1 00:00:14,980 --> 00:00:16,700 G'day. 2 00:00:16,700 --> 00:00:19,420 One of your favourite stories from last year 3 00:00:19,420 --> 00:00:19,660 One of your favourite stories featured the intrepid Gina Chick. 4 00:00:19,660 --> 00:00:22,060 featured the intrepid Gina Chick. 5 00:00:22,060 --> 00:00:22,300 featured the intrepid Gina Chick. Gina spent 67 days in the Tasmanian wilderness 6 00:00:22,300 --> 00:00:25,860 Gina spent 67 days in the Tasmanian wilderness 7 00:00:25,860 --> 00:00:28,220 hunting and gathering all her own food 8 00:00:28,220 --> 00:00:32,180 to become the first winner of the TV show Alone Australia. 9 00:00:32,180 --> 00:00:32,420 to become the first winner Well, after that story aired, 10 00:00:32,420 --> 00:00:34,220 Well, after that story aired, 11 00:00:34,220 --> 00:00:36,700 Gina and I sat down in front of a live audience 12 00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:39,060 to talk more about her backstory, 13 00:00:39,060 --> 00:00:39,300 from her childhood, where she felt to talk more about her backstory, 14 00:00:39,300 --> 00:00:42,620 from her childhood, where she felt like she never quite fit in, 15 00:00:42,620 --> 00:00:42,860 from her childhood, where she felt to her friendship with Hugh Jackman, 16 00:00:42,860 --> 00:00:44,900 to her friendship with Hugh Jackman, 17 00:00:44,900 --> 00:00:46,900 to the huge popularity she found 18 00:00:46,900 --> 00:00:50,420 after revealing her vulnerability on national TV. 19 00:00:53,020 --> 00:00:56,420 GINA CHICK: Tonight is the barefoot Logies moment on the red carpet. 20 00:00:56,420 --> 00:00:56,660 GINA CHICK: Tonight is the barefoot And it's weird but fabulous. 21 00:00:56,660 --> 00:00:58,900 And it's weird but fabulous. 22 00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:04,660 I've always had this sense of, "I'm too big. Too big." 23 00:01:04,660 --> 00:01:04,940 I felt like I've got three people's personalities I've always had this sense of, "I'm too big. Too big." 24 00:01:04,940 --> 00:01:07,260 I felt like I've got three people's personalities 25 00:01:07,260 --> 00:01:07,500 that got squeezed into one body, three people's personalities 26 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:08,700 that got squeezed into one body, 27 00:01:08,700 --> 00:01:13,340 and I've been having to figure out how to be with that my whole life. 28 00:01:13,340 --> 00:01:13,580 and I've been having to figure out how to be with that my whole life. (GASPS) Wow. 29 00:01:13,580 --> 00:01:15,380 (GASPS) Wow. 30 00:01:16,620 --> 00:01:19,540 This is wild. How does this even happen? 31 00:01:19,540 --> 00:01:23,580 Now I feel like there is absolute space 32 00:01:23,580 --> 00:01:23,820 Now I feel like for me to be as big as I am 33 00:01:23,820 --> 00:01:26,540 for me to be as big as I am 34 00:01:26,540 --> 00:01:30,180 and not feel like there's a culture saying, "You must be small." 35 00:01:30,180 --> 00:01:31,340 Or, if there is... 36 00:01:33,020 --> 00:01:36,140 (LAUGHS) I'm not interested! 37 00:01:38,300 --> 00:01:41,460 (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 38 00:01:41,460 --> 00:01:41,700 Welcome to our very first (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 39 00:01:41,700 --> 00:01:45,180 Welcome to our very first Australian Story Live. 40 00:01:45,180 --> 00:01:47,700 We are so thrilled that you could all come out tonight. 41 00:01:47,700 --> 00:01:47,940 We are so thrilled that Would you please welcome Gina Chick? 42 00:01:47,940 --> 00:01:49,860 Would you please welcome Gina Chick? 43 00:01:49,860 --> 00:01:52,020 (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 44 00:01:54,180 --> 00:01:56,060 (LAUGHS) 45 00:01:58,060 --> 00:01:59,620 Thanks for having me. 46 00:02:00,620 --> 00:02:04,300 What's this journey been like, where you've gone from Gina in the bush 47 00:02:04,300 --> 00:02:04,540 What's this journey been like, where to Gina on the red carpet 48 00:02:04,540 --> 00:02:06,780 to Gina on the red carpet 49 00:02:06,780 --> 00:02:10,020 and, kind of, this environment that's about as manufactured 50 00:02:10,020 --> 00:02:13,260 and far away from nature as you could get? 51 00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:15,580 Yeah, it's wild. But, you know, it's... 52 00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:18,420 I think there's a bit of a Cinderella in me as well. 53 00:02:18,420 --> 00:02:18,660 I think there's a bit of You know, there's... 54 00:02:18,660 --> 00:02:19,740 You know, there's... 55 00:02:19,740 --> 00:02:22,380 I love dressing up, as you saw with the possum coat. 56 00:02:23,540 --> 00:02:24,780 Part of it was practical 57 00:02:24,780 --> 00:02:27,500 and part of it is 'cause I think I do have a bit of an inner diva, 58 00:02:27,500 --> 00:02:27,740 and part of it is 'cause I think even if it's a bush diva. 59 00:02:27,740 --> 00:02:29,580 even if it's a bush diva. 60 00:02:29,580 --> 00:02:35,860 Sleeping naked in the possum fur is ridiculously fabulous! 61 00:02:35,860 --> 00:02:38,180 How glamorous is that? (LAUGHS) 62 00:02:38,180 --> 00:02:39,740 Like, there's something about me. 63 00:02:39,740 --> 00:02:41,420 It's probably from the '90s, actually, 64 00:02:41,420 --> 00:02:43,460 from being a bit of a diva on Oxford Street. 65 00:02:43,460 --> 00:02:47,980 So, I found that the whole Alone journey 66 00:02:47,980 --> 00:02:49,860 is actually letting me express 67 00:02:49,860 --> 00:02:52,340 all of these different parts of myself, 68 00:02:52,340 --> 00:02:55,420 and there's a context where it's like, "OK. Red carpet. 