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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.
01:19Thank you. We're good. Okay. Good. Good. Okay. In three. Tonight, the assembly returns. And graduates from past series are
01:32back. How are we feeling? Pretty confident. And Lee Sales is mentoring us.
01:41The students have graduated from the Journalism Foundations course and they're ready for the
01:45next step.
01:46Taking us on the road.
01:48Wow!
01:49And behind the scenes.
01:51This is really awesome!
01:54To level up our media skills.
01:56Hey Abi, we're about to record a song.
01:58Okay, I'm ready to go.
02:00On both sides of the camera.
02:01Square up to the camera.
02:03Some of Australia's most celebrated names are taking the hot seat.
02:07You can come and join my band.
02:09For interviews like you've never seen before.
02:11Have you ever thought about faking your own funeral just to see who would show up?
02:15If other comedians are more famous than you, do you get jealous of them?
02:20Yes.
02:21You've got this, Jess.
02:24Tissue Bell is back again!
02:26Wow, what an extraordinary question. That's beautiful.
02:29We are Miss Bentley!
02:46Being on the Assembly has been life changing.
02:50I think I discovered who I am and for a long time I didn't know that person existed.
02:59I just masked so long that the real me had just been buried.
03:05But I've learnt new skills.
03:07I've learnt to be more confident.
03:10The Assembly has been amazing on my life.
03:13All the different opportunities.
03:15And I feel more confident to speak up.
03:19It's been one of the best things I've done in my life.
03:21Let me hug the walls for the last time.
03:24Kiss the walls.
03:25Mwah!
03:27Lee!
03:28Lee!
03:28Good morning everybody!
03:30Hey!
03:31How are we all doing?
03:32Good.
03:33How is everyone feeling about it being the last trip?
03:37Yeah?
03:39You've all done so amazingly and the thing that is so, um, blows my mind is just watching your
03:45development over the, now this is the third season.
03:49Particularly for a lot of you I feel like you're so much more confident and you've just
03:52gotten, you know, really a bit more self-belief in the time that I've known you.
03:55And that's made me so happy to see that.
03:57You've all been fantastic.
03:59Do you need some tissues or anything?
04:01I have a feeling you're about to cry.
04:03I'm okay.
04:03Do you?
04:04No.
04:05Are you ready to hear about our final guest?
04:08Sweet.
04:08He is a very famous Australian, five time Olympic gold medalist, eleven time world champion.
04:16It is Ian Thorpe.
04:18Woo!
04:19Okay.
04:20Very good.
04:21What do we know about Ian Thorpe?
04:22He was a gold medalist.
04:24Do 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.
04:38I think when he was at the peak, he would not have been able to leave the house without,
04:42like, every person would have known how he was.
04:44Um, Thomas?
04:46He beat the world record for the 400 metre freestyle.
04:50Does he go under 340?
04:52Stretchers, touches.
04:54It's got the world record.
04:56343.
04:57There's his mum, Margaret.
04:59Um, Abby?
05:01Do you remember Ian Thorpe?
05:02Yeah, I wasn't born in the 2000 Olympics, but I've heard good things about him.
05:08I 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.
05:26He's also a very strong advocate on school bullying as well.
05:28Yeah.
05:31I'm on my way to meet with 14-year-old Kelsey.
05:34His family got in contact with us because he worries about being bullied at school every day.
05:44Shall we split into our groups?
05:46Yes.
05:46Good.
05:49Have you got some exciting questions for Ian Thorpe?
05:51I do, yes.
05:52You do.
05:53Is Ian Thorpe faster than a shark?
05:57That's just one of the top Googled questions.
06:00I heard you have a special little fur baby in your life.
06:03There's like a whole Instagram with just photos and photos.
06:06He is more than just a swimmer.
06:08Like, he's reached, like, cultural icon status.
06:11He did that while he was still technically a kid.
06:13Like, how weird would that be?
06:16Hello.
06:16Hello, Lee.
06:17How are you?
06:18Yeah, good, Andrew.
06:19How are you?
06:19Good to see you.
06:20Yeah, nice to see you too.
06:22Alright, what are we thinking about Thorpey?
06:24Oh, very excited.
06:25Very excited.
06:26Yeah.
06:26Really excited.
06:28Perfect.
06:29Abby, let's have a look.
