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The Assembly - Australia Season 2 Episode 6

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00:00Three, two, one, up.
00:07Anyone do any baking on the weekend to get in the mood?
00:10Oh, did you, Laura?
00:11I brought cookies.
00:13What sort?
00:14Sugar cookies.
00:15Oh, yum.
00:19Do you cook, Pat?
00:24I do cook, but it would not be earning any Mitchell and Starrs, that's for sure.
00:30Ah, come on in.
00:31I am so delighted.
00:33So lovely to see you.
00:35How lovely.
00:36Nice to see you.
00:37Come on in and meet everyone.
00:39Wow.
00:40Hello, I'm Shay.
00:41Hello.
00:42I'm Finn.
00:43Finn.
00:44And I'm Pat.
00:46Good morning, Maggie.
00:48Good morning.
00:50Lovely.
00:51Hello.
00:52Hi.
00:53Okay, everyone, we're good to get started now.
00:56Hello, Maggie.
00:57We are delighted to have you join us today.
01:01No subject is out of bounds.
01:04No question is off the table and anything might happen.
01:07So, welcome to the Assembly.
01:09Thank you, Thomas.
01:11Anything might happen.
01:13I'm ready, I think.
01:16Three, two, one.
01:19The Assembly is back.
01:20This time, there are even more students joining Australia's only Autism-Friendly Journalism Foundations course.
01:27And we're coming in from all over the country.
01:32We'll be studying at Macquarie University.
01:35With past Assembly graduates employed behind the scenes.
01:39And Lee Sales is returning as our mentor.
01:42How are you all doing?
01:43One in 40 Australians is on the Autism spectrum and it's important that they're included in national conversations.
01:48We'll be interviewing some of Australia's most famous faces to unmask the real person behind the public persona.
01:57Hi, Steve.
01:58Hello.
01:59What's been your most confronting experience in life?
02:01Oh, my gosh.
02:03Wow.
02:03That's a great question.
02:05Interesting.
02:05Was not expecting that answer.
02:07Neither was I, actually, but it just came out.
02:09That was the chair squeaking, I promise.
02:11Am I saying that out loud to everyone?
02:13After the Logies last year, I was just, I just stopped caring.
02:16I love that.
02:20We are the Assembly.
02:22Being part of the Assembly has taught me I'm capable of more than I think.
02:50I definitely think I have grown as a result of this experience.
02:56It's sad because it's the last time ever going to interview celebrities.
03:03Happy because it was amazing.
03:06I will never forget this experience at all.
03:09Hello, everyone.
03:13Hello.
03:15Are you ready to hear about our final guest?
03:19Yeah.
03:21I'm not going to stop, guys, so she can talk.
03:25All right.
03:26Our final guest is somebody I'm sure lots of you will have heard of.
03:30She's a very well-respected older Australian.
03:33She's a well-known cook.
03:36She has her own line of food.
03:39It's Maggie Beer.
03:42Show of hands, who's heard of Maggie Beer?
03:50Oh, good.
03:51Okay, so what do you know about her?
03:53Daniel.
03:54I just remember she made some of the most difficult pressure tests, I believe, in MasterChef.
03:59I'm a MasterChef fan, and she always gave me that vibe of, like, that grandma that wants
04:04to teach you things in a really caring and understanding way.
04:07So she's also been on lots of television shows.
04:11That heart full of sugar helps the medicine go down.
04:18Well, I've got the marinade pieces, and I'm using them as part of the dish, too.
04:22I like that post-marinade idea.
04:24That's great.
04:25Katie?
04:26You know the pretty girl, Peasant Farm?
04:28Peasant Farm, that's right.
04:30James?
04:30I know that she's done some work towards improving nutrition standards in nursing homes.
04:38You've done wonders here, Maggie.
04:40Do you feel a difference?
04:42Oh, yes.
04:42I have a drive to do something that's important to me.
04:47Bec?
04:48She's won Senior Australian of the Year.
04:50The South Australian left school at 14, set up a country restaurant, and went on to build
04:55a business empire.
04:56I'm really excited to meet Maggie Beer.
04:59How many people can say that they have met an Australian of the Year?
05:03Tiana?
05:04It was sad what happened with losing a child.
05:10Yeah.
05:11She would still be very sad about her daughter dying.
05:16I think, too, an older person is often interesting because they've got a lot of life experience.
05:21Often they've got a lot of wisdom.
05:22So, let's split up into our groups now, and I'll work with you all to come up with our questions.
05:28What do you guys are going to ask?
05:33What do you think is your fatal flaw?
05:36That's a nice one.
05:38I want to know what her husband did as well.
05:40It says he was a pilot, and then they were doing the farm.
05:43So, what was he doing at the time?
05:45Just chilling.
05:46Just chilling.
05:48Shea, what are you thinking?
05:49Yes.
05:50So, I have...
05:51What song do you like to sing as a choir?
05:53And can we sing it?
05:54Oh, yeah.
05:55Great.
05:55Okay.