69 00:02:55,420 --> 00:02:58,100 "Do the whole thing but do it barefoot." 70 00:02:58,100 --> 00:03:01,020 You know? And I've managed to get away with not wearing shoes 71 00:03:01,020 --> 00:03:04,220 for anything so far, and now it's a brand. 72 00:03:04,220 --> 00:03:04,460 for anything so far, (LAUGHS) 73 00:03:04,460 --> 00:03:05,540 (LAUGHS) 74 00:03:05,540 --> 00:03:08,380 But more seriously, I feel like a wild person. 75 00:03:08,380 --> 00:03:10,900 I feel like a wild creature in a human body. 76 00:03:10,900 --> 00:03:15,620 And for me, it's really important to spend time in the wilderness, 77 00:03:15,620 --> 00:03:17,460 spend time connecting with nature. 78 00:03:17,460 --> 00:03:19,860 But it's also I'm in a body 79 00:03:19,860 --> 00:03:22,900 in this time, in this life, in a modern world, 80 00:03:22,900 --> 00:03:27,740 and so I'm interested in survival skills in all the jungles. 81 00:03:27,740 --> 00:03:30,460 So it's about being able to stitch the worlds together. 82 00:03:30,460 --> 00:03:33,420 You probably want to see what I'm doing, don't you? 83 00:03:33,420 --> 00:03:33,660 You probably want to see Like, you want to see THAT. 84 00:03:33,660 --> 00:03:34,900 Like, you want to see THAT. 85 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:39,260 MAN: I think the world is probably finally ready for Gina. 86 00:03:40,300 --> 00:03:44,100 She's the icon of being at home in the wild. 87 00:03:44,100 --> 00:03:44,340 She's the icon of My family think I'm bonkers, 88 00:03:44,340 --> 00:03:45,780 My family think I'm bonkers, 89 00:03:45,780 --> 00:03:49,100 but they're not at all surprised that I'm doing something like this. 90 00:03:49,100 --> 00:03:49,380 Alone Australia, it's the most legit survival challenge out there. but they're not at all surprised that I'm doing something like this. 91 00:03:49,380 --> 00:03:55,260 Alone Australia, it's the most legit survival challenge out there. 92 00:03:55,260 --> 00:03:55,500 Alone Australia, it's the most legit It's the one where 93 00:03:55,500 --> 00:03:56,660 It's the one where 94 00:03:56,660 --> 00:03:56,900 It's the one where the ten people go out into the bush with ten items each 95 00:03:56,900 --> 00:03:59,180 the ten people go out into the bush with ten items each 96 00:03:59,180 --> 00:04:01,380 and the last person to come back wins it. 97 00:04:01,380 --> 00:04:01,620 and the last person to come back Oh, this moss feels amazing! 98 00:04:01,620 --> 00:04:04,700 Oh, this moss feels amazing! 99 00:04:04,700 --> 00:04:06,180 WOMAN: Everyone was like, 100 00:04:06,180 --> 00:04:06,420 "As if that hippie lady who dances on the moss WOMAN: Everyone was like, 101 00:04:06,420 --> 00:04:09,060 "As if that hippie lady who dances on the moss 102 00:04:09,060 --> 00:04:11,220 "and just goes around singing and talking to the animals 103 00:04:11,220 --> 00:04:11,460 "and just goes around singing "is gonna win." 104 00:04:11,460 --> 00:04:12,740 "is gonna win." 105 00:04:12,740 --> 00:04:12,980 "is gonna win." I got a fish! I'm eating fish for breakfast. Oh, my goodness! 106 00:04:12,980 --> 00:04:15,940 I got a fish! I'm eating fish for breakfast. Oh, my goodness! 107 00:04:15,940 --> 00:04:20,580 MAN: Gina is probably the last person to do a reality TV show... 108 00:04:20,580 --> 00:04:20,820 MAN: Gina is probably the last Thank you, Mr Wallaby. 109 00:04:20,820 --> 00:04:22,300 Thank you, Mr Wallaby. 110 00:04:22,300 --> 00:04:24,540 ..but it quickly became clear 111 00:04:24,540 --> 00:04:24,780 that she wasn't just surviving to win the show. ..but it quickly became clear 112 00:04:24,780 --> 00:04:26,820 that she wasn't just surviving to win the show. 113 00:04:26,820 --> 00:04:29,060 She was there. That was her life. 114 00:04:30,540 --> 00:04:33,540 She could have stayed years. 115 00:04:35,780 --> 00:04:38,260 So, how have Australians responded to you 116 00:04:38,260 --> 00:04:42,100 when they see you in real life after having watched Alone? 117 00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:42,340 when they see you in real life It's the most gratifying thing. 118 00:04:42,340 --> 00:04:44,780 It's the most gratifying thing. 119 00:04:44,780 --> 00:04:47,180 I was expecting to get trolled. 120 00:04:47,180 --> 00:04:48,780 Like, that bully kid in me was like, 121 00:04:48,780 --> 00:04:49,020 "Really? Really? Like, that bully kid in me was like, 122 00:04:49,020 --> 00:04:50,980 "Really? Really? Are we gonna do this?" 123 00:04:50,980 --> 00:04:54,020 And then I found the most staggering thing, 124 00:04:54,020 --> 00:04:56,980 which has been that there has been zero trolling. 125 00:04:56,980 --> 00:04:57,220 which has been that Like, none. Like, who gets that? 126 00:04:57,220 --> 00:04:59,740 Like, none. Like, who gets that? 127 00:04:59,740 --> 00:04:59,980 And so as a result, Like, none. Like, who gets that? 128 00:04:59,980 --> 00:05:02,540 And so as a result, when I walk down the street, 129 00:05:02,540 --> 00:05:07,780 people come up and they are, like, so happy and so grateful 130 00:05:07,780 --> 00:05:08,020 people come up and they are, like, and they want to connect and... 131 00:05:08,020 --> 00:05:10,900 and they want to connect and... 132 00:05:10,900 --> 00:05:13,740 Like, I want to connect. Like, I'm making a stand for connection. 