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The Assembly - Australia - Season 3 Episode 6 -
Ian Thorpe
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Ian Thorpe
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00:07Hey, Andrew. Hello, Lee. You look nice today. Thank you. Cute socks. Yeah. Have you got a pet, Oliver?
00:14Oh, we've got two dogs. Ah. What about you, Silas? Pet rocks. No risk of abandonment.
00:23Oh, here he comes. Hi. Welcome to the assembly. So tall. This will be unlike any interview you've ever had
00:35before. Okay. In a good way. Everyone, this is Ian. Hi, Ian. Hi. Hi, Ian. I'm Abby. Hi, Abby. Hi.
00:45Bethany. Hi, I'm Willi. Hi. Hi, Ian. I'm Savannah. I'm Savannah. Ian, nice to see you.
00:51There will be a test later. No, there won't. No, there won't. No, there won't. No, there won't. If you
00:55make it out alive. No, guys. Stop it. It won't be a test because that would be mean. Okay. Let's
00:59not do that to him. Let's not scare people today. I need people to be happy. Not scared. Who's the
01:05person here that I should be scared of? No one. Really? Okay. No, guys. We don't want to scare you
01:10because we won't be calm and safe. Okay. Okay. Thank you.
01:14Great. Thank you.
01:18Straight down the barrel of the camera, okay? Everyone, we're good. Okay. In three.
01:27Tonight, the assembly returns. And graduates from past series are back.
01:33How are we feeling? Pretty confident.
01:36And Lee Sayles is mentoring us.
01:39Hi. Hi, everybody.
01:41The students have graduated from the Journalism Foundations course and they're
01:45ready for the next step. Taking us on the road. Wow! And behind the scenes. This is
01:52really awesome! To level up our media skills. Hey Abby, we're about to record a
01:57song. Okay, I'm ready to go. On both sides of the camera. Square up to the
02:02camera. Some of Australia's most celebrated names are taking the hot seat.
02:07You can come and join my band. For interviews like you've never seen
02:11before. Have you ever thought about faking your own funeral just to see who would
02:14show up? If other comedians are more famous than you, do you get jealous of them?
02:20Yes. You've got this Jess. Tissue bells back again! Wow, what an extraordinary question.
02:28That's beautiful. We are Miss Gently!
02:46Being on the Assembly has been life-changing. I think I discovered who I am and for a long
02:55time, I didn't know that person existed. I just masked so long that the real me had just
03:04been buried. But I've learned new skills. I've learned to be more confident.
03:10The Assembly has been amazing on my life. All the different opportunities. And I feel
03:16more confident to speak up. It's been one of the best things I've done in my life.
03:21Let me hug the walls for the last time. Kiss the walls. Mwah!
03:27Lee! Lee!
03:28Good morning, everybody! How are we all doing? Good.
03:33Good. How is everyone feeling about it being the last trip?
03:37Oh! Amazon!
03:38Yeah? You've all done so amazingly. And the thing that is so, um, blows my mind is just watching
03:45your development over the, now this is the third season. Particularly for a lot of you,
03:50I feel like you're so much more confident and you've just gotten, you know, really a bit more
03:54self-belief in the time that I've known you. And that's made me so happy to see that. You've all
03:58been fantastic. Do you need some tissues or anything? I have a feeling you're about to cry.
04:03I'm okay. Do you? No.
04:05Are you ready to hear about our final guest? Please. He is a very famous Australian,
04:11five-time Olympic gold medalist, 11-time world champion. It is Ian Thorpe.
04:18Woo!
04:19Okay. Very good. What do we know about Ian Thorpe?
04:22He was a gold medalist. Do you remember watching him at the Sydney Olympics?
04:25Yes, I remember watching him at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
04:28Uh, he's probably the most famous Australian swimmer of all time.
04:35Yeah, absolutely incredible athlete. I think when he was at the peak, he would not have been able to
04:40leave the house without, like, every person would have known who he was. Um, Thomas?
04:46He beat the world record for the 400-metre freestyle.
04:50Does he go under 340? Stretchers, touches. It's got the world record. 343. There's his mum, Margaret.
04:59Um, Abby, do you remember Ian Thorpe? Yeah. I wasn't born in the 2000 Olympics, but
05:05I've heard good things about him. I am very, very, very excited to be interviewing Ian Thorpe.
05:13He won gold in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won gold again in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
05:24That is exactly right, Dan. He's also a very strong advocate on school bullying as well. Yeah.
