We have been a collective failure — Brendan Gale's CEO address to players and officials, Richmond Football Club, March 2010

Brendan Gale became CEO of Richmond in late 2009, and delivered this speech to the whole of the football club in the rooms in the old Punt Road grandstand in early 2010. it was a vision for the future, and it was mocked in the press at the time. Richmond had not won a final for 30 years and had com…

ARCHIVE: He is one of us ─ Don Watson on Prime Minister Paul Keating’s Eulogy to the Unknown Soldier, Remembrance Day, 1993

Tomorrow is ANZAC Day in Australia, our most important day for commemorating and recognising the sacrifice of armed servicemen and women. To coincide, here is a re-release of speechwriter Don Watson's interview about the Paul Keating's 'Eulogy to the Unknown Soldier' delivered at the Canberra War M…

'Won't keep you, Les' — Andrew Rule's eulogy for Les Carlyon, Flemington, Melbourne, 2019

A bonus episode with Walkley winning journalist Andrew Rule recorded when we chatted about his eulogy for his father (episode 44)  This episode is about Andrew's eulogy for Les Carlyon, a fellow legend of Australian journalism and writing. The speech was delivered on March 12th 2019 at Flemington …

ARCHIVE: 'Lou was bigger than a legend' — Ron Joseph's eulogy for Lou Richards, RIP Ron Joseph

We've just had the terrible news that Ron Joseph, Speakola's guest for E36 of this podcast, died this week aged 77. He was so accommodating with this interview, and we chatted for nearly two hours about his incredible life in footy administration and in particular the North Melbourne footy club. I'…

You daughters of freedom — Prof. Clare Wright on Vida Goldstein's campaign launch speech as first English speaking woman to stand for national office, Portland, 1903

Vida Goldstein was the first woman to campaign for elected office for a national parliament in the English speaking world. It was the election of 1903, Ms Goldstein ran for the Senate in the Australian parliament, and she lost! Her launch speech was at Portland in Victoria and podcast guest Prof Cl…

No, Tony, I did not write the Misogyny Speech! — Speechwriter Michael Cooney on working for Prime Minister Julia Gillard, 2010-13

Between 2010 and 2013, Michael Cooney was speechwriter for Australia's 27th Prime Minister, Julia Gillard who was also its first female Prime Minister. Michael has written an excellent book about this experience, called 'The Gillard Project: My Thousand Days of Despair and Hope'. In this episode he…

Solomon in a singlet — Andrew Rule's eulogy for father Keith Rule, Lake Tyers, 1998

Andrew Rule is a Gold Walkley winning journalist and author (Underbelly) who grew up on a farm in Gippsland and made his way from The Maffra Spectator to the pinnacles of Australian investigative reporting. His father, Keith, spent his life felling and fashioning timber, and this eulogy is a beauti…

How to do a TED talk (or three) — Ruth Clare's 'The pain of hiding your true self', TEDx Melbourne, 2019

Ruth Clare is an Australian author who wrote the award winning memoir 'Enemy — A Daughter's story of how her father brought the Vietnam War home'. She suffered the trauma of domestic violence as a child, and has been talking about trauma for a living since she became a parent herself. She has deliv…

Best speeches of 2022 - Tony presents 'The Speakolies' on Triple R's The Grapevine

For the fifth year running, Tony awards his speeches of the year on Triple R's 'The Grapevine' with Kulya Coulston and Dylan Bird. Thank you to Triple R for the audio. Listen to The Grapevine on Triple R Mondays 9-12am. They are on break now until 2023. This is the new hub/community base for Spea…

You're more of a mattress — Laura Lexx on her bride speech, Somerset, 2015

Laura Lexx is an acclaimed British comedian who has appeared on many television shows ('Roast Battle', 'Mock the Week') and has written a novel 'Pivot' and a bestselling humour book 'Klopp Actually'. Her tweets imagining a steamy yet sensible love affair with Jurgen Klopp lit up Twitter for a weeke…