05:56Yeah.
05:56And so everyone sings a song with her.
05:57Yeah.
05:58Yeah, that would be really nice.
05:59As we're heading into the last interview, I'm just so impressed by how far they've come.
06:05I love that.
06:06I cannot improve that at all.
06:08It's so good.
06:10In terms of their skill at thinking up creative questions, but just their general confidence,
06:14it's just been absolutely lovely to see.
06:16I'm very excited.
06:19So, Timmy, Maggie, what are you thinking about?
06:23I have been vegan since 23rd of August 2021.
06:29You haven't created a vegan cookbook.
06:33Would you like to collab with you?
06:34So, how come you became a vegan?
06:37Because I love animals.
06:39Oh, okay.
06:39And I don't want to eat them.
06:43This is Timmy.
06:45She's so cute.
06:46And I love her so much.
06:49Hi, legends.
06:50This is a great idea.
06:52If you run out of food choices, just buy a wrap and whatever vegetable fruit you have.
06:59On my YouTube channel, I make cooking, baking, vegan food.
07:07Like and subscribe.
07:08Press the like button and subscribe, please.
07:11Everyone loves me all over the world.
07:15Welcome to my room.
07:18That's my closet.
07:22That's from Vietnam.
07:24That's from Lowe's.
07:26I am very colourful because it makes me happy.
07:30I tie-dyed this one for my sister.
07:33I would like to be advocating autism on TV and spreading awareness and understanding about autism.
07:48Autism is my superpower.
07:51Do you like cooking or...
07:57I like to eat.
07:59We all like that.
08:00Do you cook, Willow?
08:02We're talking about that.
08:03I don't...
08:03I'm worried I might burn the house down when I cook.
08:05Yeah, right.
08:06Fair enough.
08:07I see food as a fuel.
08:09Like I have a...
08:10I have such a basic pragmatic view of it.
08:12I'm definitely not a foodie.
08:14Food is, to me, something I more need to get through the day.
08:17I think more of my questions were formed on what I might just ask a person that...
08:25The person that she be is generally, rather than her celebrity status.
08:29My goal is to establish her perspective on life that young people probably wouldn't have.
08:38I do love how older people, they not only have a very good historical memory,
08:44a lot of them also tend to have a bigger curiosity for history as they age.
08:52As you might imagine, this is my room.
08:55This thing up here reminds me of one of my longer-time interests,
09:00which is in buses and transport history.
09:04Autism does make me more curious.
09:06I love to go deep on topics.
09:12Hear that sort of sound?
09:14That...
09:14That one.
09:17That is a pied currawong.
09:19So I first got into birds when I was in...
09:23I was 22, actually.
09:26At the time, I actually started a history degree,
09:28and I think I spent more time reading about birds
09:31than I was reading about history.
09:32So that's where the ADHD can come in for you.
09:36It makes you focus on the wrong things.
09:40I don't have a job at the moment,
09:42and I've really struggled getting and maintaining employment
09:46in my entire adult life.
09:49Because I did relatively well at school,
09:51and so finding out that I'm one of the few people
09:54that can't hold a job for a long time,
09:58it was really depressing.
09:59When I got fired from my last job,
10:03the managing director said to me,
10:05when I get work-experienced students from Year 9,
10:10they already do a faster job than you from day one,
10:14so what's the point of investing in you?
10:18And I think a lot of employers who don't understand
10:22think that about a lot of autistic people.
10:25They see them as a broken factory part
10:28that just needs to be chucked out and replaced.
10:32Being part of the assembly has taught me
10:34that I can be good at some things,
10:36and it's also given me the confidence to dream big again.
10:40So many people.
10:54Yes.
10:55I'm just a bit nervous.
10:57Yes.
10:58We're not too scary, I don't think.
11:00I tried to think of the questions you might ask,
11:06and I just gave up.
11:09Bec, do you want to kick it off for us?
11:13Good morning, Maggie.
11:14Thank you for coming today.
11:16This is a safe space for everyone.
11:18Everyone can relax, be themselves.
11:21There will be no judgement.
11:23Please do whatever you need to do to join in.
11:25For example, fidget, move, take a break.
11:27Ask if you need anything to help you be included.
11:32Thank you, Bec.
11:35Daniel's got the first question today.
11:37Well, it's me next, right?
11:41Thank you, Daniel.
11:43Hi, Maggie.
11:44It's amazing to see you here.
11:45I can't believe you're right in front of me.
11:49So I would sit with my grandmother,
11:53and we would watch Cook and the Chef,
11:55and later Australian Bake Off.
11:58I am now a fan of MasterChef,
12:00and I feel I have grown up with you on TV.
12:04Which has been your favourite TV show to be a part of,
12:07and why?
12:08Oh, Cook and the Chef.
12:09Cook and the Chef.
12:10Because one was working with Simon.
12:13We had so much fun,
12:15and we learned from each other,
12:17and Simon was so much better than me
12:20at explaining science.