06:31Swimming for me gives me a sense of freedom and movement.
06:35The water has made me feel the same as everyone else.
06:38What did it mean for you and what was it about being in the water that made you feel happy
06:44and alive?
06:45Yeah, I love that.
06:46And I want to know why he loves the water so much.
06:49Great work there, Abby.
06:51Thank you, Lee.
06:51Love 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,
06:57I'm taking them to Sydney Olympic Park.
07:02Welcome to Sydney Aquatic Centre.
07:04Wow.
07:05It's amazing.
07:06This is where it all happened.
07:08Picture this in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
07:11Can you imagine when there's 17,000 people cheering?
07:15Like how noisy that must be.
07:17Wow.
07:17Let's do it.
07:18So I swam in this pool.
07:20So tell us about that.
07:21What was that?
07:21So I swam with Special Olympics in the 100 metre freestyle.
07:26In what year was that?
07:272007.
07:28And I won gold.
07:29That's brilliant, Andrew.
07:30How amazing.
07:31What does it feel like to you seeing this place again?
07:33It feels amazing.
07:34Yeah.
07:34Yeah.
07:35Yeah.
07:35Absolutely amazing.
07:37I've brought the students here because it can just spark some extra questions when you've
07:41actually immersed yourself in the person's world that you wouldn't get just sitting at your desk.
07:46This is the end of the pool where they start the races from.
07:49So they start from down here.
07:50Ian Thorpe was in lane four for the 400 metres.
07:53Shall we spread out and have a look?
07:55Oh, yeah.
07:56Have any of you got a lucky number?
07:57This was the lane I...
08:00And this was your number?
08:01This was your lane?
08:02Yeah, number three it was.
08:04Wow.
08:05Yeah.
08:05Yeah.
08:07It's a very interesting vantage point.
08:09It's so still, like it almost looks like a thin layer of ice or something that you just pierce with
08:18your body.
08:20I was standing in front of lane four, which was his lane, and I just, I can put myself in
08:27his shoes and I think from empathy comes great questions.
08:31We are about to meet somebody who's going to help us understand a little bit more about Ian Thorpe.
08:36Her name's Kirsten Thompson.
08:38She was a silver medalist in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, a teammate of Ian Thorpe's and they were also really
08:43good friends.
08:44Here she comes.
08:46Hi.
08:46Kirsten, come on in.
08:47So can you just tell us a little bit about what was your event?
08:51What was it like?
08:52And just set the scene for us a bit.
08:53Yep.
08:54So I swam the women's 4x200 freestyle relay.
08:56It was the sound and it was magical and you've got this mix of excitement and adrenaline.
09:05In my pocket, I have my Olympics silver medal.
09:08Oh, wow.
09:09Oh, wow.
09:10Exactly.
09:11Is it really heavy?
09:12You can pass that around if you like.
09:15Don't drop the medal, but it's very special.
09:17That's okay.
09:18That's really cool.
09:19It looks like a humongous coin.
09:21Yeah, no, thank you for showing us that.
09:22That's really special.
09:23You're welcome.
09:24What is your thought process like on those kind of last few seconds before you dive in?
09:32Like, are you thinking much about the race or are you just kind of focusing on your feelings?
09:36In those final few moments, you're trying to just calm.
09:40Yeah.
09:40Calm the nervous system, get yourself ready to perform.
09:43Now, tell us about Ian.
09:46We want some insight about it.
09:47Yes, we do.
09:48I've known Ian since we were 13 and he is one of the most disciplined, determined people
09:55that you will ever meet.
09:57Ian had to grow up very quickly and his life wasn't normal from a very young age.
10:02He was one of the most famous people in the world.
10:04And I can remember at one point we visited Japan and there were just, you know, mobs of Japanese
10:11people trying to get on the buses that he was on.
10:15And does he have anything that he's particularly into?
10:18He loves fashion.
10:19Oh, okay.
10:20Oh, yeah.
10:20That's interesting.
10:21So, he's always dressed better than me.
10:25He's very well dressed and it's certainly something that is a keen interest of his.
10:30Fashion and cooking.
10:31Cooking is his other things.
10:32That's probably a good way for him to relax.
10:34It can be done in a space where it can be just him and his friends and he can entertain
10:39and doesn't need to be out where everyone knows who he is.