05:31I'm on my way to meet with 14-year-old Kelsey. His family got in contact with us because
05:37he worries about being bullied at school every day.
05:44Shall we split into our groups? Yes. Good. Thank you.
05:49Have you got some exciting questions for Ian Thorpe? I do, yes.
05:53Is Ian Thorpe faster than a shark? That's just one of the top Googled questions.
06:00I heard you have a special little fur baby in your life. There's like a whole Instagram
06:04with just photos and photos. He is more than just a swimmer. Like, he's reached like cultural icon
06:10status. He did that while he was still technically a kid. Like, how weird would that be?
06:16Hello. Hello, Lee. How are you? Hello, yeah. Good, Andrew. How are you?
06:19Really good to see you. Yeah, nice to see you too. Thank you.
06:22All right. What are we thinking about Thorpe? Oh, very excited. Very excited. Yeah.
06:26I'm really excited. Perfect. Abby, let's have a look. Swimming for me gives me a sense of freedom
06:34and movement. The water has made me feel the same as everyone else. What did it mean for you and
06:40what was it
06:41about being in the water that made you feel happy and alive? Yeah, I love that. And I want to
06:47know
06:47why he loves the water so much. Great work there, Abby. Thank you, Lee. Love all of those.
06:52To help the students imagine what it was like for Ian Thorpe when he won his first three Olympic gold
06:56medals, I'm taking them to Sydney Olympic Park. Welcome to Sydney Aquatic Centre. Wow. It's amazing.
07:06This is where it all happened. Picture this in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Can you imagine when
07:12there's 17,000 people cheering? What, like, how noisy that must be? Wow. Let's do it. So I swam in
07:19this pool.
07:20So tell us about that. What was that? Yeah, so I, um, swam with Special Olympics in the 100 metre
07:24freestyle.
07:26In what year was that? 2007 and I won gold. That's brilliant, Andrew. How amazing. Thank you.
07:31What does it feel like to you seeing this place again? Um, it feels amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
07:35Absolutely amazing. I brought the students here because it can just spark some extra questions
07:40when you've actually immersed yourself in the person's world that you wouldn't get just sitting
07:45at your desk. This is the end of the pool where they start the races from. So they start from
07:50down
07:50here. Ian Thorpe was in lane four for the 400 metres. Should we spread out and have a look? Oh,
07:55yeah.
07:55Do you, have any of you got a lucky number? This was the lane I... And this was your number?
08:01This was your
08:02lane? Yeah, number three it was. Wow. Yeah. It's a very interesting vantage point. It's so still,
08:12like, it almost, like, looks like a, like a thin layer of ice or something that you, you just pierce
08:18with
08:18your body. I was standing, um, in front of lane four, which was his lane and I just, I can
08:26put myself
08:27in his shoes and I think from empathy comes great questions. We are about to meet somebody who's going
08:33to help us understand a little bit more about Ian Thorpe. Her name's Kirsten Thompson. She was a silver
08:38medalist in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, a teammate of Ian Thorpe's and they were also really good friends.
08:44Here she comes. Hi. Kirsten, come on in. So, can you just tell us a little bit about what was
08:50your event,
08:51what was it like and just set the scene for us a bit. Yep. So, I swam the women's 4x200
08:55freestyle relay.
08:56It was the sound and it was magical and, um, you, you've got this mix of, um, excitement and adrenaline.
09:04In my pocket, I have my Olympics silver medal. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Exactly. Is it really heavy?
09:12You can pass that around if you like. Don't drop the medal, but it's very special. That's okay.
09:17That's really cool. It looks like a humongous coin. Yeah, no, thank you for showing us that.
09:22That's really special. You're welcome. What is your thought process like on those kind of last few
09:29seconds, uh, before you dive in? Like, are you thinking much about the race or are you just kind
09:34of focusing on your feelings? In those final few moments, you're trying to just calm, calm the nervous
09:41system, get yourself ready to perform. Now, tell us about Ian. We want some insight about it. Yes, we do.
09:48I've known Ian since we were 13 and, um, he is one of the most disciplined, determined people that you
09:56will ever meet. Ian had to grow up very quickly and his life wasn't normal from a very young age.
10:02He
10:02was one of the most famous people in the world. And, uh, I can remember at one point we visited
10:07Japan
10:08and there were just, you know, mobs of Japanese people, um, trying to get on the buses that he was
10:14on.