12:23I use instinct and feel,
12:25but he could explain scientifically why,
12:28so I was always agog.
12:30Yeah, my father definitely uses instinct,
12:32like you,
12:33because he's a home cook.
12:34Yeah, he's like his...
12:35Simon was a chef.
12:36Yes.
12:37So he uses the chef.
12:37Oh, did you see his knife work?
12:39Oh!
12:40It was incredible, wasn't it?
12:41No-one saw mine.
12:43It's so bad.
12:44It's so bad.
12:47Thank you, Maggie.
12:49So I'm...
12:50You'll go, Oliver.
12:51OK, cool.
12:52Hi, I'm Oliver.
12:54You married Colin after knowing him for only 16 weeks.
12:57The stereotype would suggest either love at first sight or pregnancy.
13:01What made you so sure so fast?
13:05Oh, that's what the family thought, of course.
13:08Um, I was 25.
13:13I was very mature for my age,
13:15you know, having gone out to work for so early
13:18and travelled for five years.
13:21And I was...
13:23His blue eyes and his laughter.
13:26I...
13:26I never questioned it.
13:28It just...
13:29I...
13:29I go on gut feeling.
13:31Everything I do in life is about my gut.
13:34And my gut was right.
13:36Uh, former British PM Liz Truss
13:38was compared to a head of lettuce.
13:40Um, Barnaby Joyce was compared to a beetroot
13:43and Peter Dutton to a potato.
13:45If you were to be compared to a vegetable,
13:48what would it be and why?
13:49Can I be a fruit?
13:54Oh, no, no.
13:56Um, a squishy tomato.
14:00Squishy in the centre.
14:02And vibrant in colour.
14:05Yes.
14:05Thank you very much.
14:06Thanks, Oliver.
14:14So, Maggie, um,
14:16when was the moment you realised
14:18that cooking is what you wanted to do with your life?
14:21Ah, it was when I was 34
14:24and it was when Colin was breeding pheasants
14:29because that was his vision.
14:31He was breeding them quite successfully.
14:35Ah, and then we would sell them to people
14:38and they would never come back
14:39because they didn't know how to cook them.
14:41They would look up a cookery book
14:44and there was no simple ways to cook a pheasant.
14:48And so we didn't have any return customers.
14:52And if you're a farmer without return customers,
14:54you're in dire trouble.
14:56And so I just started cooking them.
14:59It just, it just made all the sense in the world.
15:03And I just went from there.
15:05But if he had not had that vision of farming pheasants,
15:09I never would have done this.
15:10This whole food world that I've inhabited for 50 years.
15:16You've been a judge on the Australian Bake Off
15:19and you're a fan of singing.
15:21I did see a promo of you, like,
15:23singing A Spoonful of Sugar.
15:25Were you actually singing that?
15:27Yes, yes.
15:29You were singing that song?
15:30I was singing A Spoonful of Sugar, yes.
15:33Oh, my God.
15:34I'd rather sing about it than eat it.
15:40Was it fun?
15:41Oh, yes.
15:42I love to sing.
15:43Doesn't mean I'm good, but I love it.
15:46And I have a small choir.
15:49Thanks, Thomas.
15:51OK, Pat's up next.
15:53So my surname literally has the word rum in it
15:56and your surname is literally the word beer.
15:59But what do you think of beer as in the beverage?
16:02Do you actually like it?
16:03No, I don't.
16:07I don't drink beer.
16:09And I grew up in Sydney, the western suburbs of Sydney,
16:13and we'd get the train into Central Station
16:15to be able to go to the beach to get a bus to Bondi.
16:20And in the old days, am I allowed to talk about the old days?
16:24Yeah, that's all right.
16:25In the old days, there was this smell of the hops in Sydney
16:30at Central Station where the brewery was.
16:32I never have forgotten that smell, and it made me feel ill.
16:37Having said that, our youngest daughter, Ellie, loves beer
16:41and has actually made a beer,
16:43and I have had one sip of it and think it's OK.
16:46I agree with you.
16:49The one time I ever tried beer,
16:51I thought it must be out of crushed insects or something.
16:53I can't believe people get addicted to that stuff.
16:57Anyway.
16:59Now, you've been on this earth for a while now,
17:02and you've seen societal norms come and go.
17:05So, what was your perception of autism when you were younger
17:08and how has that changed over time?
17:11OK.
17:12I don't think I ever considered it, knew about it.
17:17Certainly when I was younger,
17:19there was absolutely no knowledge, education,
17:25and no interaction.
17:29My older brother won't mind me saying this,
17:33but he has Asperger's,
17:34but it was very late to be diagnosed,
17:38and then I understood him so much more.
17:41So, just limited, limited, limited,
17:47and that should not be, should it?
17:49And that's why this is so great.
17:51Very fair.
17:52But it's nice you had a family member who was close to you
17:55to, I guess, to deepen your understanding a little bit.
17:58Yes.
17:59Oh, well, thank you very much for your answers.
18:06Hi.