10:43So, it was certainly something that he became very good at.
10:47Considering that I heard from Kirsten that he's quite interested in fashion.
10:51Here's this one.
10:53I hear you're interested in fashion.
10:55So, you must be quite a good judge.
10:56So, what do you think of my style?
10:58I could ask him to be honest.
11:00Oh, that's a lovely question.
11:02The last interview always is a bit bittersweet because I'm proud of what everyone's done.
11:06I'm happy that they've had a great experience.
11:08But I just know I'm going to miss them when it's over.
11:10Okay.
11:11Everyone good?
11:12Yeah.
11:12All under control?
11:13Okay.
11:13You're just getting better at coming up with questions.
11:16So, I'm just going to be out of a job here, aren't I?
11:19Very good.
11:26How are you, Abby?
11:27You good?
11:27I'm good, thanks.
11:29Are you nervous or...?
11:30Oh, a bit.
11:30But you know, not overwhelmingly.
11:32Just a healthy amount of nerves.
11:36Hey.
11:36Hello, Lee.
11:37How are we feeling about Ian Thorpe?
11:40Excited.
11:40Yeah, good.
11:41I just saw him out the back and said I think he's going to have a really fun time.
11:44Oh, good.
11:45Yeah.
11:45I hope he does.
11:46Yeah, I hope he does too.
11:49Oh, here he comes.
11:51Oh, here he is.
11:52Is he?
11:52Hey, Ian.
11:53Hi, how are you?
11:53So nice to see you.
11:54Nice to see you soon.
11:55Come through.
11:56Okay.
11:57Everyone, this is Ian.
11:58Hi, Ian.
11:58Hi.
11:59Have you watched much of the assembly?
12:02I haven't watched enough of it.
12:04Oh.
12:04Yeah.
12:06Hello, I'm Thomas.
12:07How are you, Thomas?
12:08Good.
12:09So, how are you doing, Ian?
12:10How's life been?
12:11Life's pretty good at the moment.
12:13How are you?
12:14I'd say fine.
12:16I had dinner last night with some of the guests.
12:18Me.
12:19Cool.
12:20Including her.
12:21All righty.
12:22Okay.
12:23We're good to go.
12:23So, Daniel, you're going to do the opening today.
12:26Yep.
12:27Hi, Ian.
12:28Hi.
12:28This is a safe space where everyone can relax and be themselves.
12:32There will be no judgement.
12:34Please do what you need to join in.
12:36For example, fidget, move, take a break, and ask if you need anything to help you be included.
12:44Great.
12:45Abby, you do the welcome for Ian.
12:47Hello, Ian.
12:48We are a collective of autistic journalism students, and we are very excited to have
12:54you join us here today.
12:56Our rules are no subject is out of bounds, no question is off the table, and anything
13:02can happen.
13:03Welcome to the assembly.
13:05Thanks.
13:06Um, Fletcher, you'll go.
13:07Yes.
13:09How many hours per week did you train for the Olympics?
13:11Because I do seven hours a week for my Wiggles training.
13:15For your Wiggles training?
13:16Yeah.
13:16What do you do for Wiggles training?
13:18Singing, dancing, getting ready for the big show.
13:22I love that.
13:24Um, it varies, and so we go through different training phases, but between 30 and 40 hours
13:31a week of training.
13:32It's usually 20 hours of swimming, then on top of it, you know, we do weights, we do extra
13:39fitness, we do injury prevention.
13:42There's a bunch of things that we're doing, just exercising.
13:4520 hours?
13:47Yeah, in the pool.
13:48Yikes!
13:52Thank you very much.
13:54Thanks so much, Fletcher.
13:55Uh, Avie.
14:00Um, you've described yourself in the past as being quite introverted.
14:06I'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.
14:21I realise that I'm someone that's more comfortable in small groups, um, or by myself.
14:27Um, and that's okay.
14:29But then there's some things that are completely extroverted that I bring myself to do.
14:34So like today, for example, this is more people than I usually hang around.
14:38Um, so I've had to learn to be as comfortable in a situation, whether it's like this or if
14:47it's with hundreds or thousands of people around me, to be able to get through it.
14:53And sometimes it feels like getting through it, today's feeling okay.