133 00:05:13,740 --> 00:05:15,660 So if someone comes up and they're like, 134 00:05:15,660 --> 00:05:18,580 "Oh, my goodness! My kids love watching you!" 135 00:05:18,580 --> 00:05:22,620 or, you know, "My 90-year-old mother thinks you're great," 136 00:05:22,620 --> 00:05:25,300 or, "We've just built a fire in the backyard," 137 00:05:25,300 --> 00:05:25,540 or, "We've just built a fire or, "We're going camping." 138 00:05:25,540 --> 00:05:26,580 or, "We're going camping." 139 00:05:26,580 --> 00:05:26,820 Many of the people or, "We're going camping." 140 00:05:26,820 --> 00:05:29,740 Many of the people who come to stop me are women, 141 00:05:29,740 --> 00:05:29,980 Many of the people and especially postmenopausal women. 142 00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:32,300 and especially postmenopausal women. 143 00:05:32,300 --> 00:05:34,380 (CHEERING) Yeah! 144 00:05:34,380 --> 00:05:34,620 (CHEERING) And the story is, 145 00:05:34,620 --> 00:05:36,220 And the story is, 146 00:05:36,220 --> 00:05:39,500 "Thank you for showing that we don't have to be invisible. 147 00:05:39,500 --> 00:05:42,620 "Thank you for showing that we have wisdom in these bodies. 148 00:05:42,620 --> 00:05:45,820 "Thank you for showing that we earn these bloody silver feathers." 149 00:05:45,820 --> 00:05:46,060 "Thank you for showing that we earn And so, yeah, like, the... 150 00:05:46,060 --> 00:05:47,740 And so, yeah, like, the... 151 00:05:47,740 --> 00:05:52,260 So, I have been so humbled and gratified 152 00:05:52,260 --> 00:05:56,820 by the response that I've received from wherever I go in Australia. 153 00:05:56,820 --> 00:05:58,700 I'm just like, "Aw!" I'm just really touched. 154 00:06:04,260 --> 00:06:09,060 I was an odd child. I was a definitely a strangeling. 155 00:06:09,060 --> 00:06:11,460 And humans never made sense to me when I was a kid, 156 00:06:11,460 --> 00:06:12,820 but nature always did. 157 00:06:15,980 --> 00:06:18,180 I'm the eldest of three girls. 158 00:06:18,180 --> 00:06:20,780 There was three of us in three years. 159 00:06:22,380 --> 00:06:27,300 We were lucky enough to grow up in Jervis Bay. 160 00:06:27,300 --> 00:06:30,660 It's a wild place that's teeming with life. 161 00:06:34,620 --> 00:06:36,900 WOMAN: Our house became a menagerie. 162 00:06:36,900 --> 00:06:39,820 Her bedroom at one stage had a massive... 163 00:06:39,820 --> 00:06:42,500 ..almost, like, a ten-foot-high bird's nest - 164 00:06:42,500 --> 00:06:42,740 ..almost, like, a bunch of, like, sticks - 165 00:06:42,740 --> 00:06:44,100 a bunch of, like, sticks - 166 00:06:44,100 --> 00:06:46,580 and some kind of animal that's been rescued 167 00:06:46,580 --> 00:06:49,500 in her bedroom, like, shitting all over the floor. 168 00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:52,300 Um... And it was hilarious. It was brilliant. 169 00:06:55,140 --> 00:06:59,860 She often went to school with some little creature in her pocket 170 00:06:59,860 --> 00:07:02,780 that there was something sad and wrong about, 171 00:07:02,780 --> 00:07:03,060 that there was something sad and wrong about, and she'd have an eyedropper and she'd feed it during the day. 172 00:07:03,060 --> 00:07:06,340 and she'd have an eyedropper and she'd feed it during the day. 173 00:07:07,820 --> 00:07:10,500 I got known as the Crazy Bird Girl. 174 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:12,380 I was, you know, chewing up seed 175 00:07:12,380 --> 00:07:15,300 and spitting it into birds' mouths at school. 176 00:07:15,300 --> 00:07:18,700 "Ew! Gina's kissing birds! She's vomiting in their mouths!" 177 00:07:18,700 --> 00:07:18,940 "Ew! Gina's kissing birds! For me, that was just normal. 178 00:07:18,940 --> 00:07:21,340 For me, that was just normal. 179 00:07:22,700 --> 00:07:27,300 It felt like you always had a strong sense of yourself, 180 00:07:27,300 --> 00:07:27,540 It felt like you always had even from childhood, 181 00:07:27,540 --> 00:07:28,780 even from childhood, 182 00:07:28,780 --> 00:07:29,020 but did you, or is it even from childhood, 183 00:07:29,020 --> 00:07:31,740 but did you, or is it something you've learned? 184 00:07:31,740 --> 00:07:37,340 I can remember being in, I think, fourth grade, 185 00:07:37,340 --> 00:07:42,580 and, uh...the PE teacher got us to walk around in a circle. 186 00:07:42,580 --> 00:07:45,540 You know... You know, it's a hot day, Aussie school, 187 00:07:45,540 --> 00:07:47,140 neh-neh-neh, walk round in a circle. 188 00:07:47,140 --> 00:07:48,980 And I took a step outside the circle 189 00:07:48,980 --> 00:07:49,220 And I took a step and I walked the other way. 190 00:07:49,220 --> 00:07:50,780 and I walked the other way. 191 00:07:50,780 --> 00:07:53,260 (LAUGHTER) At school. On purpose. 192 00:07:53,260 --> 00:07:55,500 Now, I didn't have any friends. Do you know why? 193 00:07:55,500 --> 00:07:56,700 (LAUGHTER) 194 00:07:56,700 --> 00:08:01,020 Um, yeah, I always had a really, really strong sense of myself 195 00:08:01,020 --> 00:08:07,260 and also had a really strong, um... like, this drive not to change. 196 00:08:07,260 --> 00:08:12,780 Like, I just couldn't do the thing where I would contort to be liked. 197 00:08:12,780 --> 00:08:15,060 Which is then why I didn't have any friends. 198 00:08:15,060 --> 00:08:18,660 But that then has ended up making sense, 199 00:08:18,660 --> 00:08:21,180 you know, in my 20s and 30s and 40s and 50s. 200 00:08:21,180 --> 00:08:24,140 But, you know, at school, it was a pretty rough ride. 201 00:08:24,140 --> 00:08:28,700 You said in the program that as a child you didn't understand humans. 