18:08Due to the recent lawsuit between Brooke Bell and me,
18:11and Nagi Mihashi, yeah,
18:14questions have been raised about whether or not
18:16you can steal a recipe,
18:17considering there are only so many variations of ingredients.
18:20So, I'd like to know,
18:22do you think it is possible to steal a recipe,
18:23and where would you draw the line?
18:25Oh, gosh.
18:27I knew I'd have some tough questions.
18:30OK.
18:32In a way, there's no such thing as an original recipe,
18:37in a way.
18:38But there is an original recipe in the way that it's communicated,
18:45the way it is written.
18:47In writing a recipe,
18:49often you don't know where the inspiration has come from,
18:53because it comes from everything you do in life.
18:56But you should always acknowledge a recipe that you've taken
19:04and looked at and think,
19:07this is terrific, I will just tweak it a little.
19:10That should be an acknowledgement,
19:12because a lot of thought has gone into that particular recipe.
19:16Drawing the line is acknowledgement.
19:19I cook pizza with my dad,
19:24and I love spending time with him.
19:25As an autistic person,
19:27I find pizza dough to be quite pleasant to play with sensory-wise.
19:30What process of cooking do you find the most sensory-pleasing?
19:34Ah, making bread.
19:37And pizza dough is just like making bread.
19:39I think there is nothing quite like having that dough
19:44that you have to shape and form,
19:47and it grows, it grows in your hands,
19:50and you feel it, and it's silky when it's ready.
19:53I mean, it's the most beautiful tactile.
19:55I'm a very tactile person,
19:58so bread is my absolute favourite.
20:00Maybe we should make some time together.
20:02Oh, we'd love that.
20:05Well, thank you.
20:08Hi, Maggie, I'm Sam.
20:11Are you the only one in your marriage that cooks?
20:15You'll be listening, so I have to tell the truth.
20:20OK.
20:21I've been married to Colin for 55 years,
20:24and he's never cooked.
20:26But I did have an accident about nine months ago
20:30and came home after a long period,
20:32and he had to cook, and he likes it a little bit.
20:38He likes it, but he still wants me
20:41to tell him every step of the way.
20:45And he knew I was getting better
20:47when he said, you're annoying.
20:50I know what to do.
20:53So now he's expanded.
20:57He's expanded a little bit.
21:00Not too much.
21:01I really cook.
21:03Thank you, Maggie.
21:06Hello.
21:08Why did you drop out of secondary education
21:12at the age of 14,
21:13and how did you feel about doing that?
21:17Well, that feeling about that
21:21has changed through my life.
21:22But when I was 14,
21:24my parents had a manufacturing business.
21:27They actually made kitchen equipment,
21:29and they went bankrupt.
21:32And my elder brother, Peter,
21:35and I left school.
21:37He was 16.
21:38I was 14.
21:40To help keep the...
21:42To keep the family,
21:43because it devastated my parents emotionally,
21:47physically.
21:49But for many, many years,
21:53like, until my girls were teenagers,
21:57I always felt I'd failed not going to university.
22:01But I realise now
22:03that going out at that age,
22:06just because I had to,
22:07it gave me such grit.
22:10It gave me that feeling
22:12I could manage most anything in life.
22:16And I have had the most amazing creative life
22:20with opportunities
22:21that I would never have had.
22:23In lots of ways,
22:25it's been the best thing
22:26that could have happened to me.
22:29Thank you, Shay.
22:34Hello, Maggie.
22:36I'm a massive fan of your cooking.
22:39Did being poor as a kid
22:42affect you as an adult?
22:44And how has that impacted you?
22:45Did it make you particularly frugal?
22:47Ah!
22:52Colin talks...
22:54Teases me that I'm a tightwad
22:56about certain things
22:57and totally extravagant about others.
23:01I...
23:01I've never celebrated money.
23:06That doesn't mean
23:07that I haven't been successful
23:09and feel very pleased about that.
23:13But, yes, no, it's funny.
23:18It makes me think.
23:19You're making me think too much.
23:22That's amazing.
23:24It's OK.
23:25Thank you, Maggie.
23:26Appreciate it.
23:27Thanks, Shane.
23:29Hello, Maggie.
23:30First sum of the personal notes.
23:32Pheasant Farm was one of the first places
23:34my parents went on a date,
23:36so you may indirectly be responsible
23:37for my very existence.
23:40I'm so glad.
23:43You have experienced many things in your life.
23:45What are the most valuable lessons you have learnt?
23:50The most valuable lessons?
23:52Having support.
23:53Having support of your loved ones
23:56and finding what was going to make a difference
24:00to you getting up in the morning,
24:02what gives you joy,
24:05they're the things that I've learnt.
24:09That's all.
24:10I'm so...
24:11APPLAUSE
24:12I'm so glad you came to the present farm
24:14to your parents.
24:16Sophie's next.
24:18Hello.
24:19Has anything made you unmotivated?
24:23If so, can you share an experience?