14:57You know, for me, it's occasionally taking a break, um, and just go, I'm all right.
15:02I'm okay.
15:04And, you know, I select the things that I do.
15:06And I kind of, I have to like prep myself and get ready.
15:10I kind of give myself a little bit of a pep talk before I do it.
15:14And usually it's okay.
15:15It's not as big a deal as what I actually have made it out in my head to be.
15:20But I do usually find that after something like this, that I'm more tired,
15:26than what most people are from doing it.
15:29I relate a lot to that.
15:31Um, and, um, I identify as non-binary, asexual and aromantic, and I find it hard to get people
15:41to recognise this.
15:43How hard was it to get people to accept you as gay?
15:49Um, it, look, it wasn't, it wasn't actually, it wasn't terribly difficult to have people accept me as gay.
16:00I think, you know, for me, um, and why being out is important is to be an example.
16:07It makes it easier for someone else to come out that may be in circumstances that are more difficult than
16:14what yours were.
16:15So, someone else's journey is a little bit easier.
16:20Thanks.
16:22Savannah.
16:25Hi, Ian.
16:26Hi, Savannah.
16:27Shall I call you Ian Thorpe or Ian Thorpe?
16:29Oh, she put you on the spot right there.
16:35I like Thorpey.
16:36Thorpey or Thorpey?
16:37Thorpey.
16:38Yeah, that's what most people go with.
16:40And the reason for it, I used to have a pet bird called Bluey.
16:45Bluey.
16:45Bluey was a bird.
16:47Uh, budgie.
16:48Not a dog.
16:48Not a dog, no.
16:50Oh, oh, oh.
16:51So...
16:53Bluey was able to say my name like that in a very bird-like fashion.
17:00Alright, here are my questions for you today, Ian.
17:02Oh, my God.
17:05Oh, my God.
17:06Oh, my God.
17:07Oh, my God.
17:08Oh, my God.
17:09Oh, my God.
17:09Oh, my God.
17:10Okay.
17:11You hosted a show on bullying in an Australian schools.
17:15When you see kids in public transport or walking to school, do you get a vibe on who is a
17:21bully and who might get bullied?
17:23It's interesting.
17:24I did do a show called Bullied, and we know that bullying has happened across many different generations.
17:32And it feels as though it's kind of at an epidemic level.
17:37And there's so many new ways to actually be bullied as well.
17:41But what we found out following a few individuals throughout is that the role of the bully can actually change
17:49to being the person that's bullied.
17:51So they may be the bully one day, then they'll be in the group that, for a simple way of
17:58saying it, are the bystanders.
18:00And then somewhere else that person might get bullied.
18:04And that switches around.
18:06So when we look at what we all can do, if we, because most of us will actually witness bullying
18:12happen, whether 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.
18:21That's the part that can change, because that's the majority of people who don't know what to say, don't want
18:27to be the person that might get picked on next or bullied next.
18:31Message out to our bullies.
18:33There is no excuse why you want to cause harm to other people's lives and bring them down.
18:38Thank you, Ian.
18:39Thanks.
18:40Thanks, Savannah.
18:42Hi, Ian.
18:43I'm James.
18:45Casting your mind back to when you were competing, when you dive in as the race begins, what's the very
18:51first sensation you notice?
18:54So I'll have a cheer of the crowd when I'm in flight.
18:59So when I depart off the blocks, I pierce through the water into a streamlined position.
19:03I hear the noise that the water makes from the splash and then the way the water and air is
19:11moving off my body.
19:12And my favourite part is the silence that happens at that point.
19:18It's like changing worlds in that moment.
19:22Yeah, I really go into my sensory experience at that point.
19:29That's really interesting.
19:30Yeah, I totally agree.
19:32I 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 early career
19:43if it had existed 25 years ago?
19:46Great question.
19:48When I was actually an athlete, social media was coming in and I decided, no, I'm not very active on
19:57social media.
19:57And I'm not to this day because I want a sense of privacy in my life.
20:02But it is a tool for athletes to be able to promote their profile.
20:09Most of the Australian Olympic team would struggle to make what would be kind of considered a minimum wage.
20:17Swimmers do a little bit better, but for how many hours you put in to what you are able to
20:23try and live off, usually it's working a job that supports you.
20:27And this is just an avenue to be able to create a brand and also to make money.
