Rambling: Good blokes, great conversations. | Podcast on RSS.com

Rambling: Good blokes, great conversations.

Rambling: Good blokes, great conversations.

by Shunter & 8Ball

Society & Culture

Season 1

Rambling #54 - On culture, leadership and serendipity with Rod Craig

Rod "Rocket" Craig has life a full and fascinating life where career, family and footy have all intertwined. At the age of 62, Rod is still playing footy each week in the Victorian Metro Masters League and has always incorporated his love of playing footy and being around footy clubs into his life not matter where his career has taken him. Rod's career in logistics and project management has taken him all around the world, including Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. His vast experience has given him a unique outlook on life and he chat's to Brian and Scott about what he has learned and how he sees the world today. Along the way Rod has played for 50 different footy clubs over the years and, along with his senior roles in multi-national companies, he has developed a keen sense of what makes a successful club and work culture. We expected this conversation to be mostly about footy, but in the end it become so much more. ______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month.

Rambling #53 - On telling stories with Mark Smith

Mark Smith is Surf Coast based author of five novels, including his critically acclaimed Winter Trilogy. The Road to Winter was shortlisted for multiple awards and is on the school curriculum around Australia. The sequel, Wilder Country won the 2018 Australian Indie Book Award for Young Adults. His first adult fiction novel, Three Boys Gone, was published in 2025 and his latest Where Truth Ends, has just been released. Mark's own story of how he became a professional writer is a classic sliding doors moment. In this fascinating conversation we discover how Mark incorporates Country within his stories, his methodology of writing, and how his passion for teaching young people to love reading has shaped his career. You can learn more about Mark here. ______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month.

Rambling #52 - On soil, farming and Aussie punk with Darren Aitken

Darren "Dags" Aitken is a market farmer with a life-long love of plants and the soil. He is champion of biodynamic farming and its importance in maintaining healthy and sustainable farming practices in the face of corporate industrial intervention in food production. Dags chats with Scott and Brian about the relationship between the soil and biodynamic farming practices and how small farms are struggling to stay relevant in the face of lack of government support and increasing bureaucracy. He also make a fascinating comparison between how farmers in China are supported by the government while in Australia they are increasingly being left to fend for themselves. In typically Rambling fashion, the conversation twists and turns to finally ends up at Dags' love of Australian punk music and the live music scene in Geelong and Melbourne in the late 80's and early 90's. To learn more about Darren Aitken and his farm Vortex Veggies, click here or join him on his field day here. ______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month.

Rambling #51 - On a second chance at life with Rob Lytzki

Rob Lytzki is one of the founders and directors of Foundation 61, a community organisation offering residential rehabilitation programs to men and women with drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues. Rob is a former Senior Australian of the Year nominee and an official Surf Coast Shire Local Legend. Rob discovered alcohol from a young age which led to years of sustained alcohol and drug abuse. He used drugs and alcohol as a way of hiding from trauma and grief he'd experienced throughout his life. Rob then found a way through his addiction and, long with his wife and 3 other founders began offering accommodation to recovering addicts. This evolved into what is now Foundation 61 a residential rehab facility in Mount Duneed between Geelong and Torquay offering a 15 bed facility for men and a 6 bed facility for women. This is an incredibly heartfelt and revealing conversation with a bloke who has used the experience of his own emotional suffering and addiction issues to help others overcome theirs. Learn more about Foundation 61 by visiting their website here. ______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month.

Rambling #50 - On 50 Rambling episodes with Shunter and 8-Ball

Shunter AKA Scott Hunt and 8-Ball AKA Brian Hine catch-up and reminisce about reaching 50 episodes of Rambling. They chat about their favourite episodes and discuss plans for the next 50 episodes. The also talk about Scott's plans for a new podcast and dig back into Scott's vinyl collection for another 6 albums for Brian to take home and review. This time it's a random selection of some favourite albums.