202 00:08:28,700 --> 00:08:30,420 Do you feel like you do now? 203 00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:32,140 Yeah. Yeah. 204 00:08:32,140 --> 00:08:34,700 It took me a long time to learn how to be a human, 205 00:08:34,700 --> 00:08:38,660 but I figure I've kind of... I've figured it out. 206 00:08:38,660 --> 00:08:41,020 Back then, there were no diagnoses. 207 00:08:41,020 --> 00:08:42,860 You know, we didn't get hauled along 208 00:08:42,860 --> 00:08:45,340 to find out what letters would be after our name. 209 00:08:45,340 --> 00:08:48,300 And, you know, if I had, it'd be an alphabet. 210 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:53,420 And I've had to learn how to be a human in a body 211 00:08:53,420 --> 00:08:55,700 where the world didn't make sense. 212 00:08:55,700 --> 00:08:59,220 But I've...like, I've spent so long kind of going, 213 00:08:59,220 --> 00:09:01,860 "Well, what IS that? What's actually going on?" 214 00:09:01,860 --> 00:09:05,780 And...I guess healing the parts of me 215 00:09:05,780 --> 00:09:09,740 that didn't know how to be vulnerable with people 216 00:09:09,740 --> 00:09:12,900 or didn't know how to be... you know, have a conversation. 217 00:09:12,900 --> 00:09:17,540 And...and these days, I... I love the fact that I'm a human, 218 00:09:17,540 --> 00:09:21,140 which, you know, I definitely wouldn't have said when I was a kid. 219 00:09:21,140 --> 00:09:24,260 One of the moments in Alone that I think most resonated with viewers 220 00:09:24,260 --> 00:09:25,860 was when you got to that point where you said, 221 00:09:25,860 --> 00:09:29,060 "Actually, I really...I've tried to tell myself I don't need people, 222 00:09:29,060 --> 00:09:29,300 "Actually, I really...I've tried "but I actually really do, 223 00:09:29,300 --> 00:09:30,220 "but I actually really do, 224 00:09:30,220 --> 00:09:32,700 "and, my God, I'd really like a hug right about now." 225 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:34,740 What does it actually feel like 226 00:09:34,740 --> 00:09:37,980 to be without any human contact for so long? 227 00:09:37,980 --> 00:09:38,220 to be without any human contact Like, what does it feel like? 228 00:09:38,220 --> 00:09:39,540 Like, what does it feel like? 229 00:09:39,540 --> 00:09:41,540 Yeah, for me, like, I'm an introvert, 230 00:09:41,540 --> 00:09:44,860 and I use extroversion as a survival mechanism. 231 00:09:44,860 --> 00:09:46,420 I'm a bit like a puffer fish. 232 00:09:46,420 --> 00:09:49,780 You know, a puffer fish, when it gets threatened, it goes poof? 233 00:09:49,780 --> 00:09:50,020 You know, a puffer fish, when Basically, you cannot get near me. 234 00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:52,380 Basically, you cannot get near me. 235 00:09:52,380 --> 00:09:55,180 And so I learned very young 236 00:09:55,180 --> 00:10:00,220 to use my energetic size and my personality to keep people away. 237 00:10:00,220 --> 00:10:02,460 Um, but, you know, for me, 238 00:10:02,460 --> 00:10:05,660 the definition of an introversion is someone who is fuelled by solitude, 239 00:10:05,660 --> 00:10:07,260 and the definition of an extrovert is someone 240 00:10:07,260 --> 00:10:12,020 who is fuelled and nourished by connection with people. 241 00:10:12,020 --> 00:10:18,620 So for me, being alone for 67 days, like, I was...I was not lonely. 242 00:10:18,620 --> 00:10:20,220 There were a couple of times when I had, 243 00:10:20,220 --> 00:10:22,740 you know, moments of missing people, but... 244 00:10:23,740 --> 00:10:27,740 ..the world that I live in is so connected 245 00:10:27,740 --> 00:10:30,060 to every single living thing. 246 00:10:30,060 --> 00:10:33,700 Like that platypus, Lady Larila, she was my friend. 247 00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:37,340 I would chat with her every day, and she would chat back in platypus. 248 00:10:37,340 --> 00:10:41,460 And when I'd go to harvest a... you know, like, a little sapling, 249 00:10:41,460 --> 00:10:44,340 I'd say, "Hey, you know, do you want to be part of my shelter 250 00:10:44,340 --> 00:10:46,940 "and, you know, do something that none of your mates are doing?" 251 00:10:46,940 --> 00:10:48,860 And... (LAUGHTER) 252 00:10:48,860 --> 00:10:54,580 So, the solitude part, for my personality, was amazing. 253 00:10:55,860 --> 00:10:58,660 So, this was my preparation board. 254 00:10:58,660 --> 00:11:00,780 And I've written all over it, "Get fat." 255 00:11:00,780 --> 00:11:01,020 And I've written all over it, "Get fatter." "Fat is fabulous." 256 00:11:01,020 --> 00:11:02,660 "Get fatter." "Fat is fabulous." 257 00:11:03,660 --> 00:11:06,420 KRISTIN: The two things, really, that take you out of Alone 258 00:11:06,420 --> 00:11:07,660 would be weight loss 259 00:11:07,660 --> 00:11:07,860 and malnutrition - would be weight loss 260 00:11:07,860 --> 00:11:08,940 and malnutrition - 261 00:11:08,940 --> 00:11:11,740 or, you know, the psychological part about being alone. 262 00:11:11,740 --> 00:11:13,580 Well, I knew she had the psychological part 263 00:11:13,580 --> 00:11:13,820 Well, I knew she had the psychological part absolutely sorted. 264 00:11:13,820 --> 00:11:14,780 absolutely sorted. 265 00:11:14,780 --> 00:11:19,300 Yeah, I started out at 76 kilos and I ended up at 94. 266 00:11:19,300 --> 00:11:21,540 This has got everything! It's hilarious! 