24:29There was a period in my life
24:30when, back so long ago now,
24:35we closed the Pheasant Farm restaurant.
24:39And it was...
24:40It was...
24:40It was my reason to get up every day
24:43and I was obsessive and worked so hard
24:46and loved every moment of it.
24:49But my husband came in one day
24:50and said, it's the restaurant or me.
24:53I lost the reason for getting out of bed
24:56for almost a year after that.
25:00I never thought twice about going with him
25:04rather than keeping the restaurant.
25:07But I was burnt out.
25:09And I do remember
25:12it takes something to get you up and out of that
25:15and I was lucky to be given that.
25:17Yeah.
25:18Thanks so much, Maggie.
25:21Thank you, Sos.
25:24Oh.
25:24Thanks.
25:27Oh, hi, Maggie.
25:29Was Colin's ultimatum at the time,
25:31it's me or the restaurant,
25:32was it at the time unreasonable
25:34or the opposite, very reasonable at the time?
25:37It was very reasonable.
25:39We happened to be given an award in 1991,
25:42I think it was,
25:44for best restaurant in Australia.
25:46And we were just a little country restaurant,
25:49so with a cult following.
25:51And all of a sudden,
25:52there were helicopters in the ram paddock
25:55and everyone wanted a table.
25:57And their expectations from interstate
26:00were different.
26:01They were about glitz
26:02because we won the best restaurant.
26:04Colin was front of house
26:07and he had to cope with the public
26:09of saying,
26:11well, is this what it's all about?
26:16And he didn't like to see me burnt out,
26:19so those two things.
26:20So it was very reasonable.
26:23OK, fair enough.
26:24How much has cooking defined you
26:26over the last five decades?
26:27Is there more to you than just cooking
26:29or do you love and enjoy baking
26:31lemon ring pie as an example?
26:33Ah, well, I'm not much of a baker.
26:37I might have been involved with a show
26:39that was all about baking for five years,
26:41but I don't have a sweet tooth,
26:44so I never bake cakes.
26:46Am I saying that out loud to everyone?
26:48LAUGHTER
26:49I can bake cake if I need to.
26:53Yes.
26:53Was there another part of that question?
26:55OK.
26:56I got so fixated on having to explain about baking.
27:01How much has cooking changed your life?
27:04Yes, that was the important part of the question
27:07and I segwayed off to baking.
27:10It has defined me entirely.
27:13Everything about food,
27:16it defines my life.
27:18and I think I'm very lucky
27:21to have found something that I love so much.
27:26Oh, thank you, Maggie Biff.
27:29APPLAUSE
27:29Timmy, would you like to stand up
27:33and ask Maggie a question?
27:34Hi, my name is Timmy.
27:36Hello, Timmy.
27:37I'm a vegan.
27:39What's your favourite vegan recipe?
27:43Oh, my vegan recipe.
27:48It's so...
27:50I find it quite difficult to cook without dairy or eggs,
27:54but I love vegetables in all their form
27:59and chickpeas and lentils
28:01and then add all the vegetables from the garden
28:04and then tofu
28:05and with some extra virgin olive oil on the top.
28:09Tofu, you...
28:11Here's a tip from me.
28:13Tofu, if you marinate it overnight,
28:16it'll taste better.
28:17Oh.
28:18Yeah, and if you press it first
28:20and then marinate it,
28:21it will taste much better
28:23than being plain and weird.
28:27Well, I will give that a try.
28:29Yeah.
28:30But my tip to you, perhaps,
28:31is beautiful green extra virgin olive oil
28:35and salt on the top.
28:36OK.
28:37And the difference that that makes
28:40and brings it alive.
28:41So we both have a tip about using tofu.
28:47I love wearing colourful clothes
28:49and you're wearing colourful clothes.
28:51Why do you wear colourful clothes?
28:53Colour makes me feel happy.
28:56Me too.
28:58Ah, I'm glad.
29:03I have notes.
29:05I apologise.
29:07You started a cooking school
29:09without any training as a cook or a teacher.
29:11What was your source of confidence
29:13for starting that?
29:14Ah.
29:15Well, I inherited from my father
29:18an ability to cook without being taught.
29:22And I just...
29:24I just feel food.
29:26I don't think food
29:28until I'm...
29:29..until I'm writing a recipe book.
29:31So it is an instinct
29:34to just know when something is cooked
29:36or without using a thermometer
29:38or something that goes together
29:40and our eldest daughter
29:42inherited it from me.
29:44And so I do see
29:46instinct is something that is...
29:49..is genetic.
29:50Hmm.
29:51Yes.
29:51Yes.
29:52OK.
29:52Thank you for your answers.
29:55Tiana, you're good.
29:57Hi, Maggie.
29:58Um...
29:59I understand you have had some experiences
30:02with grief.
30:03I, too, have had some experiences
30:04with grief.
30:05How have your experiences
30:07in grief affected you?
30:11I think it affects
30:13everything you do in life.
30:16Um...
30:17losing...
30:17someone...
30:19um...
