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The Turning Point

@theturningpoint777

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The Turning Point blends music and storytelling, exploring songs that inspire resilience, reflection, and transformative life moments.

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Her mother's colon cancer became her WHY

Women's health is a conversation long overdue. Too many women experience perimenopause and menopause in silence, unsure what is happening to their bodies or where to turn for help. It's time to change that.

This October, the Australian Government's National Menopause and Perimenopause Awareness Campaign is encouraging women to speak up, access reliable information and seek medical support.

See comments for links

Faye James - accredited nutritionist, author of The Menopause Diet is an ambassador for the national campaign

At 14, Faye watched her mother battle colon cancer at just 40. Her father’s commitment to fresh food, home cooking and natural ingredients left a lasting impression, inspiring Faye’s belief in food as medicine. Today, her mother is thriving at 80.

Faye had found her ‘why’
She chose to help women navigate this stage of life.

Her own experience of perimenopause strengthened that purpose.

Faye’s advice is to nourish your body with balanced meals, stay active through walking and weight-bearing exercise and build sustainable lifestyle habits. But don't rely on lifestyle changes alone. If symptoms affect your quality of life, seek advice from a qualified health professional.

Faye says that awareness must extend beyond individual women. Families and communities have a role to play, particularly where cultural barriers make conversations about women's health difficult.

It was very touching that Faye paid tribute to her father with Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry – a song that he loved.

This is what turning points are all about. Childhood experiences planting the seed, own journey deepening understanding and turning those lessons into action, helping women feel informed, supported and less alone.

We all carry lessons from life. Sometimes, our greatest turning point is recognising how those lessons can make a difference to someone else.

Thank you, Faye, for helping bring this important conversation into the open.

Special thanks to Prithvi Rao of @cultural_perspectives for facilitating this discussion.

#alive905fm #menopauseawareness #perimenopausehealth #communityradioaustralia #fayecelinejames by @theturningpoint777

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10 days ago

I thought I was recording a conversation about line dancing.

I was recording history.

I had the privilege of sitting with Julie and Gary Talbot and Marcia Ferris - pioneers who helped shape line dancing in Australia.

Julie discovered line dancing when it was largely within the gay community. She attended a class and was the only student. When the teacher left town, Julie brought in Gary, their children, parents and siblings and the class continued. Line dancing began finding its way into the wider community.

Then came Marcia. Together, they began documenting and connecting the growing community.

A humble newsletter called Country G’oss was printed at home on a folded A4 sheet of paper. Copies were left on car windscreens to spread the word. Even the name has a story of its own.

That little newsletter eventually became a glossy magazine with more than 35,000 subscribers, attracting record companies and artists including Kenny Rogers.

Behind it was an extraordinary family effort. Gary worked full-time while helping produce Country G’oss after hours. Julie taught hundreds each week while raising 4 children, who were recruited to help with the magazine after school. After classes, students would often gather at their home for soup creating an extension of the community they were building.

Then there was the music: Heartaches by the Number, Boots Scootin’ Boogie, Achy Breaky Heart and today, Ella Langley’s Choosin’ Texas.

Gary explained how each song punctuated different periods of growth in Australian line dancing. The history isn't just in the people and dates - it's in the music that filled the dance floors.

Julie’s legacy continues through her son Josh Talbot of @line_dance_sydney , who has taken line dancing across Sydney, interstate and internationally.

Now, they are preserving that history through Line Dance History Australia website.

Last week, I pressed record and captured a piece of history.

Grateful for your time and expertise @luisacaroca

#alive905fm #joshuatalbotchoregraphe #line_dance_sydney #communityradioaustralia #greenwoodhotel #urbancountrylinedancing by @theturningpoint777

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15 days ago

🎙️ The Turning Point – Alive 90.5 FM

A special show today with Pami Rajapakse, welcoming Marcia Ferris, Julie Talbot and Gary Talbot to share their memories and their connection to Country Goss’ and the history of line dancing in Australia.

Thank you, Pami, for inviting me to capture the show through photos and video. 📸🎥 A wonderful piece of Australian cultural history shared through community radio.

#Alive905FM #TheTurningPoint #CountryGoss #LineDanceHistoryAustralia #CommunityRadio taken in Alive 90.5 FM by @theturningpoint777

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17 days ago

Australia captured his father. He came here anyway and built a life of service.

The Deputy Mayor of The Hills Shire Clr @fpdemasi Frank De Masi was recently elected unanimously to the role for a record 3rd time. But his story begins with his parents. His father was an Italian prisoner of war, captured by Australian forces during World War II. In 1950, as a young single man, he came to Australia with 1 suitcase.

Podcast link in comments.

He spent much of his youth fighting. Frank’s mother had been orphaned in Italy. Single women couldn’t travel to Australia on the ships then. She visited a church in Italy alone and married Frank’s father by proxy. She arrived here in 1952.

