Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hello and welcome. I'm here to provide acknowledgement of country. For those who don't know me, I'm kj Karen Jackson, director of Moon Dani Balletic. My genealogy tracks back to Moira Lakes in Barma Forest and Mount Hope in Pyramid Hill. Giving me my connections to Yorta, Yorta, and Barra language groups. There's a couple of things I'd like you to take away from my acknowledgement. The first is to remember the hidden history of Aboriginal people since invasion, our loss of language removal from country, and our new extinction from massacres and pandemics. The second is our strong and inherent connection to community and country. These connections have given us the resilience and courage to rebuild our languages, gain access to country, regenerate our cultural practices in acknowledging the traditional owners of the country on which you are now on. I'd like to sincerely thank them for their generosity and kindness in welcoming people onto their lands. Lands never seeded and lands that run deep into their being and spirit. I wish to pay my deep respect to the ancestors, elders, communities, and families of the rung wri on whose land I stand and who create connection and share knowledge with all of us. Thank you.
Speaker 2 00:01:18 It's an absolute delight to be here with Vanessa Barnes, who is someone I think has done so many different things in her career, and we're gonna find out about a few of them, but also has been incredibly important in the presentation of this university in terms of its safety, cultural safety, gender safety, and all the digital manifestations of those. Welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3 00:01:37 Thank you Adam. It's great to be
Speaker 2 00:01:38 Here. Great to have you here with us. Now, before we start talking about vu, which is about a decade of interesting work, I just wanted to take you back a little bit into your own heritage and where you moved from, where you grew up, that kind of thing, just to give it a sense for the those who are listening 'cause it's such an interesting story. So where were you from?
Speaker 3 00:01:56 I was born in Bendigo and I've moved to Canberra and then Bungendore, which is a country town out of Canberra, about a thousand people when I was there. No swimming pool. Yeah. Had to learn to swim in a farmer's backyard. Wow. Then back to Canberra for high school. Bendigo back to Bendigo for university. Yeah. And then Canberra from from there to go to a dance school full time.
Speaker 2 00:02:21 Wow. And so, and what kind of dance was this?
Speaker 3 00:02:24 Performing arts. So everything, everything, tap, jazz, contemporary.
Speaker 2 00:02:29 Wow. You must have amazing balance.
Speaker 3 00:02:32 I don't, I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 00:02:34 I just don't because there's not all those require it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:02:37 It ha it's, it was just really fun. Oh really
Speaker 2 00:02:40 Great. That's good. It sounds like you like movement as well. You know, I love,
Speaker 3 00:02:44 Love movement. Yeah. I'm a kinesthetic learner. I have to do things to remember them. Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:02:51 Absolutely. That's brilliant. Well, we'll talk about some more of that as, as we go forward. When did you sort of develop your love for things digital? Because that can go with Kinesthesia, but not necessarily, but in your case it does beautifully. So when did those come together?
Speaker 3 00:03:04 The digital started from probably when I was born. My father was, had one of those, I, I don't, you know, they're maybe hidden figures. Yeah. And they've got those really old computers that are the size of your fridge. Oh yes. Yes. And my dad started working with those. So, wow. As I've grown up, we've always had computers in our house. There's always been little bits of programming here and there. So yeah, I've kind of have dabbled in code a little. Yeah. But just to understand what you can do with it and how it works, I guess. Well that probably has influenced I am, I love things that are digital. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:03:42 Well, you know, when, way back when, and I'm talking in the 1980s when it was like the digital or the VAX 10 computers, you know, with the big mag tapes. Yes. They were about as big as a a wheel, you know, for a car. That's what started. And in fact, the whole kind of computing industry in higher education was at a NU, you know? Right, yeah. Began there in Canberra and that's how the very first things happened. So it was very physical and you could actually walk around with a mag tape and put your entire thesis on it. Wow. You know? And now of course it's like invisible, you know? 'cause you just sort of see the streaming version and throw it up
Speaker 3 00:04:12 In the cloud,
Speaker 2 00:04:13 Boom. You know, it's gone. But the digital is very felt as well. At least in that sense. It's fa fascinating thing. So when you came back, and let's just talk about coming to to Vu in the first place. Why did you come?