30:20losing our daughter.
30:22but...
30:23you...
30:26you learn...
30:28you learn to
30:32live with it
30:34alongside you
30:35and...
30:37and, um...
30:39but you're changed forever.
30:42But it doesn't
30:43stop you finding
30:44joy in life.
30:46and it's so
30:48important to
30:50always...
30:51always
30:52talk of who you've lost
30:55and how important
30:56they were to you in life.
30:58Yeah, OK.
30:59I know that was a hard question.
31:02Thank you, Tiana.
31:06So, um...
31:07with Saskia,
31:08you...
31:09you must miss her a lot.
31:12Um...
31:12What was your best
31:14or strongest memory
31:16about her?
31:19Ah...
31:19she was
31:20a beautiful,
31:22beautiful cook.
31:24Um...
31:25and
31:25we always
31:26cooked together
31:27and we always...
31:28Ellie, our youngest
31:31daughter,
31:31always was the
31:32intermediary
31:33because we're
31:33very bossy women
31:35in our family.
31:38And, uh...
31:39there...
31:40there was
31:40cooking...
31:42cooking together.
31:43But also
31:43she was an
31:45entrepreneur
31:46and an
31:47educator.
31:48An educator
31:50about
31:50farming
31:51and
31:52sustainability.
31:53So I have
31:54all her speeches
31:55that she ever gave
31:56and...
31:57and so
31:58our memories...
31:59It's all about
32:01food and
32:01family.
32:02thank you.
32:06Thank you, Thomas.
32:09Shay, would you
32:10want to pass
32:10your mic to
32:11Laura?
32:11Yes.
32:12And then Laura
32:12can go.
32:15Hi, Maggie.
32:17I show my love
32:18through making
32:19things for people,
32:20especially
32:21through baking.
32:22How do you
32:23think cooking
32:23has helped
32:24you build
32:24meaningful
32:25connections?
32:25I think there's
32:29nothing quite
32:30like sharing
32:31something that
32:32you do
32:33with love
32:34and food
32:35is the
32:36language of
32:37love, really.
32:38When you
32:40are getting
32:40joy and
32:41you're giving
32:41joy,
32:42it's the best
32:43connection that
32:44can possibly
32:45be.
32:46My favourite
32:47thing to do
32:47is having the
32:48family or
32:48friends around
32:50the table.
32:50I like to
32:51have all the
32:52food in the
32:53centre and
32:53everyone helps
32:54themselves and
32:55then someone
32:55else cleans
32:56up.
32:57That's really
32:58important.
33:00In fact, I did
33:01some baking this
33:02weekend.
33:03Oh, did you?
33:03And these are
33:04for you.
33:04Oh, thank you.
33:06They say the
33:07assembly on them.
33:09Do they?
33:10I'll take them
33:11back on the
33:12plane and I'll
33:13share them with
33:13the family.
33:15So lovely of
33:17you.
33:20Hi, Maggie
33:25again.
33:27I'm currently
33:28the 2025
33:29ACT Young
33:30Australian of
33:31the Year and
33:32I knew that
33:32you were the
33:33Senior Australian
33:33of the Year in
33:352010.
33:36For me, it
33:36was a life
33:37changing
33:37experience.
33:39What did it
33:39mean to you and
33:40what was the
33:41experience like
33:42for you?
33:43Okay.
33:44Well, for
33:45me too, it
33:46was life
33:46changing.
33:48And I was
33:49made Senior
33:50Australian
33:50when I
33:51didn't feel
33:52old at
33:52all.
33:54And I
33:55just all
33:56of a sudden
33:57had a
33:59platform about
34:01the things that
34:01were important
34:02to me.
34:03I had 900
34:04requests to
34:05talk that
34:05year.
34:07Not that I
34:08did them all,
34:09but it was
34:09one speech I
34:11was asked to
34:12make to a
34:12thousand CEOs
34:13of aged care
34:14that changed
34:15my life.
34:16And that
34:17led to the
34:18foundation and
34:19the work that
34:20I have been
34:21doing for the
34:21last 11 years
34:22in aged care.
34:24So, life
34:25changing.
34:27Absolutely.
34:28Thank you for
34:29the wonderful
34:29answer.
34:31Thanks.
34:32James,
34:33you're
34:33next.
34:36Hi, Maggie.
34:37James.
34:37If you
34:39could prepare
34:39a meal for
34:40a person from
34:41history, who
34:42would it be and
34:43what would you
34:44cook them?
34:45Ah, the
34:46first person I
34:47think of, Luciana
34:48Pavarotti.
34:49And of course it
34:50would be Italian.
34:52And I would
34:53say, if I feed
34:55you, will you
34:56sing for me?
34:56Oh, amazing.
35:00My grandfather,
35:01who I was very
35:02close to, was in
35:03a nursing home for
35:04the last two years
35:05of his life.
35:06His favourite
35:06foods were
35:07McDonald's cheese
35:08burgers and
35:09strawberry milkshakes,
35:10which were
35:11difficult to come
35:11by in the
35:12nursing home
35:13setting.
