 

Don’t talk about the water by Alissar Seyla

In this episode, we look at the concept of the homeland and diaspora.

That tension between familiarity and unease.

A young woman reflects on experiences in her homeland, Lebanon, and abroad, and struggles to find safety in either of those places amid escalating war.

Now, it is time to talk about the water.

Written and produced by: Alissar Seyla

Sound Design by: Tala Issaoui  

This story was originally commissioned by Debris Magazine for Issue 06: No! The co-editors were Jon Tjhia and Cher Tan. You can find out more about Debris Magazine here.

You can also check out the previous episode featuring the co-editors, John and Cher, here, featuring other excerpts from Issue 6.

Want more from All The Best? Check out our Substack for a little bit of BTS!

 

All The Best Credits

Host: Gabriella Accaria

Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell

Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos 

Production Manager: Kwame Slusher

Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie

Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins 

Theme Music composed by Shining Bird

Special shout-out to all our volunteers

 

&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t talk about the water by Alissar Seyla
In this episode, we look at the concept of the homeland and diaspora.
That tension between familiarity and unease.
A young woman reflects on experiences in her homeland, Lebanon, and abroad, and struggles to find safety in either of those places amid escalating war.
Now, it is time to talk about the water.
Written and produced by: Alissar Seyla
Sound Design by: Tala Issaoui&nbsp;&nbsp;
This story was originally commissioned by Debris Magazine for Issue 06: No! The co-editors were Jon Tjhia and Cher Tan. You can find out more about Debris Magazine <a href="https://www.debrismag.com/shop-1/p/issue-06-no">here</a>.
You can also check out the previous episode featuring the co-editors, John and Cher,&nbsp;<a href="https://allthebestradio.com/featured/674-debris-no/">here</a>, featuring other excerpts from Issue 6.
Want more from All The Best?&nbsp;Check out our <a href="https://allthebestradio.substack.com/">Substack </a>for a little bit of BTS!
&nbsp;
All The Best Credits
Host: Gabriella Accaria
Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell
Programming &amp; Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos&nbsp;
Production Manager: Kwame Slusher
Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie
Mixed &amp; Compiled: Emma Higgins&nbsp;
Theme Music composed by Shining Bird
Special shout-out to all our volunteers
&nbsp;

All The Best is for new Australian storytelling. Hear from a Melbourne-based cannibal, how the Australian Wallabies used theatre workshops to improve their game, anxiety attacks in a Tantric sex class, and what the shopping centre Santa Claus is really thinking, all on All The Best. 


We're a weekly radio show and podcast produced at FBi Radio in Sydney in association with SYN and Triple R in Melbourne, and broadcast nationally via the Community Radio Network. We’ve been telling stories in a variety of forms since 2011, picking a theme each week and using short form documentary, personal narrative, interviews, and spoken word to bring you the best from across Australia.

All The Best is for new Australian storytelling. Hear from a Melbourne-based cannibal, how the Australian Wallabies used theatre workshops to improve their game, anxiety attacks in a Tantric sex class, and what the shopping centre Santa Claus is really thinking, all on All The Best. 
 
We're a weekly radio show and podcast produced at FBi Radio in Sydney in association with SYN and Triple R in Melbourne, and broadcast nationally via the Community Radio Network. We’ve been telling stories in a variety of forms since 2011, picking a theme each week and using short form documentary, personal narrative, interviews, and spoken word to bring you the best from across Australia.

All The Best

Don't Talk about the water 

A Conservation Champion for Cheetham by Sandra Wilson

Bernie McCarrick, a former Parks Victoria ranger and site manager of Cheetham Saltworks, reflects on his role in transforming a former industrial site into a thriving wetland ecosystem. Alongside insights from Dr Mike Weston, the story reveals how careful water management and decades of on-the-ground knowledge sustain critical bird habitats.

Produced by: Sandra Wilson

Supervising Producer: Sarah Mashman. 

 

Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper by Ruijie Tang

In this story, the matchstick grasshopper’s grand comeback.

Following efforts led by Ary Hoffman to rediscover and protect the matchstick grasshopper — a species thought to have disappeared from Victoria after decades of habitat loss — his team draws on historical records and fieldwork to track the insect to a surviving population and begin the delicate process of rebuilding its numbers through conservation and translocation.

Produced by: JJ Tang

Supervising Producer: Thomas Phillips

Special thanks to Louisa Lim. 