Speaker 3 00:04:26 I, I was actually in, in Love if you can be with a software, a type of, I really enjoyed Articulate software. Yeah. And I just kept looking for ads for places that developed e-learning. Right. In articulate storyline. And I, the, the job popped up here. So, ah, I, at some point along the way, I tried a few different careers. Yeah. And then found e-learning was something I was really wanting to get into. Yeah. So I, I went and did the hard yards. It was actually tricky to get into e-learning to break into that area. And I actually went and did a course through Chicago where you learn Yeah. You learn to use storyline and e-learning software. Yeah. And in order to do that, I had webinars that started at 5:00 AM in the morning. So I got up in the middle of the night, did my webinars and, and did this program to learn how to do that. Gosh. And a whole lot of other things. But when the job popped up here, I just jumped at it. Mm.
Speaker 2 00:05:26 And how long ago was that?
Speaker 3 00:05:27 Well, in two months. It'll be 10 years ago. Wow.
Speaker 2 00:05:30 So decade's gone so fast. It has incredible. But you sound like you're somebody once you sort of take your mind and focus on something, that's it. You're gonna go for it. Super
Speaker 3 00:05:39 Obsessive.
Speaker 2 00:05:39 Yeah. That's great though. But the world needs more of it, right? Yeah. Don't you think it's, you only feel flitting around and you're devoted to this stuff? It's a it's a fantastic thing. I'm
Speaker 3 00:05:47 Usually all in. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:05:49 I get that. It's a theme which comes through in, you know, in your CV when you look at what you've done too. And let's, let's talk about some of the training modules that you've done with, you know, Gail Bray and her, her, her group. I mean, they've been quite a range of topics, but they've all been very important to this university. You wanted to maybe describe some of those for us?
Speaker 3 00:06:06 Sure. I mean, we've, we've done a lot of, I've built a lot of modules for the TAFE and, and now modules for higher education. But some of the really special modules for me are the ones we've developed for staff members in the community on things like consent and respectful relationships, bystander awareness. Yeah. LGBTQA plus, yeah. Understanding and celebrating those identities together against racism. Those are the things that have been closest to my heart. I think I, in particular, the things to do with preventing gender-based violence. That's something that's been really important to me. I think I, I find that, I mean, to know that you've worked as a team on creating an online module that is going to hopefully make some people's lives
Speaker 2 00:06:53 Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:06:54 Better is, is it's an amazing thing to be able to
Speaker 2 00:06:56 Do. And look at it. Let's just, we'll talk about the importance of this in the context of International Women's Day, which this podcast is focused on. And also with the partnership with our watch, we're very respected external partner that's leading the way in many ways with gender based violence prevention. Yeah. And as you say, I mean, I've seen and used some of the work that you've done. Thank you for it. You've got
Speaker 3 00:07:16 A video of you
Speaker 2 00:07:16 In some of them, which is great. I really, really, really appreciate it. But the thing is that because it reaches anyone anywhere, it's so powerful. You don't have to necessarily go to it. It comes to you. And that's, to me, what the world needs more of is, you know, accessible, easily seen. But even if it's difficult topics, they're there for you. And I really believe you make some of the most accessible work I've seen. It's very, very, very well done. So thank you for doing it. Thank you. Just, just, great. And so when you talk about our watch, have you had much to do with them directly at all? Not
Speaker 3 00:07:44 Directly via flour, Taylor. Mm. So I, I know that a lot of the content is coming via our watch. Yes. So I can, it, it's, it's very much a large part of the content that I'm then building. So it certainly is. And making interactive and accessible for people.
Speaker 2 00:07:59 Oh, that's great. Yeah. We, we respect them immensely. And I think respect, as you said, is the key word in all of this. Right? Absolutely. It really is. And so let's just talk about some of the other things that you've done now, if I may, I'll just give an example. Sure. We were talking before about music and of course you mentioned dance, but there's another side to creativity and music that you've gotten into in probably in recent years, about three years. And that's drumming easy. So tell me, how did that begin?
Speaker 3 00:08:25 That was, I mean, I would've started drumming if I hadn't known how much I was going to love it. Yeah. I think from, I'd be drumming for 30 years, not three. Wow. But I just, there were just no female role models that I got to see, you know, watching Rage. I didn't see any female drummers. It's, I didn't think it was an option. So I went for piano, cello, those sorts of things. Yeah. But I was watching a documentary called Count Me In that has centers on a few female drummers and just listening to them, watching them. Yeah. I just went, whoa, that's interesting. Pretty special. And yeah, I just clicked in my head. Once the seed is planted, the obsession grows very quickly. Found myself a drum teacher. Right. Steve Pope, who's been fantastic Yeah. Here in Flemington. Yeah. And I've been drumming, I think I practice about 10 hours a week Wow. For the last three years. And eventually my teacher has said, it's time to join a band. Oh, right.
Speaker 3 00:09:21 And then Jesus sent me through a, an advert for Cat Crawl. Yeah. Which is has two other band members and they need a new drummer. Yep. And he said, surely this has to be a new band. I have an obsession with cats as well. So, oh, that helps. And I think having my Russian blue cat may have got me the gig more than anything else that I've done. But also I talked, when I sort of applied to be their drummer, I talked about some of the modules that I'd built. Yeah. The respectful relationships, the progressive inclusivity and some of those things. And that gels with a lot of the words that they sing about. They often have gigs where they donate money Yeah. For, you know, victims of violence. Yeah. And there's a lot of feminist commentary through their vocals.
Speaker 2 00:10:08 Oh, interesting. Oh, that's important. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:10:10 Some very satirical. There's a song called Mansplainer that's quite funny. And there's a song about my cats in the KG B about a Russian blue cat. That's how I think I got the gig. Could you,
Speaker 2 00:10:20 Could
Speaker 3 00:10:21 You the most I I have the right cat. Yeah. Oh, that's amazing. Yeah. But also really deep things, bag of bones is, has has got some things to do with, you know, domestic violence. Right. And so I, I've just find it, it's oddly a fun way to also do something that's really meaningful,
Speaker 2 00:10:38 Fun and serious. Both, you know, both things at once. And it's quite physical though, like Right. Quite tiring. Right. I mean, to do it like really well. So 10 hours spread out. What time of day do you normally practice?
Speaker 3 00:10:51 Whenever I'm not eating, sleeping, or working. Oh, right.
Speaker 2 00:10:53 Is good.
Speaker 3 00:10:55 Because that's really all I wanna be doing. Yeah. Sundays okay. A great Sundays evenings. Right. If there's even a lunch break, if you are working from home, I mean, you Mm. It doesn't matter what's happened in your day, a little drum and you feel great. Oh, that's, you just hit, hit a few things. Make some noise.
Speaker 2 00:11:12 That's great. And do you always use sticks or do you sometimes use your hands just sticks? Just, I wasn't sure. Yeah, because there's a purist version of this. Yeah. I,
Speaker 3 00:11:19 I really like the kit. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:11:20 There's, yeah,
Speaker 3 00:11:21 I've got an electric kit and an acoustic kit. Yeah. So I can, so I can do both.
Speaker 2 00:11:26 Oh, that's beautiful. And
Speaker 3 00:11:27 I have my first gig coming up in April, so I'm excited and nervous.
Speaker 2 00:11:33 You're allowed to say where and when if you want. I can.
Speaker 3 00:11:36 Sure. It is. It's at Nighthawks on the 24th of April in Collingwood. Oh,
Speaker 2 00:11:41 That's brilliant. That's brilliant. Yeah. Well, we're so delighted for you because I mean, these things, you're just continuously breaking new ground. And we also spoke a bit earlier, and I'd love to hear more about this. I mean, I've never done anything like this, but it sounded like it was almost, almost like a full day of, you know, it might be martial arts training and other forms of things. Oh. So tell us when you did that and where was it done? Was it done here at vu?