35:14How do you
35:14think we can
35:15personalise the
35:17aged care eating
35:17experience to
35:18respect the taste
35:19and dignity of
35:20the residents?
35:21What a
35:22question.
35:24I have a
35:25soapbox.
35:25Can I get up
35:26on it?
35:26Of course.
35:30It is not
35:31ever going to
35:31be easy, but
35:32it's within our
35:33grasp to be
35:34able to do so.
35:35And that is
35:36really person
35:36centred care you
35:37are talking about.
35:39But before we
35:40can do that,
35:41we've got to
35:42get the base
35:42right.
35:43We've got to
35:44get every cook
35:45and chef that
35:45works so hard
35:46in aged care
35:47the skill to
35:49make every meal
35:50beautiful for
35:51everyone.
35:52And then once
35:53that is done,
35:55then we can
35:55tackle person
35:57centred care.
35:58What the
35:59residents want
35:59is involvement.
36:01They want
36:01to have
36:02things to do
36:03to actually
36:04be part of
36:05setting the
36:06table and
36:07contributing to
36:08their community.
36:10That's what
36:10they want to do.
36:11they have to be
36:14given that
36:15empowerment.
36:16It doesn't
36:17happen from
36:18them.
36:19It's got to
36:19happen from
36:20leadership to
36:21say this will
36:21make a difference.
36:23And it does.
36:24We must give
36:25them a good
36:26life to end
36:26of life.
36:27Everyone
36:27deserves that.
36:29Thank you so
36:29much, Maggie.
36:30Thank you for
36:31the questions.
36:32Oh!
36:33Bec, you'll
36:37go.
36:39As a 31
36:40year old who
36:41is scared of
36:42getting older,
36:42what advice
36:43would you have
36:44to age
36:44carefully?
36:45And I've
36:45already
36:45talking about
36:46Botox.
36:47Well, you
36:51know, I
36:52think I
36:52was 40
36:54before I
36:54had confidence
36:55in myself.
36:56My husband
36:56had confidence
36:57in me far
36:58before I
36:58had it in
36:59myself.
37:00And each
37:0110 year
37:02anniversary, I
37:03have big
37:04parties because
37:05I'm celebrating
37:06the age I am
37:07at the moment.
37:08And can I
37:08tell you, this
37:10at my age is
37:13a beautiful
37:13age in that
37:14you have so
37:17much to look
37:18forward to in
37:19terms of
37:20celebrating each
37:21age that you
37:23are.
37:26From the age
37:27of 40, I
37:27have never
37:28been frightened
37:28of ageing.
37:30And I've
37:30Botox is
37:31no, no,
37:32thank you.
37:33I don't mind
37:34my lines because
37:35they're laugh
37:36lines.
37:37And I just,
37:39I really do
37:39celebrate it.
37:40And as you
37:41get older, you
37:42get more
37:43confident.
37:43that is one
37:45of the things
37:45that I
37:46certainly have
37:47found.
37:48And now, even
37:49though I get
37:49nervous, nervous
37:51and excited in
37:52equal measures
37:53when I do
37:54something out
37:54of my comfort
37:55zone like
37:55this, I
37:57still don't
37:59feel that I
38:00worry about what
38:01everyone else
38:02thinks about
38:03me.
38:04Thank you,
38:05Maggie.
38:05I wish I
38:06had your
38:06skills.
38:10Will I?
38:11Do that
38:11sound?
38:12Here you
38:13go.
38:14If you
38:16were not
38:16a chef,
38:16what would
38:17your ideal
38:18job be?
38:19Ah.
38:21If I
38:21had talent,
38:22I would
38:23be a
38:23singer before
38:24anything else.
38:25But you
38:26need talent.
38:27I have
38:27love of it.
38:28But that's,
38:29I wish I
38:29had come
38:30through a
38:31musical,
38:32a musical
38:32world.
38:33And a
38:33musical so
38:34much.
38:36Maggie,
38:37our next
38:37question's
38:38from Kai.
38:39Hi,
38:39Maggie.
38:40Hi,
38:40Maggie.
38:41It's an
38:41honour to
38:42have you
38:42here.
38:43But if
38:44you had to
38:44choose between
38:45a three
38:45Michelin star
38:46chef and
38:47a home
38:47cook,
38:48which would
38:48you prefer?
38:49I'm more
38:50towards the
38:51home cook.
38:52I've done
38:53the three
38:53Michelin stars
38:54earlier in
38:55my life,
38:56and they
38:56were great
38:57experiences,
38:58but it's not
38:59the way I
38:59like to eat
39:00or I like
39:01to share
39:01my table.
39:02If you
39:03give me the
39:03choice of a
39:04really good
39:04home cook
39:05or a
39:05Michelin star,
39:05I go for
39:06the really
39:06good home
39:07cook,
39:07please.
39:08Same with
39:09me.
39:09I'm a home
39:10cook myself
39:10as well.
