top of page
Explore powerful stories at the intersection of history, culture, and music—from Aboriginal cricket pioneers and war heroes to legendary albums by Hendrix, Miles Davis, and Gurrumul. This blog dives deep into First Nations resilience, iconic protest music, and untold truths that shaped Australia and the world. Engaging, thoughtful, and unapologetically real—where powerful voices from the past meet today's social conversation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this page contains images and names of deceased persons.
Search
Backstory
Across continents and centuries, stories weave the fabric of who we are. From the unbroken spirit of First Nations people and Australia’s untold truths, to revolutions, leaders, and turning points that echoed across the globe — these are the voices and moments that shaped our shared story.
A glimpse into the life and legacy of Rosalie Kunoth-Monks OAM.
"Don't try and suppress me." Those were the words that stopped a nation in its tracks — and they came from an extraordinary woman. Here is a glimpse into the life and legacy of Rosalie Kunoth-Monks OAM — Arrernte Anmatjere woman, film pioneer, nun, activist, politician, and 2015 NAIDOC Person of the Year. Born in 1937 at the remote Utopia Station in the Northern Territory, Rosalie's life journey reads like something far too remarkable for any single human being to have lived.
Groote Broadcasting
Apr 152 min read
Gwoja Tjungurrayi: His story is one every Australian should know.
Next time you pull a $2 coin out of your pocket, take a proper look at it. That face looking back at you? That's Gwoja Tjungurrayi. A Warlpiri-Anmatyerre loreman from the Tanami Desert. And his story is one every Australian should know. Born around 1895, north-west of Alice Springs, Tjungurrayi lived a life that was extraordinary, brutal, dignified and quietly remarkable. He was a stockman, a station hand, a cultural custodian, a father — and a survivor of one of the darkest
Groote Broadcasting
Apr 92 min read
7th April: World Health Day.
The theme this year is "Together for Health. Stand with Science." Science has given us vaccines, antibiotics, clean water systems and treatments that have transformed human life. We are living longer and healthier than any generation before us. Most of us, anyway. Australia has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. But this high national rate is not one shared equally across society. First Nations males can expect to live nearly nine years less than non-Indigenou
Groote Broadcasting
Apr 71 min read
She stepped up to the bell of a gramophone and sang. What came out changed everything.
For more than a century, the world was told a lie. When Truganini passed away in 1876, British colonists declared the Aboriginal people of Tasmania — the Palawa — extinct. A people written off like a footnote in someone else's history book. They were wrong. Fanny Cochrane Smith was still very much alive. And she had something to say. Born in 1834 at the Wybalenna Aboriginal Establishment on Flinders Island, Fanny grew up absorbing the languages, songs and traditions of her pe
Groote Broadcasting
Apr 42 min read
Remember when "scrolling" meant looking through a photo album?
Somewhere between then and now, the world got a little bit... addicted. And Australia finally said enough is enough — last December, anyone under 16 got the boot from social media. Just like that. And honestly? Hard to argue with. Think about what kids used to do. They'd disappear outside after school and come back when the streetlights flickered on — dirty, tired and happy. Nobody knew exactly where they were. Mum wasn't worried because the whole neighbourhood was basically
Groote Broadcasting
Apr 12 min read
March 30th: International Day of Zero Waste.
International Day of Zero Waste — and this one will blow your mind... Picture this. The world produces MORE than enough food to feed every single person on the planet. Every man, woman, and child. Sorted, right? Wrong. In 2022 alone, the world wasted over 1 BILLION tonnes of food. That's roughly one in every five meals just... gone. And here's the thing — every single day, households around the world are throwing away the equivalent of at least one billion meals. Food that co
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 301 min read
Winning the War… But Losing Control?
In recent days, Donald Trump has declared victory — claiming Iran’s military capabilities have been destroyed and the conflict effectively won. But if that’s the case, why is the tone shifting? Why the softening language? Why the calls for allies to step in? Why the sudden talk of “productive conversations” instead of ultimatums? Because war isn’t just about firepower. It’s about leverage. And right now, that leverage sits in one place: the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly a fifth of
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 251 min read
Tropical Cyclone Narelle.
Even though cyclones are a familiar part of life across northern Australia, they’re still one of nature’s most powerful and fascinating systems. Cyclones don’t just “appear” — they build step by step. They begin over warm ocean waters (usually above 26–27°C), where heat and moisture rise into the atmosphere. As this warm air lifts, it leaves behind an area of low pressure at the ocean’s surface. Air from surrounding areas rushes in to fill that gap… and that’s where things st
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 232 min read
The logic of nuclear deterrence.
Deterrence means that if two countries both have nuclear weapons, neither side is likely to start a war because the consequences would be catastrophic. This is sometimes called Mutually Assured Destruction. During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union built enormous nuclear arsenals. Yet despite intense rivalry and proxy wars, they never fought a direct war. The reason: both knew that nuclear retaliation would destroy both countries. So in that sense, nucl
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 182 min read
Winning the War… But Losing Control?