Speaker 3 00:12:03 This one wasn't at vu, but it's while I was at vu. Oh,
Speaker 2 00:12:06 While you're at vu. Yeah. I
Speaker 3 00:12:07 Did a program called Wimp to Warrior. Wow. And it was a couple of years ago. I'm over 40 at the time. Right. Which is, anyway, in intensive. Yeah. For that age group, basically they take a beginner, you, you have little or no martial arts experience and they teach you a whole range of martial arts over six months. The hardest part of it is actually getting up in the morning to train from six till seven each morning for an hour. Wow. Five days a week. But you are learning jiujitsu and judo. Yeah. Mu Thai, all of that. And at the end, and I, I guess I, there was two women in the group and the rest are all males. So it's kind of, and they're all, I'm tiny person. Everyone else is huge. I had to try and work around crush injuries and things like that. It was quite intense. But I, I attended every single morning. Yeah. And in the end they found they had to find me an opponent that was outside of the program because I'm so small, no one else was my size. Right, right. She had a blue belt in Juujitsu. So she was pretty good. Wow. And yeah, we had a cage fight as our graduation. So we,
Speaker 2 00:13:15 That's the graduation ceremony is, you
Speaker 3 00:13:17 Think you gotta have a walk-on song and everything you had, we had, you know, a referee who's done UFC, gosh referee. It was, it was the real deal. And we got in there and I made it to the second round. Well done. I think it's somewhere on YouTube.
Speaker 2 00:13:32 No, that's, I'm sure these things generally have a life somewhere on, on online, but, you know,
Speaker 3 00:13:36 But it was such an amazing experience. Yeah. And I think, you know, anything I'm conflict related, you can always go, you know what, I've stepped into a ring and I've had to, had punches flying at me and I've, I know how to block if I have to It Yes. Really does help your confidence. Yeah. You
Speaker 2 00:13:52 Know. And is it quite empowering in that sense? Do you feel, I mean, or you know, how would you describe it?
Speaker 3 00:13:58 Oh, achievement wise. Achievement. It's just to kind of go, I did that. Yes. If I can do that, surely I can do a whole lot of other things.
Speaker 2 00:14:06 Almost anything really. Because, I mean, I'm not sure. I think you're the first person I've ever met who said I didn't, haven't ever done that. And I ended up doing it, you know, it's fantastic. You know, really great. So, I mean, that's why we do podcasts because it's all about discovery, the, the little known facts of all of our colleagues. And it's really impressive to find out what they are. So if you wind it back and think you know what you're contributing both in your day job, your night job, your in between job, your weekend job, all those things that you love, it's pretty, it's a pretty full package. Right. And it's, each one of them has a contribution to the community and to people and to vu. I could not be more excited to hear about it. It really is. Great. And the final thing, I was just gonna ask you before we finish, what do you love doing the most of all these things you've done? You've mentioned dance, you've mentioned drumming, you've mentioned making films and videos and other things. Is there something which stands up as really at the top of the tree?
Speaker 3 00:14:58 Goodness. I think, I mean, drumming is right there at the top. It's, it's my main obsession right now. But I think it's also knowing that you are doing something, I think stands out and the ties across all of those, whether it's been in my workplace, has been, has been looking after. I mean, thinking about that gender based violence Yeah. And really wanting to see girls and women be able to, and to be able to inspire other people to be able to do things they might not have thought about doing. Or that they, you know, to be able to inspire people to start new things. Yeah. To start them later in life. Yes. I'm way older than a lot of female drummers. Right. It's, yeah. I, I think I just wanna inspire people to, to know they can start anything at any time.
Speaker 2 00:15:49 Well, Vanessa, you definitely do and you are. And you will. And I'm absolutely delighted to have had this discussion. Thanks a million for it. I'm really grateful to you.
Speaker 3 00:15:57 Thank you. Thank you for taking the time and yeah, glad to be a part of it. Great.