20:33Well, thank you. That was very insightful. Thanks.
20:36Thanks, James.
20:37Hello, Ian. I'm Dale.
20:39Hi.
20:39I was homeschooled, so I missed out on a lot of cultural references.
20:42Like, I never heard of you until about a week ago.
20:44Awesome.
20:45You missed a lot of school as part of your hectic training program.
20:48What is something that completely passed you by?
20:50Oh, I'm not sure.
20:53I'm still trying to figure out all of the things I may have missed out on school.
20:58Yeah, so my last year that I did at high school, the previous year I'd missed, I think it was
21:04102 of 200 days at school.
21:07From travelling, training, whatever it might be.
21:10Having an excuse, my mum let me not go to school that day.
21:17I don't know.
21:21I'm going to keep thinking of it and I'm going to get back to you of what I may have
21:24missed.
21:24That's alright.
21:25Okay.
21:26Swimmers are known to eat like crazy.
21:28What's the strangest thing you've smashed straight after a race when you were starving?
21:31I used to eat lollies straight after racing.
21:35Turns out it's not the best thing.
21:37It does replace fuel really quickly, but it's not good for recovery.
21:41Well, thank you for entering, Ian. Thank you.
21:43Thanks, Dale.
21:44Thomas, it's your go if you want to grab the mic.
21:48Hi, Ian.
21:49What's the funniest thing that's ever happened in your life?
21:52Oh, my life is hysterical.
21:54Funny things happen all the time.
21:58So, I went to watch the filming of a TV show that was a hit show when I was growing
22:05up.
22:05It was friends and I went to watch it being filmed and I was just going as a tourist and
22:14I was recognized in the crowd and they asked me, do you want to be on an episode?
22:19Oh, wow.
22:21Wow.
22:22So, things like this happen.
22:25And then one of the writers for the show said, if you would like a role on the show, give
22:30us two weeks notice and we can write you into the script.
22:33Did you accept it?
22:33No, I was an athlete.
22:35I know.
22:36These are all the things that if you have your time again is saying yes to more of the really
22:40crazy things that happen.
22:42I was also offered to be a pop star in Japan.
22:47Oh, wow.
22:48Oh, wow.
22:48I was offered a record deal and I told them that I can't sing and they said, we don't care.
22:57If the friends thing would happen again, something like that would happen again, would you accept being on the show?
23:02Yeah.
23:04Yeah.
23:05Now all of those things, absolutely.
23:06But you've got to remember as well, I am a very focused young person that was thinking anything like that
23:14is a distraction from what I'm trying to do.
23:17And so that's, yeah, so just a little bit more balance, like doing some of those cool things.
23:24I reckon you'd make a good actor.
23:27Really?
23:27Yeah.
23:28Yeah.
23:28You'd look like someone who'd act.
23:31It's a compliment.
23:32Okay, thank you.
23:36Basically, I'm in the background in an episode.
23:39I never knew I needed this life skill, but you say the word watermelon, but you don't say it out
23:45loud.
23:46Because it looks like you're having a conversation.
23:49How was it meeting Melman?
23:53Melman?
23:53Melman?
23:54What's that?
23:55Oh, I think she's talking about David Schwimmer, because he voiced Melman in Madagascar.
24:01Oh!
24:01Oh, my God!
24:03Oh, my God!
24:05I love those movies.
24:06Cool.
24:06I didn't get that.
24:07Okay.
24:08That's my pop reference that I missed out on, by the way.
24:11Aww.
24:11Question from before.
24:12Thanks, Thomas.
24:15Molly.
24:18I love dogs, and I heard you have a special little fur baby in your life.
24:22Who is she, and is it true that she has her own Instagram?
24:25It is true she has her own Instagram.
24:27I've had her since she was a puppy, and I named her after Kaya Gerber, who's one of the top
24:35models, and one of my friend's daughters.
24:38But that became really awkward when I had to tell them that I've named my dog after your daughter.
24:44It went down a whole lot better when I was like, that she was the prettiest girl that I'd seen.
24:50That works out well.
24:51She's super cute, and gets away with a lot.
24:56What kind of dog is she?
24:57She's a Cavoodle.
24:58I have a Groodle, so I feel like...
25:00A Groodle.
25:01Okay, all the Oodles are like hanging out together.