Frank’s parents worked incredibly hard and instilled in their children an ethos of compassion, generosity and service. There was little time for relaxation. Frank helped his parents after school.

He feels he had disappointed his father. Frank didn’t do well at school. He didn’t go straight to university. Years later, after marriage, he gained his tertiary qualification, just to prove to his father that he could.

What began as a temporary job at Australia Post became a remarkable chapter. Frank was later asked to lead Australia Post’s involvement in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and Paralympics, meeting medal-winning athletes and presenting plaques featuring stamps produced within 24 hours of Australian gold-medal victories.

He went on to establish post offices in Stanhope and Kellyville, building businesses that grew substantially. Yet the lesson from his parents remained - serve others.
Frank is involved in the Red Shield Appeal and supporting people experiencing disadvantage, homelessness, language barriers and addiction.

Through it all, his Italian heritage remains deeply important to him, including his role as a patron of Italian opera. Frank says that while it is important to maintain your roots, we should respect Australian values and live in harmony with each other.

It is not where your story begins, but what you choose to do with it.

#alive905fm #communityradioaustralia #italiano #italianmusic #australiapost by @theturningpoint777

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23 days ago

What happens when a child feels she has to grow up too soon?

@embrace_functional_medicine @sharoncassargalea shares a deeply personal journey, one that began in a turbulent household. Financial struggles and arguments were part of family life.

Link in comments.

Her father was a generous man who sometimes gave without being paid. Her mother tried her best to take care of the family. Sharon considered herself the mediator, trying to hold things together, carrying expectations and responsibilities beyond her years.

She was hospitalised frequently. The doctors unable to explain the cause.

Sharon dreamt of becoming a journalist but failed the JET exam. So she studied science combined with arts. Working in a laboratory, studying vaccines under a microscope wasn't where she belonged.

Sharon’s only desire was to be heard and seen.

Her journey eventually led to a diagnosis of endometriosis and a deeper exploration of Eastern approaches to health, including homeopathy. Bringing together that knowledge with the nursing and scientific background, Embrace Functional Medicine was born.

Today, Sharon's philosophy is ‘Where Science Meets Soul’. She encourages women to ask questions, listen to their bodies and look beyond simply treating symptoms.

Her own mother's experience with depression during perimenopause also strengthened Sharon's desire to help women better understand the hormonal and health changes they can experience through midlife.

From the little girl who felt responsible for keeping the peace, to the woman who found her voice and created a purpose from her own experiences, Sharon's story is about much more than health.

It is about being heard, asking why, finding your voice and ultimately finding your way.

The ’80s playlist was the perfect icing on the cake this week. Broken Wings, The Final Countdown, Bizarre Love Triangle and Living to Tell. A little trip down memory lane, wrapped in some unforgettable ’80s sounds. What a soundtrack to Sharon’s turning point story!

#alive905fm #functionalmedicinepractitioner #embracefunctionalmedicine #communityradioaustralia #communityradioaus #menopause #perimenapause by @theturningpoint777

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a month ago

@nathancassar_mc was bullied at school. Then, he found his voice.

In honour of the R U OK?Day, I wanted to revisit a conversation that stayed with me. I spoke to Nathan, award winning international MC and someone who knows firsthand the impact of being bullied last year.

Podcast link is in the comments.

Nathan was bullied at school. Instead of allowing that experience to silence him, he found his voice.

As a student, Nathan created ‘It’s Not Cool to Be Cruel!’, an anti bullying program in partnership with the Wests Tigers and Enough Is Enough. The program was taken into schools to help young people understand bullying, respect and the choices they can make.

Today, Nathan makes his living with a microphone in his hand, connecting audiences, creating experiences and using his voice to bring people together. His work has been recognised with more than 30 local, regional, state, national and international awards.

Just last week, that voice took him to England for his first international MC engagement.

There is something incredibly powerful about that journey.
The voice that was once targeted became the voice that helps others.

That is why Nathan's story feels particularly fitting for R U OK?Day.

R U OK? research tells us that 9 in 10 people who are asked ‘Are you OK?’ report feeling grateful, cared for and supported, yet 1 in 4 people may hesitate to ask even when they think someone is struggling.

And the need for connection is real. R U OK? reports that 8.8 Australians take their own lives every day, while an estimated 55,000 Australians attempt suicide each year.

Sometimes we don't know what someone is carrying.
Sometimes we don't need the perfect words.
Sometimes we simply need to notice, ask, listen and stay.
What happens to us does not have to define us.

Your voice matters.
Someone else's voice matters.
And sometimes, being willing to listen can become someone else's turning point.

#TheTurningPoint #RUOKDay #RUOK #AskRUOKAnyDay #Bullying #AntiBullying #Resilience #FindYourVoice #Connection #Community #NathanCassar #Alive905 by @theturningpoint777

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a month ago

Did you know that Clr @julie.griffiths52 AM was the brains behind the paid maternity leave entitlements?