10:14And does he have anything that he's particularly into? He loves fashion. Oh, yeah, that's interesting.
10:21So, um, he's always dressed better than me, but, um, he's very well dressed and it's certainly
10:26something that is a keen interest of his. Fashion and cooking. Cooking is his other things. That's
10:32probably a good way for him to relax. It's, can be done in a space where it can be just
10:37him and his
10:37friends and he can entertain and doesn't need to be out where everyone knows who he is. So, um, it
10:44was
10:44certainly something that he became very good at. Considering that I heard from Kirsten that he's
10:50quite interested in fashion, here's this one. I hear you're interested in fashion, so you must be
10:55quite a good judge. So, what do you think of my style? I could ask him to be honest. Oh,
11:01that's a
11:01lovely question. The last interview always is a bit bittersweet because I'm proud of what everyone's
11:05done. I'm happy that they've had a great experience, but I just know I'm going to miss them when it's
11:09over.
11:10Okay, everyone good? All under control? Okay. You're just getting better at coming up with questions.
11:16So, I'm just going to be out of a jog here, aren't I? Very good.
11:26How are you, Abby? You good? I'm good, thanks. Are you nervous? Oh, a bit, but you know,
11:31not overwhelmingly. Just a healthy amount of nerves. Hey, hello, Lee. How are we feeling about Ian Thorpe?
11:40Excited. Yeah, good. I just saw him out the back and said I think he's going to have a really
11:43fun time.
11:44Oh, good. Yeah. I hope he does. Yeah, I hope he does too. Oh, here he comes. Oh, here he
11:51is.
11:52Is he? Hi, Ian. Hi, how are you? So nice to see you. Nice to see you too. Come through.
11:56Okay.
11:57Everyone, this is Ian. Hi, Ian. Hi. Have you watched much of the assembly? I haven't watched enough of it.
12:04Oh. Yeah. Hello, I'm Thomas. How are you, Thomas? Good. So, how are you doing, Ian? How's life been?
12:11Life's pretty good at the moment. How are you? Oh, I'd say fine. I had dinner last night with some
12:17of
12:17the guests. Me. Cool. Including her. All righty. Okay, we're good to go. So,
12:24Daniel, you're going to do the opening today? Yep. Hi, Ian. Hi. This is a safe space where everyone
12:30can relax and be themselves. There will be no judgement. Please do what you need to join in. For example,
12:36fidget, move, take a break and ask if you need anything to help you be included.
12:43Thank you. Great. Thank you.
12:45Ciao. Abby, you do the welcome for Ian. Hello, Ian. We are a collective of autistic journalism students
12:52and we are very excited to have you join us here today. Our rules are no subject is out of
12:58bounds,
12:59no question is off the table and anything can happen. Welcome to the assembly. Thanks.
13:06Um, Fletcher, you'll go. Yes. How many hours per week did you train for the Olympics? Because I do
13:12seven hours a week for my Wiggles training. For your Wiggles training? Yeah. What do you do for Wiggles
13:18training? Singing, dancing, getting ready for the big show. I love that. Um, it varies and so we go through
13:27different training phases, but between 30 and 40 hours a week of training. It's usually 20 hours of
13:34swimming. Then on top of it, you know, we do weights, we do extra fitness, we do injury prevention.
13:42There's a bunch of things that we're doing, just exercising. 20 hours? Yeah, in the pool. Yikes!
13:52Thank you very much. Thank you. Thanks so much, Fletcher. Evie?
14:00Um, you've described yourself in the past as being quite introverted. I'm also an introverted person.
14:09Um, how do you cope with the social and public demands of having a high profile?
14:17Sometimes well, and sometimes not so well. I realise that I'm someone that's more comfortable in small
14:24groups, um, or by myself, um, and that's okay. But then there's some things that are completely
14:31extroverted that I bring myself to do. So like today, for example, this is more people than I usually
14:37hang around. Um, so I've had to learn to be as comfortable in a situation, whether it's like this,
14:46or if it's with hundreds or thousands of people around me, to be able to, to get through it. And
14:53sometimes it feels like getting through it. Today's feeling okay. You know, for me, it's occasionally
14:59taking a break, um, and just go, I'm all right. I'm okay. And I select the things that I do.