25:05Cool.
25:06Thanks, Wally.
25:07Andrew?
25:08What is your favourite thing to cook as you love cooking?
25:11I love preparing Indian food.
25:16Yeah.
25:16I love dry roasting spices.
25:18Yes.
25:19So you get all of the aroma from that as you're cooking.
25:23And then layering those spices together.
25:26So I get more pleasure out of preparing it than I do eating it.
25:31Oh, wow.
25:31That's amazing.
25:33And I competed in the Special Olympics and won a gold medal in the 100 men's freestyle event.
25:39It was amazing.
25:40Can you tell me what the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was like for you?
25:44Well, the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games were amazing for me as well.
25:47Yes.
25:48Where did you swim at the Sydney Olympics?
25:50I swam at the home bush pool where you swam in the 2000 Games.
25:54I thought it might have been at the same pool.
25:56Yes.
25:56That's amazing.
25:59Yeah, it was amazing for me.
26:03I'm from Sydney.
26:04Yes.
26:04I still live in Sydney.
26:05Yes.
26:06And when I was young, I never thought I was going to be old enough for the Sydney Olympics.
26:11I always thought I wouldn't have matured enough as an athlete by then.
26:14Wow.
26:14Yeah.
26:15So then I went in where everyone just expected me to win.
26:19Yes.
26:20Yeah.
26:20So a lot of pressure, but it was as though the city grew up for the Olympic Games.
26:26Amazing.
26:27Yeah.
26:28Thank you, Ian.
26:28Pleasure.
26:30Thanks, Andrew.
26:30Pat.
26:31All 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.
26:41And the last time I was there was just a few weeks ago.
26:44Hmm.
26:44And what runs through your head when you return?
26:48I was very used to 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.
27:01And so I have to go to memory then to feel that way.
27:05Hmm.
27:06Hmm.
27:06There you go.
27:07Well, thank you very much for that.
27:09Thanks very much, Pat.
27:10Mitch.
27:12So you must have done a lot of training for swimming, which possibly includes maybe holding
27:19your breath underwater.
27:20Yeah, it did.
27:22And that must have been really hard to practice because you're allergic to chlorine as well.
27:31I am allergic to chlorine, yes.
27:32So what I was wanting to ask you was how long can you hold your breath underwater for?
27:37What's your record?
27:38Ooh.
27:39Okay.
27:39I can't remember exactly.
27:41Oh.
27:41But I know it's in minutes.
27:43In minutes?
27:44Yeah.
27:45Zoinks!
27:45Yeah.
27:46But if you ask Free Diver what theirs is, it's much longer than what mine is.
27:51Oh, jeez.
27:52Yeah.
27:52Like probably at least double.
27:54Alright.
27:56Cool.
27:56Thank you, Mitch.
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.
28:16Yeah.
28:18Well, I mean, if they could talk, do you think, yeah, they would?
28:22Okay.
28:22I'm imagining that they do.
28:25Oh.
28:25So my favourite one.
28:26It's hard.
28:27It's like you're not supposed to have favouritism 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.
28:38It 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.
28:49I 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.
28:57And I was up against the fastest American swimmer.
29:01I've already swum a race.
29:03I'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.
29:11I came up out of the water.
29:13And it was pretty much the last time I was in front in the whole next 50 metres of that
29:18race.
29:19And I can remember at the halfway mark just going, I can't believe how much the, you know, my competitor
29:26is in front.
29:29Then slowly I got back into the race.
29:31So I think that won.
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, especially when I used to swim.
29:46My body proportions were really weird.
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.
30:03Hi, Ian.
30:04Hey, Finn.
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 and I realised it when
30:29I was in my teens.
30:30There's something that's not quite right.
30:33Um, 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, um, and, you know, as you get older
30:53and as you are more aware of how it can have an impact or affect your life, you're better equipped
31:00at being able to manage situations that come up.
31:03So I'm more aware of what I'm going through and what my own mental health journey looks like.
31:11That's wonderful to hear, um, that it's gotten better.
31:14Thanks.
31:14Thanks, Emma.
31:15Thank you, Finn.
31:15Daniel?
31:16Yep.
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 and how did you feel after you'd done
31:30it?
31:30Huh.
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 health.
31:41None of us are talking about it.