267 00:11:21,540 --> 00:11:24,220 I tell you what did actually hit the cutting room floor 268 00:11:24,220 --> 00:11:24,460 I tell you what did actually hit but it was a really lovely anecdote 269 00:11:24,460 --> 00:11:26,460 but it was a really lovely anecdote 270 00:11:26,460 --> 00:11:27,980 was your sister talking about 271 00:11:27,980 --> 00:11:30,020 how you never want to see a sausage roll again, 272 00:11:30,020 --> 00:11:33,140 'cause you had to eat so many sausage rolls in the lead-up to Alone. 273 00:11:33,140 --> 00:11:33,380 'cause you had to eat so many sausage Oh! Yes. 274 00:11:33,380 --> 00:11:34,180 Oh! Yes. 275 00:11:34,180 --> 00:11:34,420 Gina usually eats Oh! Yes. 276 00:11:34,420 --> 00:11:36,460 Gina usually eats extremely healthily, 277 00:11:36,460 --> 00:11:38,660 like, beautiful, fresh, you know, produce, 278 00:11:38,660 --> 00:11:38,900 like, beautiful, fresh, and then going to... 279 00:11:38,900 --> 00:11:40,780 and then going to... 280 00:11:40,780 --> 00:11:43,260 ..going and seeing her shove, like, 20 sausage rolls, 281 00:11:43,260 --> 00:11:46,500 gagging, you know, down her throat every day to try and put on weight. 282 00:11:46,500 --> 00:11:48,500 And she's shoving, like, sausage rolls down her throat 283 00:11:48,500 --> 00:11:50,540 with little tears coming out the corners of her eyes 284 00:11:50,540 --> 00:11:50,780 with little tears going, "I can't eat any more!" 285 00:11:50,780 --> 00:11:52,180 going, "I can't eat any more!" 286 00:11:52,180 --> 00:11:55,180 Actually, no, it's the licorice bullets. 287 00:11:55,180 --> 00:11:56,380 (LAUGHTER) 288 00:11:56,380 --> 00:12:00,660 I ate 460 grams of licorice bullets 289 00:12:00,660 --> 00:12:02,620 in a day. 290 00:12:02,620 --> 00:12:07,420 The first shart started about three hours later. 291 00:12:07,420 --> 00:12:11,940 The last shart was about three DAYS later. 292 00:12:11,940 --> 00:12:15,220 No more licorice bullets. (LAUGHS) 293 00:12:15,220 --> 00:12:15,460 No more licorice bullets. The day has come. 294 00:12:15,460 --> 00:12:16,700 The day has come. 295 00:12:17,860 --> 00:12:22,500 I am heading out to actually look for food. 296 00:12:22,500 --> 00:12:24,540 KARINA: She doesn't even think about food for three weeks, 297 00:12:24,540 --> 00:12:26,380 and then she's just like, "OK, time to catch a fish." 298 00:12:26,380 --> 00:12:26,620 and then she's just like, Holy shit! Got a fish! 299 00:12:26,620 --> 00:12:28,420 Holy shit! Got a fish! 300 00:12:29,700 --> 00:12:31,500 Here we go. 301 00:12:31,500 --> 00:12:32,940 Ha! Gotcha! 302 00:12:35,100 --> 00:12:37,300 It's a boy fish. 303 00:12:37,300 --> 00:12:39,340 And he's got spermy bits. 304 00:12:40,380 --> 00:12:42,060 Mmm! 305 00:12:43,500 --> 00:12:44,860 Mmm! 306 00:12:44,860 --> 00:12:47,260 That is life force. 307 00:12:48,740 --> 00:12:52,780 Your friend said he thought you could have stayed out there forever. 308 00:12:52,780 --> 00:12:53,020 Your friend said he thought you could Yeah. 309 00:12:53,020 --> 00:12:54,060 Yeah. 310 00:12:54,060 --> 00:12:55,900 Stevie, bless. Um... 311 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:57,980 I mean, I could have stayed out there forever. 312 00:12:57,980 --> 00:13:03,020 There was a point where, um, I lost contact with base camp 313 00:13:03,020 --> 00:13:03,260 There was a point where, um, from...for a satellite issue, 314 00:13:03,260 --> 00:13:05,060 from...for a satellite issue, 315 00:13:05,060 --> 00:13:08,460 and for a moment, I was like, "Has there been a war?" 316 00:13:09,740 --> 00:13:12,060 Like, "Am I out here forever?" 317 00:13:12,060 --> 00:13:12,300 "Are they... Like, "Am I out here forever?" 318 00:13:12,300 --> 00:13:13,420 "Are they... Can they come and get... 319 00:13:13,420 --> 00:13:15,980 "Does anyone know that I'm here?" (LAUGHTER) 320 00:13:15,980 --> 00:13:19,060 And it was real. Like, for quite a few hours. 321 00:13:19,060 --> 00:13:22,660 I didn't know if I was going to be out there. 322 00:13:22,660 --> 00:13:24,420 And then it got real really fast. 323 00:13:24,420 --> 00:13:27,740 I was like, "Oh, my goodness. I could be out here on my own. 324 00:13:27,740 --> 00:13:31,220 "The crazy lady with the wild hair, like, talking to the platypus, 325 00:13:31,220 --> 00:13:31,460 "The crazy lady with the wild hair, "and, like, chewing on raw eels." 326 00:13:31,460 --> 00:13:33,500 "and, like, chewing on raw eels." 327 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:36,820 And, uh, that was not a good thought. 328 00:13:36,820 --> 00:13:40,900 I could do it, but the idea of not having a village at that point 329 00:13:40,900 --> 00:13:43,420 would be...ooh, that would be heartbreaking. 330 00:13:43,420 --> 00:13:46,020 So, one of the things that keeps you going is, on some level, 331 00:13:46,020 --> 00:13:49,020 the knowledge that it's not forever, that it will end at some point? 332 00:13:49,020 --> 00:13:50,660 Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. 333 00:13:50,660 --> 00:13:52,940 Um...because we're designed to live in villages. 334 00:13:52,940 --> 00:13:53,180 Um...because we're designed That's how we're designed. 335 00:13:53,180 --> 00:13:54,140 That's how we're designed. 336 00:13:54,140 --> 00:13:57,180 The human animal is designed to live in packs. 337 00:13:57,180 --> 00:13:57,420 The human animal is designed We're designed to live in groups. 338 00:13:57,420 --> 00:13:58,860 We're designed to live in groups. 339 00:13:58,860 --> 00:13:59,100 And in the...in our DNA, the 350,000 We're designed to live in groups. 