Show Notes
HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 2 Ben Quilty: Problems to Solve, Not People to Kill Ben Quilty on love, masculinity, anxiety and the power of kindness. This wide-ranging conversation delves into the art and passions of Ben Quilty, also his friendship with Bali Nine prisoner-turned-artist Myuran Sukumarun, as well as the silence surrounding abuse during his schooling years. A visual artist always asking the ‘why’, Quilty is candid about the ‘unknowingness’ of creating and the cultural importance of art. About the guest Ben Quilty is one of Australia’s most celebrated artists whose work continues to draw critical acclaim, both nationally and internationally. Quilty won the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2009 and was runner up in the 2009 Archibald Prize with his portrait of singer Jimmy Barnes. In 2011 he won the Archibald for his portrait of artist, Margaret Olley. That same year he travelled to Afghanistan as an official war artist with The Australian War Memorial. In 2016, he was invited by World Vision Australia to travel to Greece, Serbia and Lebanon with author, Richard Flanagan, to witness — and document — firsthand the international refugee crisis. His work is represented in numerous major public, corporate and private collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and QAGOMA. Credits Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Ben Cunningham, Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Mary Macrae — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly
More from Heart & Soul with David Leser
HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 7 Bob Carr: Restless with Ambition, Twitching with Yearning A life-long learner and curious being, Bob Carr reveals a life devoted to politics, history and reading, and what it took to learn to live without his lifelong partner Helena after their fifty-year marriage and her sudden death in 2023. About the guest Bob Carr was Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, the state’s longest continuously serving premier. A lifelong Labor politician, he is known for his reformist approach to government and his strong interest in culture, education, the environment and the future of cities. His political career later took him to federal politics, where he served as a senator and Australia’s Foreign Minister. Before entering parliament, he worked as a journalist, including at the ABC and The Bulletin, and writing has remained an important part of his life. Now an author and academic, Carr remains an incisive commentator on Australian politics, public life, international affairs, history He is the author of Thoughtlines: Reflections of a Public Man, My Reading Life, Diary of a Foreign Minister and the political memoir Run for Your Life. His latest book, Bring Back Yesterday (2026), is a deeply personal memoir about his fifty-year marriage to Helena and the experience of losing her suddenly in 2023. Credits Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Mary Macrae — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly
HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 6 Geraldine Brooks: Grief is the Debt that is Paid to Love Having travelled the world covering conflict zones, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Geraldine Brooks turned her considerable observation skills to novel writing after deciding to become a mother whilst in a Nigerian prison. When her husband, an acclaimed journalist himself, died suddenly on a book tour, she had to entirely re-frame her life, as well as meet the looming deadline for her bestselling novel Horse. About the guest Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an acclaimed author, journalist and parent whose writing has captivated readers around the world. Raised in Sydney, she began her career at The Sydney Morning Herald before winning a scholarship to Columbia University and joining The Wall Street Journal, where she reported from conflict zones across the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. Her reporting earned international recognition, including the Overseas Press Club Award. Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006 for March. Her novels Year of Wonders, People of the Book, Caleb’s Crossing, The Secret Chord and Horse have become international bestsellers, while her nonfiction explores history, home and the lives of women. Her latest memoir, Memorial Days, reflects on grief, love and family following the sudden death of her husband, fellow journalist Tony Horwitz, in 2019. Credits Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Ben Cunningham, Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Andy Gordon — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly
HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 5 Deborah Thomas: Do You Want the Cash or the Caché? Deborah Thomas’s career in fashion and media started in the dress-ups of her teen years, took her through the punk scene of Melbourne and onto the catwalks of Europe, before she became known Australia-wide as the Editor in Chief of Australian Women’s Weekly. She opens up about her stellar media career, then becoming a female CEO in a male dominated industry, and the later career heartbreak of the Dreamworld theme park accident, together with the deep friendship she built in its aftermath. About the guest Deborah is one of Australia’s most respected magazine editors who began her career in publishing after a successful modelling career on the catwalks of Paris, Milan and London. After joining Cleo magazine in 1987 as their beauty and lifestyle editor, she went on to become editor of Mode, Elle, Cleo and then, for a decade from 1999 the award-winning editor-in-chief of the Australian Women’s Weekly. She then became director of media, public affairs and brand development at Bauer Media before being appointed chief executive officer of Ardent Leisure Group. She is currently chief executive Officer of the national children’s charity, Camp Quality. Credits Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Ben Cunningham, Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Mary Macrae — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly
HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 4 Rob Hirst: The Final Interview Recorded just months before his death in January 2026, Midnight Oil co-founder, drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst joins his close friend David Leser for one of his final filmed interviews. In a candid, generous and deeply moving conversation, Rob reflects on his childhood, his early love of The Beatles, the profound influence of his parents, his creative partnership with his Midnight Oil “blood brothers”, and his enduring passion for poetry, melody and history. He also speaks about the things that mattered most to him: family, friendship, gardens, music and creativity. In the face of terminal illness, Rob reflects with characteristic honesty and grace on mortality, gratitude and what he describes as a blessed life. About the guest Born in Camden, New South Wales, Rob Hirst was a founding member of the internationally successful Midnight Oil and one of Australia’s most influential musicians. As drummer, songwriter and lyricist, Rob wrote or co-wrote many of Midnight Oil’s most iconic songs, including Beds Are Burning, The Dead Heart, Power and the Passion, Short Memory, Forgotten Years, King of the Mountain and Armistice Day. For more than fifty years, Rob gave voice to the storm and rage of the times through Midnight Oil and a range of other musical projects, including Ghostwriters, Hirst & Greene and Hirst & O’Shea, the latter producing the acclaimed album The Lost and the Found with his daughter, Jay O’Shea. About Heart & Soul with David Leser Heart & Soul is a filmed and recorded interview series exploring the seminal experiences shaping the inner lives of remarkable Australians. Hosted by award-winning journalist and author David Leser. These are the conversations we rarely hear from people we think we know. Credits Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera: Harry Keilly — Sound: Mary Macrae — Editors: Harry Kielly and Sally Fryer. Filmed on location.
HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 3 Jennifer Byrne: When Mother Breaks the Rules There’s No Stopping You Starting her career in journalism at sixteen, Jennifer Byrne broke the mould of what women in her family were expected to do in life. Stories from a privileged childhood, a devastating family scandal, the Packer media empire and journalism in its heyday, Jennifer also opens up about falling in love on the phone and the joys of travel — even to outer space. About the guest Jennifer Byrne is one of Australia’s most respected journalists and broadcasters and has worked across print, radio and television for more than half a century. Following her cadetship at The Age, she worked in Fleet Street in London and in San Francisco as the Age’s correspondent before returning to Australia to join Channel Nine’s Sunday program. She then spent some 12 years travelling the world for 60 Minutes and, later, as anchor for Foreign Correspondent. In her glittering career, Jennifer has also been Publishing Director of Reed Books, morning presenter on ABC radio, and won national awards for her journalism. In May 2006, she returned to television to create the country’s first televised book club, which found a loyal audience and ran on the ABC for 11 years. More recently, she was the host of the Australian version of Mastermind and its celebrity edition. Credits Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Ben Cunningham, Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Mary Macrae — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly