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Author: Michele Gierck

  • INTERNATIONAL

    The human cost of war

    • Michele Gierck
    • 21 November 2024

    The war reports we hear on the news often focus on statistics: casualties, destruction, and key figures lost. But the true cost of conflict lies in the long-term human suffering. For those living through war, the trauma endures long after the fighting stops.

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  • ENVIRONMENT

    The reef doctor

    • Michele Gierck
    • 31 August 2024

    As rising sea temperatures trigger widespread coral bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef, marine scientists explore the devastating effects and do what they can to restore these vital ecosystems. 

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Decades of discovery: Robyn Williams and the evolution The Science Show

    • Michele Gierck
    • 08 March 2024

    If you made a list of top Australian scientists, who would make your top three? Robyn Williams, host of The Science Show since 1975,  discusses the rise of new scientific areas, incredible breakthroughs and thousands of Australian men and women pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. 

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  • RELIGION

    Best of 2023: The Empty Honour Board

    • Michele Gierck
    • 11 January 2024

    In his latest book, The Empty Honour Board: A School Memoir, Martin Flanagan reckons with the legacy of abuse in the Catholic Church by looking back at his experiences at boarding school in Tasmania. In an interview with Michele Gierck for Eureka Street, Martin talks about the process of uncovering what happened all those years ago. 

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Conversations at the Crossroads: In conversation with Joe Camilleri

    • Michele Gierck
    • 22 September 2023

    Can genuine dialogue influence societal change? In discussion with Professor Joe Camilleri, Michele Gierck explores initiatives to achieve productive public discourse, and the transformative power of conversation as our most effective catalyst for global change. 

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  • RELIGION

    The Empty Honour Board: In Conversation with Martin Flanagan

    • Michele Gierck
    • 18 August 2023
    5 Comments

    In his latest book, The Empty Honour Board: A School Memoir, Martin Flanagan reckons with the legacy of abuse in the Catholic Church by looking back at his experiences at boarding school in Tasmania. In an interview with Michele Gierck for Eureka Street, Martin talks about the process of uncovering what happened all those years ago. 

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Letter to a tank commander

    • Michele Gierck
    • 13 July 2023
    3 Comments

    In a world coloured in shades of grey, can a fervent peace activist find common ground with a staunch military tank commander? As we navigate the complexities of war, peace, and human connection, how can one reconcile past experiences with the humanity found in unexpected places? 

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  • ENVIRONMENT

    The book corner: Humanity's Moment

    • Michele Gierck
    • 24 March 2023

    Climate science doesn't make for comfortable reading. As the climate crisis continues to escalate, Dr. Joëlle Gergis, prominent climate scientist and one of Australia's lead authors of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, offers readers a unique perspective on the urgent need for mass climate action and why we have reason to hope. 

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Increasing retirement age will cost the budget

    • Michele Gierck
    • 06 May 2015
    6 Comments

    Treasurer Joe Hockey is keen for us to work as long as possible. The government’s aim is to keep the hands of ageing workers and would be retirees out of its pension pot. There are many benefits associated with maintaining older people in the workforce, but it can be expensive to take, for example, the reality of dementia into account when designing jobs and workplaces.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Planning for a good death

    • Michele Gierck
    • 26 May 2014
    9 Comments

    The ambulance has brought my 88-year-old mother to the Accident and Emergency ward at the local public hospital. In answering the doctor's question about resuscitation, I'm so thankful that my mother's wishes have been made clear, and documented by her general practitioner, by means of an Advance Health Directive.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Transforming victims into victors

    • Michele Gierck
    • 02 April 2008
    3 Comments

    On 28 April 1990, a letter bomb mailed to Michael Lapsley's Harare home destroyed both of his hands and one of his eyes. His life, and 'Healing of Memories' program, proves that it is possible to overcome the trauma of political persecution.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Building relationships settles refugees

    • Michele Gierck
    • 17 October 2007
    3 Comments

    Using anecdotal evidence to back up government policy is dangerous. There are as many positive anecdotes about Africans as Minister Andrews has negative. Teaching refugees, you build relationships, offer students the opportunity to express themselves, and know that their life stories are respected.

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