340 00:13:59,100 --> 00:14:04,340 And in the...in our DNA, the 350,000 years that we've been Homo sapiens, 341 00:14:04,340 --> 00:14:09,820 for 340,000 of those years - ish - we were hunter-gatherers, 342 00:14:09,820 --> 00:14:12,660 living in small bands, moving through the landscape 343 00:14:12,660 --> 00:14:12,900 living in small bands, to get our needs met from the land. 344 00:14:12,900 --> 00:14:15,140 to get our needs met from the land. 345 00:14:15,140 --> 00:14:18,900 Like, that is the predominant information in our DNA. 346 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:22,180 And so I think we all resonate with that. 347 00:14:22,180 --> 00:14:22,420 And so I think we all The last... 348 00:14:22,420 --> 00:14:23,780 The last... 349 00:14:25,060 --> 00:14:29,100 ..probably week to 10 days has been hard. 350 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:29,380 I love being here, but I want to hear someone else's stories. ..probably week to 10 days has been hard. 351 00:14:29,380 --> 00:14:34,020 I love being here, but I want to hear someone else's stories. 352 00:14:34,020 --> 00:14:34,260 I love being here, but I want I want to hear someone else's life. 353 00:14:34,260 --> 00:14:35,700 I want to hear someone else's life. 354 00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:35,940 I want to hear someone else's life. It's more that this place is giving me a... 355 00:14:35,940 --> 00:14:38,220 It's more that this place is giving me a... 356 00:14:38,220 --> 00:14:40,540 (GASPS) No fucking way! 357 00:14:41,660 --> 00:14:43,900 What the fuck?! LEE: Yeah. 358 00:14:43,900 --> 00:14:46,300 Holy f... Oh, my...God! 359 00:14:46,300 --> 00:14:47,500 You did it. 360 00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:50,820 Ho... 361 00:14:50,820 --> 00:14:53,380 You're fuck... You're here... Can I give you a hug? 362 00:14:53,380 --> 00:14:54,740 Yes. Yay! 363 00:14:54,740 --> 00:14:56,860 No way! Well fucking done. 364 00:14:56,860 --> 00:14:58,060 WOMAN: You've won, Gina. You've won. 365 00:14:58,060 --> 00:14:59,980 Well fucking done. Oh, my God! 366 00:14:59,980 --> 00:15:01,660 You did it. Oh, my God! 367 00:15:01,660 --> 00:15:03,780 You're such a fucking legend. Oh, my God! 368 00:15:04,780 --> 00:15:07,260 I didn't expect that I would win. 369 00:15:07,260 --> 00:15:10,860 I just knew that I was only gonna come out if they pulled me out. 370 00:15:12,700 --> 00:15:18,300 And I didn't suffer out there. I didn't suffer. 371 00:15:18,300 --> 00:15:19,740 So, this is the nest. 372 00:15:19,740 --> 00:15:21,580 It's beautiful. This is my nest. 373 00:15:21,580 --> 00:15:26,180 Survival is about being at home in wild nature. 374 00:15:29,260 --> 00:15:30,900 Thanks for coming. Yeah. 375 00:15:30,900 --> 00:15:32,940 It had to be you. Yeah. 376 00:15:32,940 --> 00:15:34,820 I want to ask you about Lee, 'cause I think 377 00:15:34,820 --> 00:15:38,900 people also really were so touched by that moment at the end of Alone 378 00:15:38,900 --> 00:15:41,260 when you turned around and Lee was there. 379 00:15:41,260 --> 00:15:43,580 To have that relationship that you have now, 380 00:15:43,580 --> 00:15:47,220 how hard was it to consciously go, "We can decide how this operates. 381 00:15:47,220 --> 00:15:49,900 "We don't have to be defined by other people's expectations 382 00:15:49,900 --> 00:15:50,140 "We don't have to be defined "of how exes are meant to be"? 383 00:15:50,140 --> 00:15:52,100 "of how exes are meant to be"? 384 00:15:52,100 --> 00:15:52,340 There was a transition period that was very uncomfortable, "of how exes are meant to be"? 385 00:15:52,340 --> 00:15:56,140 There was a transition period that was very uncomfortable, 386 00:15:56,140 --> 00:16:00,540 but what I found is that when I love, I love. 387 00:16:00,540 --> 00:16:00,780 but what I found is that when I love, I love. I can't just turn it off. 388 00:16:00,780 --> 00:16:02,540 I can't just turn it off. 389 00:16:02,540 --> 00:16:08,460 Like, if I love someone, I only want them to flower and blossom. 390 00:16:08,460 --> 00:16:13,020 And to me, it's like, I can't say what someone's journey is 391 00:16:13,020 --> 00:16:13,260 And to me, it's like, I can't say or what their soul's purpose is. 392 00:16:13,260 --> 00:16:14,860 or what their soul's purpose is. 393 00:16:14,860 --> 00:16:15,100 That's... That's actually or what their soul's purpose is. 394 00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:17,140 That's... That's actually nothing to do with me. 395 00:16:17,140 --> 00:16:22,020 So, when we made our...our separation, 396 00:16:22,020 --> 00:16:25,780 we pretty quickly found a shape together 397 00:16:25,780 --> 00:16:27,700 where we could still facilitate together, 398 00:16:27,700 --> 00:16:27,940 where we could still where we could still be friends, 399 00:16:27,940 --> 00:16:28,860 where we could still be friends, 400 00:16:28,860 --> 00:16:29,100 where we could still where we could still be friends, 401 00:16:29,100 --> 00:16:30,740 where we could still totally piss each other off 402 00:16:30,740 --> 00:16:30,980 where we could still and have SCREAMING arguments. 403 00:16:30,980 --> 00:16:34,140 and have SCREAMING arguments. 404 00:16:34,140 --> 00:16:37,780 Lee has the ability to press my buttons like no-one. 405 00:16:37,780 --> 00:16:38,020 Lee has the ability to press He turns me into a banshee. 406 00:16:38,020 --> 00:16:40,060 He turns me into a banshee. 