15:06And I kind of, I have to like prep myself and get ready. I kind of give myself a little
15:11bit of a pep
15:12talk before I do it. And usually it's okay. It's not as big a deal as what I actually have
15:17made it out
15:18in my head to be. But I do usually find that after something like this, that I'm more tired than
15:26what most people are from doing it. I relate a lot to that. Um, and, um, I identify as non
15:36-binary,
15:37asexual and aromantic, and I find it hard to get people to recognise this. How hard was it to get
15:46people to accept you as gay? Um, it, look, it wasn't, it wasn't actually, it wasn't terribly
15:57difficult to have people accept me as gay. I think, you know, for me, uh, and why being out
16:04is important is to be an example that makes it easier for someone else to come out that may be
16:11in circumstances that are more difficult than what yours were. So someone else's journey is a little
16:18bit easier. Thanks. Savannah. Hi, Ian. Hi, Savannah.
16:34I like Thorpey. Thorpey or Thorpey? Thorpey. Yeah, that's what most people go with. And the reason
16:41for it, I used to have a pet bird called Bluey. Bluey. Bluey was a bird. Uh, budgie. Not a
16:49dog.
16:49No. Oh, oh, oh. So... Bluey was able to say my name like that in a, a very bird-like
16:57fashion.
17:00All right. Here are my questions for you today, Ian.
17:03Ah!
17:07What an extra question for me.
17:10Okay. You hosted a show on bullying in an Australian schools. When you see kids in public
17:17transport or walking to school, do you get a vibe on who is a bully and who might get bullied?
17:23It's interesting. I, I did do a show called Bullied and we know that bullying has happened
17:29across many different generations and it feels as though it's kind of at a epidemic level. And there's
17:38so many new ways to actually be bullied as well. But what we found out following a few individuals
17:44throughout is that the role of the bully can actually change, um, to being the person that's bullied.
17:52So they may be the bully one day, then they'll be in the group that, for a simple way of
17:58saying it,
17:59are the bystanders. And then somewhere else that person might get bullied. And that switches around.
18:05So when we look at what we all can do, if we, because most of us will actually witness bullying
18:12happen,
18:13whether it's in the workplace, if it's at school, is to actually be one of the people that says
18:19something collectively in a group. That's the part that can change because that's the majority of
18:24people who don't know what to say, don't want to be the person that might get picked on next or
18:29bullied next.
18:31Message our tour bullies. There is no excuse why you want to cause harm to other people's lives.
18:37And bring them down. Thank you, Ian. Thanks. Thanks, Savannah.
18:42Hi, Ian. I'm James. Casting your mind back to when you were competing, when you dive in as the race
18:49begins,
18:50what's the very first sensation you notice? So I'll have a cheer of the crowd when I'm in flight.
18:58So when I depart off the blocks, I pierce through the water into a streamlined position.
19:04I hear the noise that the water makes from the splash and then the way the water and air is
19:11moving
19:11off my body. And my favourite part is the silence that happens at that point. It's like changing worlds
19:20in that moment. Yeah, I really go into the sensory experience at that point.
19:28Oh, that's really interesting. Yeah, I totally agree. I love the silence and the sounds of the water.
19:36How do you think the current climate of social media and the constant coverage would have shaped your
19:42early career if it had existed 25 years ago? Great question. When I was actually an athlete,
19:51social media was coming in and I decided, no, I'm not very active on social media. And I'm not to
19:58this
19:58day because I want a sense of privacy in my life. But it is a tool for athletes to be
20:06able to promote
20:07their profile. Most of the Australian Olympic team would struggle to make what would be kind of
20:15considered a minimum wage. Swimmers do a little bit better, but for how many hours you put in
20:22to what you are able to try and live off, usually it's working a job that supports you. And this
20:27is
20:27just an avenue to be able to create a brand and also to make money. Well, thank you. That was
20:34very
20:35insightful. Thanks. Thanks, James. Hello, Ian. I'm Dale. Hi. I was homeschooled, so I missed out on a lot
20:41of cultural references. Like, I never heard of you until about a week ago. Awesome. You missed a lot of
20:46school as part of your hectic training program. What is something that completely passed you by?
20:50Oh, um, I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure out all of the things I may have
20:56missed out on school. Yeah, so my last year that I did at high school, the previous year I'd missed,
21:03I think it was 102 of 200 days at school, from travelling, training, whatever it might be,
21:10having an excuse my mum let me not go to school that day. Um, I don't know.