39:11Well,
39:11one day we'll
39:12cook together
39:12and I can
39:13help you out
39:13with it.
39:14Thank you so
39:14much,
39:14Maggie.
39:15I appreciate
39:15it.
39:19Is your
39:20Wikipedia
39:20lying?
39:21It says
39:21you're 80
39:22and you
39:22say you're
39:2380,
39:23but I
39:24think you're
39:25in your
39:2550s.
39:27Oh,
39:28you're
39:29just
39:29like
39:3050.
39:31I'm
39:3280.
39:33I was
39:3480 in
39:34January
39:35and had
39:35three
39:36parties.
39:37If
39:40something
39:40suddenly
39:41happened
39:41to you,
39:42would you
39:42be proud
39:43of your
39:43legacy?
39:46I would
39:47be proud
39:48of the
39:48work I've
39:48done so
39:49far,
39:49but I
39:50don't want
39:50anything to
39:50happen because
39:51I've got so
39:51much more
39:52to do.
39:53So,
39:54you know,
39:56it's like
39:57just starting
39:58something that's
40:00going to take
40:00the rest of
40:01my lifetime
40:01and other
40:02people's
40:02lifetimes.
40:04I think
40:04you have a
40:05wonderful
40:05legacy and
40:06you should
40:06be proud
40:06of yourself.
40:07Thank you
40:08so much.
40:12Bye.
40:17We know
40:18that you
40:18sing in a
40:19choir and
40:20that you
40:21like the
40:21song
40:21Blue Skies.
40:23Would you
40:24like to
40:25sing it
40:25with us?
40:26I have
40:27the lyrics.
40:28I would
40:28love,
40:28if you
40:29give me
40:29the lyrics
40:30and you
40:31keep the
40:32tune and
40:32I'll
40:33try.
40:33How's
40:34that?
40:34I
40:34would
40:35love
40:35to.
40:36I
40:36have
40:36to
40:36put
40:36my
40:36glasses
40:37on for
40:37this.
40:39Are you
40:39singing
40:40with us
40:40Lee?
40:40I'm
40:40not
40:41because
40:41I'm
40:41going to
40:41help
40:41Kai come
40:42in
40:42who's
40:42going to
40:43direct
40:43you.
40:43To
40:43your
40:43bow
40:44saw.
40:44ladies
40:50and
40:50gentlemen
40:51we're
40:52singing
40:53the
40:53sky
40:53blue.
40:54Blue
40:55sky
40:56smiling at
40:57me
40:58nothing but
41:00blue
41:00skies
41:01do I
41:02see.
41:03The last
41:04interview is
41:04a bit of a
41:05bittersweet time
41:06for me.
41:06I've
41:06incredibly
41:07enjoyed the
41:07entire
41:08experience
41:08and so
41:10singing with
41:11Maggie Beer
41:11is like
41:12the last
41:12hurrah.
41:14sunshine
41:15is so
41:16bright
41:17there
41:17was
41:18things
41:19going
41:19so
41:20right.
41:21This is
41:21a great
41:21way to
41:22end the
41:22experience.
41:23I loved
41:23singing
41:24along with
41:25everybody.
41:25It's been
41:26so amazing.
41:27I have
41:27learnt
41:27so much
41:28and I
41:29will
41:29remember
41:30this
41:30experience
41:31forever.
41:31Nothing but
41:32blue
41:33skies
41:34from
41:34now
41:35on.
41:39Thank
41:39you.
41:39Thank
41:40you.
41:40Thank
41:40you.
41:40Thank
41:41you.
41:41Thank
41:42you.
41:44What a
41:48lovely way
41:48to finish.
41:50Where's
41:51my
41:51biscuit
41:52maker?
41:53I feel
41:54very
41:55privileged.
41:56I like
41:57to beg
41:57for other
41:58people.
41:58Well,
41:59keep it
41:59up.
42:00Keep it
42:00up.
42:01Thank
42:01you so
42:02much.
42:02I love
42:03you
42:03conducting.
42:04It's
42:05my absolute
42:05pleasure.
42:06We've
42:07been buying
42:07your
42:07quince
42:08piece
42:08for about
42:0820 years
42:09now and
42:09it's
42:10always a
42:10winner.
42:11Thank
42:11you.
42:11And
42:12if
42:12you
42:12have
42:12any
42:12leftover
42:13it's
42:13great
42:13to
42:14brush
42:14it
42:14over
42:14some
42:15lamb
42:16chops.
42:16Yes.
42:17Do I
42:22get a
42:23copy of
42:23this?
42:26I want
42:26a copy.
42:27I'm
42:28just
42:29in awe
42:30of all
42:30of you.
42:41And
42:56I'm
42:57a
42:58one
42:59and
42:59I'm
43:00a
43:00one
43:04and
43:04I'm
43:05a
43:05and
43:06I'm
43:07a
43:07one
43:08and
43:08one
43:09and
43:09I'm
43:09a
43:09another
43:10one
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