407 00:16:40,060 --> 00:16:42,420 And, um...and I'm grateful to that, 408 00:16:42,420 --> 00:16:45,300 because, like, you know, that's... it's not a normal state. 409 00:16:45,300 --> 00:16:45,540 because, like, you know, that's... So, I get to explore my rage. 410 00:16:45,540 --> 00:16:47,140 So, I get to explore my rage. 411 00:16:47,140 --> 00:16:50,260 I get to explore the part of me that completely loses my shit. 412 00:16:50,260 --> 00:16:53,860 And it's been a bit of a journey, but it's a good one. 413 00:16:53,860 --> 00:16:57,740 GIRL: Hey, Dad, I can...I can... I can throw... 414 00:16:57,740 --> 00:17:01,580 You and Lee separated so he could make the choice to be a father, 415 00:17:01,580 --> 00:17:04,340 but because of your age and so forth, 416 00:17:04,340 --> 00:17:06,860 you didn't have the choice to be a mother. 417 00:17:06,860 --> 00:17:08,460 To an outsider, that looks like 418 00:17:08,460 --> 00:17:11,220 an almost superhuman level of selflessness 419 00:17:11,220 --> 00:17:11,460 an almost superhuman level to allow him to make that choice 420 00:17:11,460 --> 00:17:13,140 to allow him to make that choice 421 00:17:13,140 --> 00:17:15,620 when you weren't going to have that choice yourself. 422 00:17:15,620 --> 00:17:19,900 I tend to try to live my life 423 00:17:19,900 --> 00:17:20,140 in relationship I tend to try to live my life 424 00:17:20,140 --> 00:17:22,060 in relationship with capital R reality, 425 00:17:22,060 --> 00:17:26,260 not the reality I think should be or that I want or I think is fair, 426 00:17:26,260 --> 00:17:26,500 not the reality I think should be because life isn't like that. 427 00:17:26,500 --> 00:17:27,940 because life isn't like that. 428 00:17:27,940 --> 00:17:30,100 And this is just what was actually there. 429 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:32,820 So, he had a whole bunch of desire to be a dad. 430 00:17:32,820 --> 00:17:37,180 I was done with being a mum. That's... Like, there it is. 431 00:17:37,180 --> 00:17:39,460 Like, you can't argue. Well, I couldn't argue with that. 432 00:17:43,300 --> 00:17:45,100 What's it been like post Alone 433 00:17:45,100 --> 00:17:45,340 to have so many more people What's it been like post Alone 434 00:17:45,340 --> 00:17:48,020 to have so many more people know who Blaise is 435 00:17:48,020 --> 00:17:48,260 to have so many more people and to be invested in her story? 436 00:17:48,260 --> 00:17:49,940 and to be invested in her story? 437 00:17:49,940 --> 00:17:51,260 Beautiful. 438 00:17:51,260 --> 00:17:54,300 I think anyone who's lost not just a child 439 00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:56,660 but anyone close to them, 440 00:17:56,660 --> 00:18:00,220 one of the things that happens is people don't know what to say, 441 00:18:00,220 --> 00:18:03,460 and so they say, "I'm sorry for your loss." 442 00:18:03,460 --> 00:18:05,420 How many times do you hear that? "I'm sorry for your loss." 443 00:18:05,420 --> 00:18:09,820 Which just means, "I've got no idea and I've got to say something." 444 00:18:09,820 --> 00:18:12,060 And, like, we live in a culture 445 00:18:12,060 --> 00:18:15,540 that, for me, doesn't have healthy rituals of grief. 446 00:18:15,540 --> 00:18:15,780 that, for me, doesn't have It doesn't have... 447 00:18:15,780 --> 00:18:16,900 It doesn't have... 448 00:18:16,900 --> 00:18:20,260 You know, when you look at First Nations cultures, 449 00:18:20,260 --> 00:18:22,500 like, there's beautiful ceremonies and rituals. 450 00:18:22,500 --> 00:18:25,500 There's ways of holding us in our grief. 451 00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:29,660 It just means that for anyone walking around after a loss, 452 00:18:29,660 --> 00:18:29,900 It just means that for anyone we're not supported by our culture. 453 00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:31,900 we're not supported by our culture. 454 00:18:31,900 --> 00:18:35,860 And then what happens is that we don't get to hear their name. 455 00:18:35,860 --> 00:18:37,820 I mean, does anyone relate to that? 456 00:18:37,820 --> 00:18:40,380 Like, you've...you've lost someone and then, where do you get... 457 00:18:40,380 --> 00:18:42,460 ..when do you get to hear their name? 458 00:18:42,460 --> 00:18:48,060 And so for me, you know, I lost my daughter ten years ago, 459 00:18:48,060 --> 00:18:51,180 and all of a sudden, she's alive again 460 00:18:51,180 --> 00:18:52,980 in all of these people who are coming up 461 00:18:52,980 --> 00:18:55,100 to tell their stories of loss or grief 462 00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:56,860 or telling me that they loved a photo 463 00:18:56,860 --> 00:18:59,180 or that they... you know, they resonated 464 00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:03,260 with me keening next to a fire and, you know, wailing, 465 00:19:03,260 --> 00:19:03,500 with me keening next to a fire and feeling a resonance for that. 466 00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:05,540 and feeling a resonance for that. 467 00:19:05,540 --> 00:19:08,500 And that, for me, is now we're telling the truth. 468 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:12,580 And that - that is what I live for, the "telling the truth" part. 469 00:19:12,580 --> 00:19:13,740 I'd rather we all just told the truth 470 00:19:13,740 --> 00:19:15,940 because now we're actually having a conversation. 