21:21I'm going to keep thinking of it. I'm going to get back to you of what I may have missed.
21:24That's all right. Okay. Swimmers are known to eat like crazy. What's the strangest thing
21:29you've smashed straight after a race when you were starving? I used to eat lollies, um, straight
21:34after racing. Turns out it's not the best thing. It does replace fuel really quickly, but it's not
21:40good for recovery. Well, thank you for answering to Ian. Thank you. Thanks, Dale. Thomas, it's your
21:44go if you want to grab the mic. Hi Ian, what's the funniest thing that's ever happened in your life?
21:52Oh, my life is hysterical. Um, funny things happen all the time. Um, so I went to watch, uh,
22:00the filming of a TV show that was a hit show when I was growing up. It was Friends. And
22:08I went to
22:09watch it being filmed. And I was just going as a tourist. And I was recognised in the crowd. And
22:17they
22:17asked me, do you want to be on an episode? Um, so I was invited in. So things like this
22:23happen.
22:25Then one of the writers for the show said, if you would like a role on the show,
22:30give us two weeks notice and we can write you into the script. Did you accept it? No,
22:34I was an athlete. I know. These are all the things that if you have your time again is saying
22:39yes to
22:40more of the really crazy things that happen. I was also offered to be a pop star in Japan.
22:47Oh, wow. I was offered a record deal. And I told them that I can't sing. And they said,
22:54we don't care. If the Friends thing would happen again, something like that would happen again,
23:00would you accept being on the show? Yeah. Now all of those things, absolutely. But you've got to
23:07remember as well, I am a very focused young person that was thinking anything like that is a
23:15distraction from what I'm trying to achieve. And so that's, yeah. So just a little bit more balance,
23:21like doing some of those cool things. I reckon you'd make a good actor. Really? Yeah. Yeah.
23:28You look like someone who'd act. It's a compliment. Okay. Thank you.
23:36Basically, I'm in the background in an episode. I never knew I needed this life skill, but you say the
23:43word watermelon, but you don't say it out loud because it looks like you're having a conversation.
23:49How was it meeting Melman? Melman? What's that? Oh, I think she's talking about David Schwimmer,
23:58because he voiced Melman in Madagascar. Oh, I love the movie. Cool. I didn't get that. Okay. That's my pop
24:09reference that I missed out on, by the way. Question from before. Thanks Thomas. Thank you. Molly. Thank you.
24:18I love dogs and I heard you have a special little fur baby in your life. Who is she? And
24:23is it true
24:23that she has her own Instagram? It is true she has her own Instagram. I've had her since she was
24:30a puppy
24:30and I named her after Kaya Gerber, who's one of the top models and one of my friend's daughters. But
24:39that
24:39became really awkward when I had to tell them that I've named my dog after your daughter. It went down
24:45a
24:46whole lot better when I was like that she was the prettiest girl that I'd seen. That works out well.
24:51She's super cute and gets away with a lot. What kind of dog is she? She's a Cavoodle. I have
24:59a
24:59Groodle, so I feel like there would be a girl. Okay, all the Oodles like hanging out together.
25:04Thank you. Cool. Thanks Wally. Andrew? What is your favourite thing to cook as you love cooking? I love
25:12preparing, um, Indian food. Yeah. I love dry roasting spices. Yes. So you get all of the
25:20the aroma from that as you're cooking and then layering those spices together. So I get more
25:28pleasure out of preparing it than I do eating it. Oh wow. That's amazing. Thank you. And I competed
25:35in the Special Olympics and won a gold medal in the 100m freestyle event. It was amazing. Can you tell
25:41me
25:41what the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was like for you? Well, the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games were amazing
25:46for me as well. Yes. Where did you swim at the Sydney Olympics? Um, I swam at the home bush
25:52pool. Okay.
25:53Where you swam in the 2000 Games. I thought it might have been at the same pool. Yes, that's amazing.
25:58Um, yeah, it, it was amazing for me. I, um, I'm from Sydney. I still live in Sydney and when
26:07I was young,
26:07I never thought I was going to be old enough for the Sydney Olympics. I always thought I wouldn't have
26:12matured enough as an athlete by then. Wow. Um, so then I went in where everyone just expected me to
26:19win.
26:19Yes. Yeah. So a lot of pressure, but it was as though the city grew up for the Olympic Games.
26:26Amazing. Yeah. Thank you, Ian. Pleasure. Thank you. Thanks, Andrew. Pat. All right.
