaba.com/product/confront/), available at all great booksellers. To learn more about Kabinga visit her website (https://kabingacmazaba.com).
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories (https://www.memorylanestories.com) production. Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia. Music licensed through PremiumBeat. Design by Pass the Salt Studio (https://passthesalt.studio).
22 Mar 2025
Vivienne Nguyễn reflects on growing up in Vietnam and Australia
This episode of When I Was Young features Vivienne Nguyen, Victoria's Multicultural Commissioner. Vivienne talks about her early years in Vietnam during the Vietnam/American war, travelling as a refugee first to Malaysia and then onto Australia, living and studying in Melbourne as a young adult, and how she found her feet in both the Vietnamese and broader Victorian communities. Vivienne's journey led her to become a powerful voice advocating for multicultural communities in Victoria.
We invite you to enjoy Vivienne's story of her younger years.
Please like or follow the podcast to hear more stories.
Thanks to my guest Vivienne Nguyen for sharing her story.
Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia.
Music licensed through PremiumBeat.
Design by Pass the Salt.
Who has been a guest on When I Was Young
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dr Kathryn Lomas
Mathan Ratinam
Merita Tabain
Dr Trishima Mitra-Kahn
Pat
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
12,103
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
62
Social presence
0
YouTube
72
Engagement
0
Contact When I Was Young
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