 

Water Trial by Renate Millonig

Amid a devastating algal bloom along South Australia’s coast, Renate shares a haunting poem capturing the grief of witnessing mass marine death. 

“ In every breath we share, in every drop we drink.”

Written and Read by: Renate Millonig

Recorded by: Mel Bakewell.

 

All The Best Credits

Host: Gabriella Accaria

Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell

Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos 

Production Manager: Kwame Slusher

Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie

Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins 

Theme Music composed by Shining Bird

Special shout-out to all our volunteers

 

Protest_Zara_Day_22-03-2009.wav by eraylik -- https://freesound.org/s/69954/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

 

 

 

A Conservation Champion for Cheetham by Sandra Wilson
Bernie McCarrick, a former Parks Victoria ranger and site manager of Cheetham Saltworks, reflects on his role in transforming a former industrial site into a thriving wetland ecosystem. Alongside insights from Dr Mike Weston, the story reveals how careful water management and decades of on-the-ground knowledge sustain critical bird habitats.
Produced by: Sandra Wilson
Supervising Producer: Sarah Mashman.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Key&rsquo;s Matchstick Grasshopper by Ruijie Tang
In this story, the matchstick grasshopper&rsquo;s grand comeback.
Following efforts led by Ary Hoffman to rediscover and protect the matchstick grasshopper &mdash; a species thought to have disappeared from Victoria after decades of habitat loss &mdash; his team draws on historical records and fieldwork to track the insect to a surviving population and begin the delicate process of rebuilding its numbers through conservation and translocation.
Produced by: JJ Tang
Supervising Producer: Thomas Phillips
Special thanks to Louisa Lim.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Water Trial by Renate Millonig
Amid a devastating algal bloom along South Australia&rsquo;s coast, Renate shares a haunting poem capturing the grief of witnessing mass marine death.&nbsp;
&ldquo; In every breath we share, in every drop we drink.&rdquo;
Written and Read by: Renate Millonig
Recorded by: Mel Bakewell.
&nbsp;
All The Best Credits
Host: Gabriella Accaria
Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell
Programming &amp; Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos&nbsp;
Production Manager: Kwame Slusher
Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie
Mixed &amp; Compiled: Emma Higgins&nbsp;
Theme Music composed by Shining Bird
Special shout-out to all our volunteers
&nbsp;
Protest_Zara_Day_22-03-2009.wav by eraylik -- https://freesound.org/s/69954/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

 To Leave and Return 

A Stone, A Knife, A Flame by Joshua Santospirito

Washing, scrubbing, rinsing, drying, wiping, wetting, drying. These mundane acts led Joshua to reflect so much more.

Through his kitchen, the everyday collides with resistance and violence, as he invites us to question what it means to act in the world.

Tip: Listen to this while washing your dishes for the immersive thought process.

That story was written and performed by Joshua Santospirito as part of a graphic storytelling event run by Papercuts Comics Festival on Kaurna  Land in 2025. 

 

Crime of Ration by Miles Mazzocato 

Putting pressure on ourselves to be perfect is a common thing…sometimes at the expense of yourself and those around you.

In this story, an apprentice’s obsession with being a perfect cook quietly begins to take over everything else.

Remember, sometimes it takes more than techniques to make a perfect steak an enjoyable meal.

Written by Miles Mazzocato. 

Performed by Chloe Spanos and Helen Grimley. 

Sound design by Miles Martignoni.

Recorded by Ewan Maccoll at Extra(ordinary) Tales, a live storytelling collaboration between All The Best and Read To Me supported by the City of Sydney. 

 

Story 3: Lentil Tahini Stew by Snack Syndicate

Need dinner ideas? A Tahini lover? You are at the right place.

In this story, a recipe becomes a love language in this warm, sensory piece from Snack Syndicate, where lentil tahini stew is more than just a dish—it is a joint creation shaped by two lovely voices.

Time to get some tahini.

That story from the archives was produced by Snack Syndicate. It was originally commissioned by Debris Magazine for their issue The Urge To Know.