26:33Have you ever gone back to that pool in Sydney Olympic Park where you won your gold medals?
26:39I have quite a few times. Uh, and the last time I was there was just a few weeks ago.
26:44Hmm. Hmm. And, um, what runs through your head when you return?
26:48I was very used to that, that pool because I trained in there when I was like a kid.
26:53So I knew where I was when I was walking into the pool the first time at the Olympics.
26:59Seeing it, it didn't look the same. And so I have to go to memory, uh, then to feel that
27:05way.
27:06Hmm. Hmm. There you go. Well, thank you very much for that.
27:08Cool. Thanks very much, Pat. Mitch.
27:11So you must have done a lot of training for swimming, which possibly includes maybe
27:18holding your breath underwater. Yeah, it did.
27:22Um, and that must have been really hard, um, to practice because you're allergic to, um, chlorine as well.
27:31I am allergic to chlorine, yes. So what I was wanting to ask you was how long can you hold
27:36your breath
27:36underwater for? What's your record? Ooh.
27:38Ooh. Okay. I can't remember exactly.
27:41Oh. But I know it's in minutes.
27:43Um. In minutes, oh? Yeah.
27:45Zoinks! Yeah.
27:46But if you ask Free Diver what theirs is, it's much longer than what mine is.
27:51Oh, jeez. Yeah. Like, probably at least double.
27:53Okay. All right. Thank you, Inde. Cool.
27:56Thank you, Nish.
27:58Thanks.
27:58Bethany.
28:00If your gold medals could talk, which one would be the most dramatic storyteller?
28:04Ooh.
28:06I love that there's a world where gold medals talk.
28:10Do they talk to each other?
28:13I'm just thinking where they are and what they're saying about me right now.
28:18Well, I mean, if they could talk, do you think, yeah, they would?
28:22Okay. I'm imagining that they do.
28:25So my favourite one, it's hard, it's like you're not supposed to have
28:29favouritism around children as well.
28:31So I think the one that would probably talk the most is my, there's one for the 4x100 freestyle relay.
28:39It was my second Olympic gold on the same day.
28:42We're up against an American team who'd never been beaten in Olympic history.
28:46And I can remember that day, I broke my swimsuit before it.
28:51I was running late to the pool.
28:52I got changed just as we were walking out.
28:55It was all a disaster right before it.
28:58And I was up against the fastest American swimmer.
29:01I've already swam a race. I'm tired.
29:03And I can remember the crowd, how loud it was and how much they were screaming.
29:08It was deafening.
29:09Wow.
29:10And I dove in, I came up out of the water and it was pretty much the last time I
29:15was in front
29:16in the whole next 50 metres of that race.
29:19And I can remember at the halfway mark, just going, I can't believe how much the,
29:25you know, my competitor is in front.
29:29Then slowly I got back into the race.
29:31So I think that won.
29:33Yeah, thank you.
29:35I hear that you love fashion.
29:37I also love fashion and we are both pretty tall.
29:40Do you struggle to find clothes that fit?
29:43Yes.
29:44Especially when I used to swim, my body proportions were really weird.
29:49Yeah.
29:49And so that made buying a jacket two sizes bigger this way and then going smaller at the hips.
29:55But then the legs had to be the right size.
29:57So that was hard.
29:58Yeah, that would be really tricky.
30:00Thank you so much, Ian.
30:01Thanks, Bethany.
30:03Um, Finn.
30:04Hi, Ian.
30:04Okay.
30:05You've spoken openly about battles with depression.
30:08Have you always suffered from it on and off?
30:11Or do you think it was the result of media scrutiny that caused it?
30:16Um, no, it wasn't, it wasn't caused by media scrutiny.
30:22I, um, you know, I was, I'm, I was and I am someone with depression.
30:28And I realised it when I was in my teens.
30:30There's something that's not quite right.
30:32Um, that I'm not experiencing, uh, happiness and joy in a way that I should be.
30:39And I didn't have the language to be able to express it appropriately.
30:44So, you know, I continue now on my own mental health journey.
30:50Um, and, you know, as you get older and as you are more aware of how it can have an
30:57impact
30:58or affect your life, you're better equipped at being able to manage situations that come up.
31:04So I'm more aware of what I'm going through and what my own mental health journey looks like.
31:10Yeah. That's wonderful to hear, um, that it's gotten better.
31:14Thanks. Thanks so much.