Julie was pulled out of school at 14. Growing up in Seven Hills in a very Catholic family of 4 kids, she was the only girl. When her parents separated due to DV, young Julie felt lost.

Podcast link in comments.

It could have been the end of the story, but it was a new beginning.Through TAFE she gained an Associate Diploma in Records Management & Information Technology. She says ‘The universe planned it for me’

In 1990, she was recruited by the United Services Union, because females listen to females. Then came the @blacktowncitycouncil. She was the Deputy Mayor for 3 terms.

As the Director of Women, Child Care, Youth & Aged Care for NSW for 18 years, the first 3 years was spent mastering complex regulations and is now the go-to person for childcare matters.

A successful campaign for paid maternity leave, secured in NSW before it became national legislation through negotiations with Julia Gillard. She spoke about it in Korea at the International Labour Organisation convention. The men supported the campaign the most!

Julie was awarded an AM by the newly elected King Charles III. She sees as a platform to continue serving her community.

Julie loves women’s football and futsal. She has coached Australian women’s teams and proudly watched their domestic and international achievements. She says - You are capable, someone believes in you!

@mcgrathfoundation October campaign #pinkupblacktown will help provide a 3rd cancer care nurse at Mt Druitt and Blacktown hospitals. Julie reminds us that breast cancer affects men too and urges everyone to get tested.

I kept thinking about that little girl who had to leave school at 14. I can see where her determination to give others, especially women, a voice, to feel belonged and fight for fairness comes from.

I love the soundtrack of her story. I Am Woman, We Are the World and Girl on Fire, because, as Julie says, that’s who she is.

Julie, take a bow - you ARE a living legend!

#alive905fm #blacktowncitycouncil #mcgrathfoundation #communityradioaustralia #cancerawareness by @theturningpoint777

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a month ago

Giving a little of your time, can change the world for someone else!

For the third consecutive year, I am deeply humbled and incredibly proud to have been recognised and nominated for Volunteer of the Year - Adult Category.

Find the link to the podcast in the comments.

For me, volunteering has never been about recognition. It is about giving your time, skills and heart because you believe you can make a difference. Behind every volunteer is a story. Behind every story is a community that benefits from people who simply choose to give.

Volunteering at the @alive905fm radio station means giving your time, skills and voice to create a space where our community can be heard, informed and connected. Every programe, interview and conversation is made possible by volunteers who believe that local stories matter and that a strong community is one where people feel seen, heard and included. Thank you for appreciating my contribution, throughout the year.

This year marks the 20th year of recognising volunteers from all walks of life, people who quietly make an extraordinary difference every day.

Earlier this year on The Turning Point, I had the privilege of speaking to Gemma Rygate, CEO of @volunteernsw The Centre for Volunteering A former teacher, Gemma has spent a decade volunteering in Vietnam, helping build homes for families who lost theirs during the Vietnam War. For 13 years, she has also held the highest position at the organisation, a woman who has broken through the glass ceiling while continuing to champion the very people who give their time to others.

I am revisiting that conversation today, because it is a reminder that volunteering is not just something we do.

It is who we become when we choose to give.

#Alive905FM #centreforvolunteering #volunteersmakeadifference #communityradioaustralia #VolunteerAppreciation #CBAA #CBF #stmarysbandclub by @theturningpoint777

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2 months ago

Horses, exam results and anxiety - a childhood in three words
#karenlsander grew up in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, surrounded by family and horses. Yet she struggled with anxiety, feared failure and disappointing her parents. The script was the same if she came home with less than 80 on an exam paper.
‘Why didn’t you do better? You know better’
The link to podcast below.
Karen can now reconcile that past. Her parents too were shaped by their upbringing and experiences of a life touched by war.
I imagine Karen’s own experiences shaped the teacher she became with empathy, understanding and perhaps a deeper awareness of the fears her students carried.
The 50’s saw Karen truly embracing life. She wrote Aging Fearlessly - Don’t be defined by a number as part of a course, initially imagining it as a blue printed blueprint - until she discovered the cost of blue ink! It was printed in black, the idea behind it is anything but.
It led to a tv program, then a podcast and ultimately to Story Room Global, a movement connecting people through the power of storytelling.
I was very generously invited to the August Story Room event, themed Aging Fearlessly at the Bucketty's Brewing Co. Sitting among a packed audience, listening to 6 extraordinary people share stories of resilience, strength and faith, I left with so much to reflect on.
Behind every person is a story, behind every story is often a turning point.
Karen has just returned from a 2 month journey around the world. In true Karen fashion, Karen said ‘Yes’ to Colin when he asked her to marry him.
Our turning points often begin when we step outside what has been holding us back.
Aging fearlessly isn't about having no fear. It is about deciding that fear no longer gets to decide where your story goes.
Her soundtrack tells its own story. From All by Myself, Coldplay’s A sky full of starts to her love of great storytellers like John Lennon with Imagine and Carole King’s Tapestry, a fitting reflection of Karen’s journey from fear of life to embracing life.