In recent days, Donald Trump has declared victory — claiming Iran’s military capabilities have been destroyed and the conflict effectively won. But if that’s the case, why is the tone shifting? Why the softening language? Why the calls for allies to step in? Why the sudden talk of “productive conversations” instead of ultimatums? Because war isn’t just about firepower. It’s about leverage. And right now, that leverage sits in one place: the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly a fifth of
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 181 min read
"The historical connection between trepang, northern Australia and Asian markets remains significant."
Trepang — more widely known as sea cucumber — has a long and remarkable history in northern Australia, one that stretches back centuries before European settlement. These unusual marine animals, found across tropical waters, became part of one of the earliest international trading networks connected to the Australian coastline. Trepang species are abundant in the shallow coastal waters and reefs of northern Australia, particularly across the Arafura Sea and around the Gulf of
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 162 min read
The Shah ruled Iran for 26 years with strong U.S. support.
In the early 1950s, Iran was led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, a nationalist leader who wanted Iran to control its own oil resources. At the time, most Iranian oil profits went to a British company (the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, later BP). Mosaddegh nationalised the oil industry in 1951 so Iran would receive the revenue. Britain responded with an oil embargo and began pushing for his removal. Eventually the United States joined the effort. In August 1953, the Central
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 112 min read
The Long Shadow of the Shah and the 1979 Revolution.
For decades before the Islamic Republic existed, Iran was ruled by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah. His government was strongly supported by the United States and other Western powers. The reason was strategic. Iran sat on enormous oil reserves. It was a pro-Western ally in a volatile region and it acted as a counterweight to Soviet influence during the Cold War. But the Shah’s rule was authoritarian. His secret police (SAVAK) suppressed opposition, imprisoned critics and tor
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 92 min read
A New Front in a Fragile Region: The Escalation of War in the Middle East.
In the last week, the Middle East has leapt from tension to outright conflict — with repercussions that will be felt globally for years. What began as a series of threats has turned into sustained military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, drawing in regional allies and reverberating well beyond the region’s borders. The United States and Israel launched a coordinated series of airstrikes against multiple targets across Iran, including strategic mili
Groote Broadcasting
Mar 42 min read
Stories are often the first teachers we meet.
Long before classrooms, textbooks or screens, stories help children make sense of the world. They fire the imagination, build language, and quietly shape how young minds understand kindness, fairness, courage and belonging. For early learners, stories are not just entertainment — they are foundations. When a child listens to a story, something remarkable happens. They learn to follow ideas, recognise patterns, and connect cause with effect. Vocabulary grows. Attention deepens
Groote Broadcasting
Feb 252 min read
On This Day — 23 February 1968.
On this day in 1968, Wilt Chamberlain reached a milestone that once seemed unimaginable — 25,000 career points in the NBA. What made the achievement remarkable wasn’t just the number, but the speed. Chamberlain reached 25,000 points in fewer games than anyone before or since, redefining what dominance looked like in professional basketball. At a time when the league was still finding its national voice, Wilt was already operating on a scale all his own — physically overwhelmi
Groote Broadcasting
Feb 231 min read
World Social Justice Day — Friday 20 February.
Social justice can sound like a big, distant idea — something discussed in policy papers or debated in parliament. But in reality, it lives much closer to home. It’s there in everyday moments: in who feels safe speaking up, who is given opportunity, and who is quietly expected to cope when systems don’t work as they should. This year’s World Social Justice Day focuses on a simple but powerful truth — awareness is essential, but awareness alone is not enough. Knowing that ineq
Groote Broadcasting
Feb 202 min read
Lunar New Year — Year of the Fire Horse.
Today marks Lunar New Year, a time celebrated by millions across East and Southeast Asia and throughout the globe — a moment of renewal, reflection and bold beginnings. This year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse, one of the most intense and talked-about combinations in the Chinese zodiac cycle. The fire horse last appeared in 1966. It is associated with independence, movement and freedom. Fire amplifies those qualities — bringing energy, courage, passion and unpredictabil
Groote Broadcasting
Feb 171 min read
On This Day: 13 February 2008. The National Apology to the Stolen Generations.
From the floor of Parliament, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the National Apology to the Stolen Generations — acknowledging the deep harm caused by past government laws and policies that forcibly removed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, cultures and Country. The apology was never about assigning personal blame. It was not about telling today’s Australians — particularly non-Indigenous Australians — “you did this.” It was about saying, a
Groote Broadcasting
Feb 131 min read
The Stolen Generations: The effects did not end when the policies did.
In the quiet spaces between official records and family memory lies one of the most confronting truths of Australia’s modern history. Between 1910 and the 1970s, it is estimated that as many as one in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were forcibly removed from their families under formal government policies of assimilation. These children would later become known as the Stolen Generations — though the term itself barely captures the scale, duration, and hu
Groote Broadcasting
Feb 112 min read
bottom of page