31:15Thank you, Finn.
31:15Daniel?
31:16Yeah.
31:19I've struggled a lot with my own mental health and I started being an advocate because of this.
31:24What made you decide to talk about your mental health struggles publicly
31:28and how did you feel after you'd done it?
31:31Yeah, I actually didn't feel great after talking about it.
31:35I wanted to talk about mental health because I could see athletes that are struggling with mental
31:40health. None of us are talking about it. And then also there's a sense of guilt that you can have
31:47that my life should be good, but I don't feel that way.
31:50Yeah. And so then you feel that you can't live an authentic or sincere life. Um, and when I started
31:57speaking about my own mental health, I was ready to write it for people to know about me. What I
32:02wasn't ready for and I hadn't planned for was reliving it and having to retell what that was. And so,
32:10you know, I, um, I'm in a good mental health space right now and it fluctuates. Um, you know,
32:19if I'm doing something on TV, for example, and a news story comes in that's on mental health,
32:24I've spoken about it, that people make that connection. No one's kind of asked like,
32:29am I okay today to be able to do that? Um, that's not a consideration. So as we talk about
32:35mental
32:35health a lot more, it becomes part of the vernacular of what people are going through,
32:40those conversations become a lot easier and people have an understanding.
32:45Yeah. That's very interesting because there's periods where when I bring up my own mental health
32:50story and then suddenly I feel distressed because I'm then rethinking what happened. Um, it can be very
33:01difficult to, uh, revisit that and, um, so yeah, I think that was very interesting.
33:08Yeah, the reliving it part isn't fun. It's not fun, no. I get it. Yeah. My mum is very special
33:15to me
33:16and I wouldn't be here without her. I read you are super close to your mum. What is your relationship
33:22with your mum like and how has it changed over time? Yeah, so I'm, yes, I am close to my
33:28mum. Um,
33:29yeah, I'm a mummy's boy. Um, so am I laughing at me. The way you said it. I just admitted
33:37it,
33:37that's all. Um, my mum has grandchildren now, so I can see how much she dotes and does things for
33:44them
33:45in the same way that she would have been doing that for myself and my sister growing up. That's the
33:49great thing that you get to see in grandparents. Yeah, really cool. Thank you. Pleasure. Thanks,
33:55Danielle. Abby? I have been swimming with Rainbow Club Australia, which is a swimming program for
34:03kids with disabilities since I was four years old. The water makes me feel the same as everyone else.
34:10What did being in the water mean to you and did it make you feel happy and alive?
34:16So I share this, well, I speak to other people about it and about what we have in common when
34:20we
34:21are in the water. And everyone talks about how, you know, any of the stresses or their body or any
34:26of
34:26the worries, the anxieties that they may have, that they just kind of disappear when they're,
34:31when they're in the water. And I think that's really appealing for all of us, whether it's in the
34:36ocean, in a swimming pool, uh, wherever it might be, we have something like that in common.
34:42Well, maybe one day you and I might have a swimming race at Ian Forth Aquatic Centre.
34:47Yeah!
34:50Thank you very much. Pleasure. Thank you, Abby. Silas?
34:55How has your perception of health changed over time?
35:01So, it's, um, it's a pretty good question. The reason I say it is that my adjustment to what
35:09looks healthy is very different to what it was when I was an athlete. Um, yes, we were super healthy
35:16in that time, but to an extreme. And that's sustainable during a short sporting career.
35:23That does not extend across a lifetime. So, some of the things that you've learned that made you really
35:29good as an athlete are not good, um, out there in the normal world that you want to be able
35:35to live
35:36in and engage in. Um, so, it's kind of relearning some of those things around health. And then also,
35:44if you look at elite sport, we're doing the same kind of movements on repetition. And they're not really
35:52good for your body when you do as much as what we do. So, that isn't an ideal, um, you
35:58know,
35:58kind of health outcome for anyone.
36:02Thank you, Silas. Willow?
36:04Thank you. Thanks. Hi, Fofi, which I'm from from the bedroom. Has it been hard for you to date in
36:15the public eye?
36:45I'm sorry. And, and, and, and are you dating anyone right now?
36:45If I'm dating or not, because I don't know when this goes to air.
36:52Thank you. Thanks, Willow.
36:55All right. Um, hello. Hello, Ian.
36:57Hi. I'm Anastasia.