Rambling #49 - On connecting to the garden with Shaun McLeod

Shaun McLeod was working as a plumber when he had a life-changing experience in the Andes mountains in Peru which turned his focus toward permaculture and helping people connect with their gardens and make the best use of their backyards with intelligent design and permaculture principles of sustainability and zero waste. In this chat, Shaun explains what he means by "foodscaping" and "water harvesting" and how we can turn even the smallest spaces into productive gardens. We also discuss the importance of retaining the knowledge of how to grow our own food, composting as a key element to sustainable gardening, the role chickens can play in the suburban backyard, and we unpack what a shamanic permaculture course actually is and how undertaking one changed Shaun's life. Shaun's radio program "Diggin' It", is on 94.7 The Pulse on Thursday afternoons from 2-3pm. You can listen it live on the Community Radio Plus app or listen back to it anytime on The Pulse website. You can learn more about Shaun on his website Intuitive Garden Design or follow him on Instagram. _____ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month.

Rambling #48 - On the birth of a footy club with Jay Williams

Jay Williams is the President of Surf Coast Suns Football Club. After 10 years of fielding junior football teams, the Suns have fielded a senior mens team in the Bellarine Football League for the first time this year. Against all expectations, the Suns had their first win in just their second game. Jay chats to Scott and Brian about the incredible journey from being a junior club to the newest senior club in a strong league, being the second club in a town that already boasts one of the strongest clubs in the region, and the expectations for the club both on and off the field. Jay also talks reveals what drives him to be the founding President of a football club while also juggling family and running his own business. This is a fascinating insight into the passion behind grassroots football and a welcome good news story when their so many country clubs struggling to survive. To find out more about the Surf Coast Suns visit their website here. ___ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member for just $5 per month.

Rambling #47 - On wine and the changing tide with Steven Paul

Steven Paul is a director and the general manager of Oakdene Wines on the Bellarine Peninsula. He is a highly respected wine industry leader and mentor, wine judge and astute business person. Steven has been involved in the wine and hospitality industries his whole working life and is incredibly passionate about wine as well as the local Geelong wine region. In this conversation he discusses the changing nature of the alcohol industry, the challenges his business and the industry as a whole face every day, and how his attitude toward customer service is one of the keys to Oakdene's success. Steven is also a keen runner, cyclist, and swimmer. He regularly participates in triathalons and chats with the lads about how he manages the time it takes to manage his fitness while also running a multi-faceted business. Follow Steven on Instagram at @oakdenewines or Check out Oakdene Wines at their website or Instagram below: https://www.oakdene.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/oakdenevineyardscellardoor ________ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member. For the cost of one cup of coffee per month you can help support us to keep these great conversations going.

Rambling #46 - On life as an adventure with Matt Natonewski

Matt Natonewski is the founder and owner of Nevermind Adventure Tours, a travel company that runs motorcycle tours to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Patagonia and Ireland among others. In this episode Matt discusses the rocky ride that has led him to this point in his entrepreneurial journey including liquidating his company during COVID when he had ti shut down the main part of his business. Matt talks about how Nevermind came into existence almost accidentally, the challenges he faced after having to close the business down, and how - through seizing the right opportunity and by doing the right thing - his business is now back and thriving again. This is a great conversation about following your passions, the ups and downs of small business, and about seizing opportunity when it presents itself. To learn more about Nevermind Adventure Tours visit their website here Or follow them on instagram here. Watch Matt on the Shark Tank here. __________ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member. For the cost of one cup of coffee per month you can help support us to keep these great conversations going.

Rambling #45 - On a sporting life with Ken Davis

Ken Davis is an author, sports psychologist, coach, and astute observer of all forms of elite sport. He has published Born To Play: The Barry Davis Story a biography about his brother Barry who was an Essendon champion and considering one of the best players to have never won a Brownlow Medal. Ken has played and coached cricket at the first-grade level in both Western Australia and Victoria, has worked with AFL clubs including Geelong and Richmond, and has worked with the AFL Umpires. He studied fast bowling at the University of WA which led him to work with Dennis Lillee as he reinvented his bowling style following a back injury. Ken is a great story teller and in this episode he chats to Brian and Scott about growing up in a sporting family, how he ended up studying his PhD in sports psychology at the University of Florida, playing against Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh, working alongside AFL legends such as Malcolm Blight and Gary Ayres, and how the game of Aussie Rules footy has evolved. _______ To listen to this episode ad-free and to gain access to exclusive. members only content, visit our Patreon page and become a member. For the cost of one cup of coffee per month you can help support us to keep these great conversations going.

1 of 6