#karenlsander #StoryRoomGlobal #buckettysbrewery #Alive905FM #communityradioaustralia #TheTurningPoint #storytelling #connectionsmatter by @theturningpoint777

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2 months ago

GPS getting lost?

** If you have a life experience, challenge, change or unexpected journey you’d be willing to share and the wisdom you gained along the way, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a DM

This week on The Turning Point, our guest was all set to join us. We had checked the details. We had rechecked the details. Everything was on track… or so we thought!
Then came the message.
And a call.
2 minutes before the show ....
My GPS has taken me somewhere completely different!
I am an hour away from where I started!
Apparently, our radio station had mysteriously moved about an hour away.
But it got me thinking…
Don’t we all have our own GPS for life?
Sometimes we let a partner, a career, a dream, a plan or even other people’s expectations become our navigation system. We trust them to get us where we want to go.
And sometimes… they do.
Other times, we end up somewhere we never intended to be.
So what do we do?
When life takes you somewhere you never intended to go, do not panic. Stop. Look at where you are. Pause!
Recalibrate your GPS
Adjust the destination or sometimes the route.
Keep going. Take the next turn.
You may be surprised where the new route leads.
Because a wrong turn isn't necessarily the end of the journey.
Sometimes, it’s simply The Turning Point.
Perhaps your story is someone else’s turning point.

#communityradioaustralia #Alive905FM #turningpoint #LifeGPS #gpsgonewrong #recalibrate #wrongturn #keepgoing by @theturningpoint777

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2 months ago

The New Face of Homelessness: Work by day, Gym by evening, Car by night, Repeat

Homelessness is an issue that continues to grow across Australia. More than 122,000 Australians were experiencing homelessness, with over 25,000 of them in Greater Sydney alone on the Census day in 2021. While many picture homelessness as people sleeping rough, the reality is that thousands are living in temporary accommodation, overcrowded housing or couch surfing, often hidden from public view.

The Hills District is no exception. For the past 13 years, The Hills Winter Sleep Out has brought the community together to raise awareness and vital funds for local homelessness services. Founded by The Hills Shire Council Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne in 2014, the event challenges participants to spend a winter's night sleeping outdoors while supporting organisations that help people facing housing insecurity. Over the years, the Sleepout has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and changed countless lives.

Last year, we spoke with Dr Michelle Byrne about how the Hills Winter Sleepout first came about, why homelessness is an issue close to her heart and the impact the event continues to have across our community. With this year's Sleepout taking place once again this week, it's the perfect time to revisit that conversation.

The podcast link is in the comments.

#Alive905FM #michellebyrne #thewintersleepout #homelessness #communityradioaustralia #communityradio by @theturningpoint777

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3 months ago

From a checkout operator to Attorney General of Australia.

No politics. Just life.

I had the privilege of sitting down with #michellerowlandmp Australia’s 40th Attorney General, the first from a Pacific Islander heritage.

Born and raised in Western Sydney, Michelle grew up in a small fibro house in Lalor Park, where her father, now in his 90s, still lives. Her older siblings were born in Fiji. Parents were shopkeepers. Then the family settled in Australia.

Her father worked at John Fairfax. He brought home newspapers and American magazines that many families could not access. They were an 'analogue internet' opening a world of knowledge and curiosity. Her biggest challenge was deciding what to read first.

As a child, she played with a toy cash register and imagined working in a supermarket. At 15, that became her first job. She stayed for 8 years, buying Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet album with her first pay packet - Livin’ on a Prayer still a favourite.

Michelle spoke proudly about her multicultural upbringing, her mum’s Fijian heritage, chicken curry sandwiches and the values her parents instilled - work hard, stay humble and never feel entitled.

Work experience as a journalist at the Sun Herald under Ita Buttrose and Blacktown City Council started the journey to being the Attorney General.

She shared the inspiring story of her husband Michael. He is Lebanese and grew up in public housing in Mount Druitt. Started school with no English but graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in Law/Economics.

Beyond the titles and accolades, Michelle hopes to be remembered for making a difference for the better. Learn about finance, plan your life, be adaptable is her message to young people.

This was a memorable conversation about curiosity, resilience, family, values and opportunity.

I am incredibly grateful that the Attorney General of Australia accepted my humble invitation to visit our community radio station to talk about all things life. This was a conversation that I will treasure forever.

#alive905fm #michellerowlandmp #attorneygeneralofaustralia #communityradiostation #communityradioaustralia #blacktowncitycouncil by @theturningpoint777

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3 months ago