31:43And then also there's a sense of guilt that you can have that my life should be good, but I
31:49don't feel that way.
31:50Yeah.
31:50And so then you feel that you can't live an authentic or sincere life.
31:54Um, and when I started speaking about my own mental health, I was ready to write it for people to
32:01know about me.
32:02What I wasn't ready for and I hadn't planned for was reliving it and having to retell what that was.
32:10And so, you know, I, um, I'm in a good mental health space right now and it fluctuates.
32:17Um, you know, if I am doing something on TV, for example, and a new story comes in that's on
32:23mental health, I've spoken about it, that people make that connection.
32:27No one's kind of asked, like, am I okay today to be able to do that?
32:32Um, that's not a consideration.
32:33So as we talk about mental health a lot more, it becomes part of the vernacular of what people are
32:39going through.
32:40Those conversations become a lot easier and people have an understanding.
32:45Yeah.
32:45That's very interesting because there's periods where when I bring up my own mental health story and then suddenly I
32:52feel distressed because I'm then rethinking what happened.
32:58Um, it can be very difficult to, uh, revisit that.
33:04And, um, you see, yeah, I think that was very interesting.
33:08Yeah, the reliving it part isn't fun.
33:10It's not fun, no. I get it. Yeah.
33:14My mum is very special to me and I wouldn't be here without her.
33:18I read you are super close to your mum.
33:20What is your relationship with your mum like and how has it changed over time?
33:25Yeah, so I'm, yes, I am close to my mum. Um, yeah, I'm a mummy's boy. Um.
33:33So am I.
33:34She's laughing at me.
33:35A woman.
33:36But why you said it.
33:36I just admitted it. That's all. Um, my mum has grandchildren now.
33:40So I can see how much she dotes and does things for them in the same way that she would
33:46have been doing that for myself and my sister growing up.
33:49That's the great thing that you get to see in grandparents.
33:52Yeah, really cool. Thank you. Pleasure.
33:55Thanks, Danielle. Abby.
33:58I have been swimming with Rainbow Club Australia, which is a swimming program for kids with disabilities, since I was
34:05four years old.
34:06The 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?
34:15So I share this. Well, I speak to other people about it and about what we have in common when
34:20we are in the water.
34:22And everyone talks about how, you know, any of the stresses or their body or any of the worries, the
34:27anxieties that they may have, that they just kind of disappear when they're, when they're in the water.
34:33And I think that's really appealing for all of us, whether it's in the ocean, in a swimming pool, wherever
34:39it might be, we have something like that in common.
34:42Or maybe one day you and I might have a swimming race at Ian Forth Aquatic Centre.
34:47Yeah!
34:49Possibly do that.
34:50Thank you very much. Pleasure.
34:53Thank you, Abby. Silas.
34:55How has your perception of health changed over time?
35:01So, it's, um, it's a pretty good question.
35:05The reason I say it is that my adjustment to what looks healthy is very different to what it was
35:12when I was an athlete.
35:14Um, yes, we were super healthy in that time, but to an extreme.
35:19And that's sustainable during a short sporting career that does not extend across a lifetime.
35:26So, some of the things that you've learned that made you really good as an athlete are not good, um,
35:32out there in the normal world that you want to be able to live in and engage in.
35:38Um, so, it's kind of relearning some of those things around health.
35:43And then, also, if you look at elite sport, we're doing the same kind of movements on repetition.
35:50And they're not really good for your body when you do as much as what we do.
35:55So, that isn't an ideal, um, you know, kind of health outcome for anyone.
36:02Thank you, Silas.
36:03Willow.
36:05Thanks.
36:09Hi, for three.
36:11I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
36:13Have it been hard for you to date in the public eye?
36:16And, and, and, and are you dating anyone right now?
36:21Sorry.
36:22I'm not allowed to ask that.
36:22Come on.
36:25Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
36:27Now everyone sounds super curious.
36:29I'm so sorry, I'm sorry.
36:30That's a good question.
36:31It's okay.
36:32Um, yes, it is hard to date in the public eye.
36:33That's a good question.
36:33It's okay.
36:33Um, yes, it is hard to date in the public eye.
36:36Um, cause you, maybe, perhaps you have to answer questions like this about it.
36:41I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
36:42It's okay.
