Dean Cohen, Chief Executive Officer of Flying Fox

07/22/21 • 37 min

A decade ago, commerce student Dean Cohen began a regular soccer meetup with a boy who had autism. Although Dean's exposure to people with autism was limited, the experience changed him. Dean soon he became committed to creating a more inclusive world for people of all abilities.
In 2014, under the banner Camp Sababa, Dean and a group of youth leaders began hosting fun-filled camp experiences for young people with disabilities in the Jewish community. Fast forward seven years and Dean now heads a fully-fledged organisation, Flying Fox, with 10 paid staff, 26 camps each year, and an ever-growing waiting list of participants. Dean and his army of dynamic volunteers are driven by a vision to create an inclusive world for people of all abilities.
In recognition of the huge contribution Flying Fox has made to the disability sector, Dean was award an Order of Australia Medal. It's an amazing achievement for someone who is yet to reach 30 years of age.

Previous Episode

Kim Rubenstein, legal scholar and advocate

If you've been watching ABC's Q&A in recent years you might have come across the erudite legal scholar Professor Kim Rubenstein. Kim is an expert on citizenship and in recent years she's been called upon to explain the complex and problematic subject of Australia's citizenship laws. Listen to Kim talk for just a few minutes, however, and you'll quickly realise she speaks with clarity, avidity and intelligence on a range of contemporary and historical matters.
In July 2021, she celebrates the publication of her new book: The Vetting of Wisdom: Joan Montgomery and the Fight for PLC. It tells the dramatic tale of the sacking of a popular private school principal in the mid-1980s.

Next Episode

Libbi Gorr, broadcaster

If you were at home on a Friday night in the early 1990s, chances are you were watching Live and Sweaty. The popular sports television show launched the media careers of many a young Melbourne articled clerk turned comedian Libbi Gorr (and her onscreen persona Elle McFeast ). As a roving reporter, panellist and eventual host of the show, Gorr/McFeast won a legion of fans for her witty takedowns of sports stars, politicians and anyone else that came into her path.
In the years that followed, Gorr rode the waves of Australia's capricious media and enterainment industry. She created multiple TV specials, hosted shows, and had other shows cancelled. In 2012, she became the voice of ABC Melbourne's Saturday and Sunday morning program. It's proven the perfect fit for both Gorr (who always loved the medium of radio) and her audience, who've come to treasure her warm and intimate style.