 

All The Best Credits

Host: Gabriella Accaria

Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell

Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos 

Production Manager: Kwame Slusher

Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie

Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins 

Theme Music composed by Shining Bird

Special shout-out to all our volunteers

 

A Stone, A Knife, A Flame by Joshua Santospirito
Washing, scrubbing, rinsing, drying, wiping, wetting, drying. These mundane acts led Joshua to reflect so much more.
Through his kitchen, the everyday collides with resistance and violence, as he invites us to question what it means to act in the world.
Tip: Listen to this while washing your dishes for the immersive thought process.
That story was written and performed by Joshua Santospirito as part of a graphic storytelling event run by <a href="https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/">Papercuts Comics Festival</a> on Kaurna&nbsp; Land in 2025.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Crime of Ration by Miles Mazzocato&nbsp;
Putting pressure on ourselves to be perfect is a common thing&hellip;sometimes at the expense of yourself and those around you.
In this story, an apprentice&rsquo;s obsession with being a perfect cook quietly begins to take over everything else.
Remember, sometimes it takes more than techniques to make a perfect steak an enjoyable meal.
Written by Miles Mazzocato.&nbsp;
Performed by Chloe Spanos and Helen Grimley.&nbsp;
Sound design by Miles Martignoni.
Recorded by Ewan Maccoll at Extra(ordinary) Tales, a live storytelling collaboration between All The Best and Read To Me supported by the City of Sydney.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Story 3: Lentil Tahini Stew by Snack Syndicate
Need dinner ideas? A Tahini lover? You are at the right place.
In this story, a recipe becomes a love language in this warm, sensory piece from Snack Syndicate, where lentil tahini stew is more than just a dish&mdash;it is a joint creation shaped by two lovely voices.
Time to get some tahini.
That story from the archives was produced by Snack Syndicate. It was originally commissioned by Debris Magazine for their issue The Urge To Know.
&nbsp;
All The Best Credits
Host: Gabriella Accaria
Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell
Programming &amp; Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos&nbsp;
Production Manager: Kwame Slusher
Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie
Mixed &amp; Compiled: Emma Higgins&nbsp;
Theme Music composed by Shining Bird
Special shout-out to all our volunteers
&nbsp;

Cooked

Sometimes moving forward is all about realising that you’ve got the power to write your own narrative. 

This week you’ll hear stories about people facing down their own internal narratives that threaten to keep them quiet and small.  

 

Like a Preacher by Idayat Jinadu 

As a young girl, Idayat is scared to speak her mind. She stutters. But as she becomes an adult, she grows to realise her stutter isn’t an impediment, and that it’s time she claimed her voice, like a preacher. 

Produced by Idayat Jinadu. 

Sound design by Mel Bakewell

The Supervising Producer was Evana Ho. 

 

Ayla by Carey Scheer

This next story is from the amazing Purple Orange podcast that centers  narratives around people living with a disability. 

Ayla Regione spent years hiding her deafness, trying to “keep up”, and pushing through without asking for what she needed. When barriers got in her way, she blamed herself.

Produced by Carey Scheer 

And an extra special thanks to Ayla Regione for sharing their story.  

 

All The Best Credits

Host: Gabriella Accaria

Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell

Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos 

Production Manager: Kwame Slusher

Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie

Theme Music composed by Shining Bird

Special shout-out to all our volunteers 

Sometimes moving forward is all about realising that you&rsquo;ve got the power to write your own narrative.&nbsp;
This week you&rsquo;ll hear stories about people facing down their own internal narratives that threaten to keep them quiet and small.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Like a Preacher by Idayat Jinadu&nbsp;
As a young girl, Idayat is scared to speak her mind. She stutters. But as she becomes an adult, she grows to realise her stutter isn&rsquo;t an impediment, and that it&rsquo;s time she claimed her voice, like a preacher.&nbsp;
Produced by Idayat Jinadu.&nbsp;
Sound design by Mel Bakewell
The Supervising Producer was Evana Ho.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Ayla by Carey Scheer
This next story is from the amazing&nbsp;<a href="https://purpleorange.org.au/resources/stories/podcast/">Purple Orange</a> podcast that centers&nbsp; narratives around people living with a disability.&nbsp;
Ayla Regione spent years hiding her deafness, trying to &ldquo;keep up&rdquo;, and pushing through without asking for what she needed. When barriers got in her way, she blamed herself.
Produced by Carey Scheer&nbsp;
And an extra special thanks to Ayla Regione for sharing their story.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
All The Best Credits
Host: Gabriella Accaria
Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell
Programming &amp; Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos&nbsp;
Production Manager: Kwame Slusher
Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie
Theme Music composed by Shining Bird
Special shout-out to all our volunteers&nbsp;

Don't Talk about the water

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