36:44I'm not going to say about if I'm dating or not.
36:46Cause I don't know when this goes to air.
36:54Thanks, Willow.
36:55All right.
36:55Um, hello.
36:56Hello, Ian.
36:57Hi.
36:57I'm Anastasia.
36:58The Olympics have made so many mascots, including Misha, Sam and Kobe.
37:02If you could create a mascot for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, what would it look like?
37:08Ooh.
37:10I think this should be an Australian animal.
37:13We should raise the level of awareness for some of our animals that are, you know, near endangered or facing
37:21extinction.
37:22Uh, it's Australian sea lions is where I'm going with this.
37:26I went swimming with, uh, Australian sea lions.
37:30Oh, wow.
37:31And if anyone's ever had a puppy, this was like playing with, you know, aquatic Labrador puppies.
37:37Oh, that's so cool.
37:39Well, thank you, Ian.
37:41Pleasure.
37:41Thanks, Anastasia.
37:42Do you want to pass on to Oliver?
37:45From the earliest age, people assumed I was gay.
37:49I was a well-dressed, flamboyant young boy, super into musical theatre.
37:55You also faced questions about your sexuality because you didn't fit the image of the typical Aussie bloke.
38:03How can Australians do a better job at widening what Australian masculinity looks like?
38:10We can continue to do a better job.
38:13In this country, I believe that we are becoming more comfortable in reflecting different facets that are more reflective of
38:22diversity in this country rather than pegging our hopes on one particular image that this is how we expect people
38:30to 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 into theatre and music and all those kind of things.
38:43And I'm straight and I'm comfortable in my straightness.
38:46But also there are still questions of like, oh, you just, when you're older, you'll come out.
38:51I'm like, no, I'm pretty comfortable in being straight.
38:54Thanks.
38:55And 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 to mine, there's a kind of similarity.
39:07I see the similarity and I see that it's around, a lot of it's around expectations of how someone should
39:18appear rather than just letting you be.
39:22So there's people that happen to be gay that don't like musical theatre.
39:29And I'm not going to tell you that I am one of those because it's not my favourite thing.
39:34OK.
39:35You can be wrong, it's fine.
39:39Anything happen?
39:40It'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.
39:50How did you go about connecting to your peers when your life seemed on a radically different timeline to the
39:56most people your age?
39:59Yeah, 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.
40:14And I had already had a career as most people were starting off.
40:19There's a significant adjustment that athletes need to make post-sporting career.
40:25So some of the work that I've helped with was to prepare athletes for not just during their high performing
40:32athletic career, but also post and before it to ready themselves for that part.
40:38Because the transition is significant.
40:40So athletes are being taught how to make that adjustment.
40:44For me, mine was trying to get a better understanding of how I could fit in when most of the
40:50things that I'd been able to accomplish and do made me stand out.
40:54Thank you very much.
40:55Thank you, Oliver.
40:57Ian, you've been so generous with your time and your insights.
40:59I'll get Andrea to give you a vote of thanks.
41:03Don't look. Close your eyes.
41:06Now I want to look.
41:10Okay, look at that.
41:12Thank you for coming today, Ian.
41:14I 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, Ian.
41:27Oh my God.
41:28This is the biggest medal.
41:34Thank you so much, Ian.
41:38Nice to meet you, Ian.
41:43Nice to meet you too.
41:45Well done.
41:45Good medal presenting.
41:47Oh, thank you.
41:48Okay, ready for that?
41:48Cool.
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 I'm very proud of.
42:02What's on for the rest of the day?
42:03I'm like, mmm, a lot more camera stuff.
42:06Oh, I've got my mic.
42:08It's just been an incredible learning experience.
42:11Being able to ask questions, you know, it's such an powerful thing.
42:14That was good.
42:15It's good you had your moment with him.
42:17Yeah, it was.
42:18Yeah.
42:18I'm also excited for what else will come on beyond what I've done here.
42:23He's just looking pretty good, yeah.
42:28It looks light to me, but I don't, I haven't touched it, so.
42:31Is it lighting?
42:32It's pretty light.
42:33Okay, good.
42:33It is light.
42:34I promise you.
42:35Simon says, the assembly.
42:38The assembly!
42:41Well, I hope you enjoyed your experience today, Ian.
42:44It's actually quite fun.
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