36:58The Olympics have made so many mascots, including Misha, Sam and Kobe. If you could create a mascot for
37:04the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, what would it look like?
37:08Ooh.
37:10I think this should be an Australian animal. We should raise the level of awareness for some of our animals
37:18that are, you know, near endangered or facing extinction. It's Australian sea lions is where I'm
37:25going with this. I went swimming with, uh, Australian sea lions. Oh, wow. And if anyone's ever had a puppy,
37:33this was like playing with, you know, aquatic Labrador puppies. Oh, that's so cool. Well, thank you, Ian.
37:41Pleasure. Thanks, Anastasia. Do you want to pass on to Oliver?
37:45From the earliest age, people assumed I was gay. I was a well-dressed, flamboyant young boy, super into
37:53musical theatre. You also faced questions about your sexuality because you didn't fit the image
38:00of the typical Aussie bloke. How can Australians do a better job at widening what Australian masculinity
38:08looks like? We can continue to do a better job. In this country, I believe that we are becoming more
38:16comfortable in reflecting different facets that are more reflective diversity in this country rather
38:24than pegging our hopes on one particular image that this is how we expect people to fit in.
38:32I ask this question because I often feel that I'm not man enough because I like big, bold colours and
38:40I'm
38:40into theatre and music and all those kind of things. And I'm straight and I'm comfortable in my
38:45straightness. But also there are still questions of like, oh, you just, when you're older, you'll come
38:51out. I'm like, no, I'm pretty comfortable in being straight. Thanks. And I don't need to define that.
38:56And what I admire about you is while you are gay, I feel a kinship of while your experience is
39:04different
39:04to mine. There's a kind of similarity. I see the similarity and I see that
39:13it's around, a lot of it's around expectations of how someone should appear rather than just letting
39:22you be. So there's people that happen to be gay that don't like musical theatre. And I'm not going
39:30to tell you that I am one of those because it's not my favourite thing. OK. You can be wrong,
39:36it's fine.
39:39It's only happened once this year, so you can have it a second time.
39:45My next question. You ended your professional sporting career at 24. How did you go about
39:52connecting to your peers when your life seemed on a radically different timeline to the most people your
39:57age? Yeah, my life had been on a different trajectory to other people for quite some time.
40:05So about one third of my life was in the spotlight at this stage, if not more. And I had
40:15already had a
40:17career as most people were starting off. There's a significant adjustment that athletes need to make
40:23post-sporting career. So some of the work that I've helped with was to prepare athletes for not just
40:31during their high-performing athletic career, but also post and before it to ready themselves for that
40:37part because the transition is significant. So athletes are being taught how to make that adjustment.
40:43For me, mine was trying to get a better understanding of how I could fit in when most of the
40:50things that I'd
40:50been able to accomplish and do made me stand out. Thank you very much. Thank you, Oliver. Ian,
40:57you've been so generous with your time and your insights. I'll get Andrea to give you a vote of
41:01thanks. Thank you. Don't look. Close your eyes. Now I want to look.
41:12Thank you for coming today, Ian. I read that your gold medals are locked up in the bank vault.
41:18That made me feel sad because I love seeing my gold medals hanging on my wall at home.
41:23So we have made a medal for your home and thank you so much for coming today.
41:27Oh my god. This is the biggest medal.
41:34Thank you so much, yeah, yeah.
41:42It's nice to meet you, Ian. Nice to meet you too.
41:45Well done. Good medal presenting. Oh, thank you.
41:48Okay, you ready for that? Cool. Thank you.
41:49I am quite sad that it's the last interview because being a part of the assembly exposed
41:55me to a lot of unfamiliar things and having successfully adapted to those is one thing
42:01I'm very proud of. What's on for the rest of the day?
42:03Mmm, a lot more camera stuff. Oh, I got my mic.
42:08It's just been an incredible learning experience. Being able to ask questions,
42:12you know, it's such an powerful thing. That was good. It's good you had your moment with him.
42:16Yeah, it was, yeah. I'm also excited for what else will come on beyond what I've done here.
42:23Feature's pretty looking pretty good, yeah.
42:27Thank you. It looks light to me, but I don't, I haven't touched it, so.
42:31We're going with it. It's pretty light.
42:33Yeah, okay, good. It is light. I promise you.
42:35Simon says, the assembly. The assembly!
42:41Well, I hope you enjoyed your experience today, Ian. It's actually quite fun.
42:45Yes, thank you.
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