471 00:19:15,940 --> 00:19:18,460 So, I'm really grateful that she gets to be a part of it. 472 00:19:18,460 --> 00:19:20,820 (GENTLE PIANO MELODY PLAYS) 473 00:19:23,940 --> 00:19:25,380 I've howled and I've wailed 474 00:19:25,380 --> 00:19:27,660 and I've screamed at the sky to give her back, 475 00:19:27,660 --> 00:19:30,900 and I've done whatever it is that grief has demanded of me, 476 00:19:30,900 --> 00:19:33,180 which has meant that I have let her go. 477 00:19:34,620 --> 00:19:38,260 I've let her go. I've let her go over and over and over. 478 00:19:42,820 --> 00:19:46,500 I'm so much more as a human because of her and because of losing her. 479 00:19:47,620 --> 00:19:49,460 I'm not afraid of a single feeling 480 00:19:49,460 --> 00:19:49,700 that might turn up I'm not afraid of a single feeling 481 00:19:49,700 --> 00:19:52,020 that might turn up in me or anyone else. 482 00:19:53,700 --> 00:19:57,700 That's all her gift moving through me in the world. 483 00:19:59,300 --> 00:20:00,860 Let me ask you about one more thing 484 00:20:00,860 --> 00:20:03,100 before I go to the audience to take some questions. 485 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:05,620 When the Alone finale was about to air, 486 00:20:05,620 --> 00:20:09,020 up on social media, out of the blue, pops a video of Hugh Jackman 487 00:20:09,020 --> 00:20:12,460 going, "Oh, I just want to wish my very, very good friend Gina Chick 488 00:20:12,460 --> 00:20:14,740 "all the best, and I'm rooting for her to win the finale of Alone." 489 00:20:14,740 --> 00:20:14,980 "all the best, and I'm rooting It's like, "What?! 490 00:20:14,980 --> 00:20:16,100 It's like, "What?! 491 00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:18,300 "This extraordinary woman who's got the whole nation transfixed 492 00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:20,340 "also is best friends with Hugh Jackman?! 493 00:20:20,340 --> 00:20:22,300 "How on earth is this possible?" (LAUGHS) 494 00:20:22,300 --> 00:20:22,580 She is incredible, the most creative, the most hardcore "How on earth is this possible?" (LAUGHS) 495 00:20:22,580 --> 00:20:26,260 She is incredible, the most creative, the most hardcore 496 00:20:26,260 --> 00:20:29,860 and the most connected to nature, beautiful person that I know, 497 00:20:29,860 --> 00:20:30,100 and I am so proud of her. beautiful person that I know, 498 00:20:30,100 --> 00:20:32,140 and I am so proud of her. 499 00:20:32,140 --> 00:20:32,380 To my soul sister Gina Chick, and I am so proud of her. you rock. 500 00:20:32,380 --> 00:20:35,260 To my soul sister Gina Chick, you rock. 501 00:20:35,260 --> 00:20:35,540 To my soul sister Gina Chick, you rock. Oh, my Hubie! Um... (LAUGHTER) 502 00:20:35,540 --> 00:20:37,860 Oh, my Hubie! Um... (LAUGHTER) 503 00:20:37,860 --> 00:20:42,500 Aw! So, Hugh and I met on day one 504 00:20:42,500 --> 00:20:47,020 around the corner here at the Uni of Technology, doing communications, 505 00:20:47,020 --> 00:20:52,420 and we sort of collided in the very unglamorous cafeteria 506 00:20:52,420 --> 00:20:55,260 with the fluorescent orange chairs and the RSL spew carpet 507 00:20:55,260 --> 00:20:55,500 with the fluorescent orange chairs and the $2 fried rice, 508 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:57,220 and the $2 fried rice, 509 00:20:57,220 --> 00:20:59,620 and...and we started talking, 510 00:20:59,620 --> 00:21:01,420 and then we didn't stop pretty much for the whole day. 511 00:21:01,420 --> 00:21:03,940 We missed the whole first day of classes. 512 00:21:03,940 --> 00:21:07,140 And...I don't know, there's people in your... 513 00:21:07,140 --> 00:21:09,060 There's people, I think, in all of our lives 514 00:21:09,060 --> 00:21:10,820 who there's just an instant recognition, 515 00:21:10,820 --> 00:21:11,060 who there's just and that was what it was. 516 00:21:11,060 --> 00:21:12,780 and that was what it was. 517 00:21:12,780 --> 00:21:13,020 You know, 35 years, and that was what it was. 518 00:21:13,020 --> 00:21:15,580 You know, 35 years, we've been friends. 519 00:21:15,580 --> 00:21:19,180 So, yeah, he's just...he's my buddy. (LAUGHS) 520 00:21:19,180 --> 00:21:22,540 My name is Penny, and I watched your show, 521 00:21:22,540 --> 00:21:24,420 and I have to admit... I watched it with my children, 522 00:21:24,420 --> 00:21:28,180 and the first episode, I thought...we all said, 523 00:21:28,180 --> 00:21:29,740 "Oh, my God, you're nuts." 524 00:21:29,740 --> 00:21:33,700 And by the end of the ten weeks, we all just fell in love with you 525 00:21:33,700 --> 00:21:36,620 and your story and everything about you and your genuineness. 526 00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:36,860 and your story and everything So, I guess my question to you is, 527 00:21:36,860 --> 00:21:38,740 So, I guess my question to you is, 528 00:21:38,740 --> 00:21:38,980 what is your advice for people So, I guess my question to you is, 529 00:21:38,980 --> 00:21:41,740 what is your advice for people who are a little bit different 530 00:21:41,740 --> 00:21:45,020 to make connections quicker when they're not necessarily the normal? 531 00:21:45,020 --> 00:21:47,540 Yeah, that's a really good question, Penny. 532 00:21:47,540 --> 00:21:50,660 The thing that I've found through Alone was 533 00:21:50,660 --> 00:21:53,180 the first time...the first time you saw me dancing in the moss, 534 00:21:53,180 --> 00:21:56,340 it's, like, "Oh, my God. She's loco. She's loopy." 535 00:21:56,340 --> 00:21:58,860 And then the second time, it's like, 536 00:21:58,860 --> 00:22:00,820 "Oh, maybe there's a little bit more there." 537 00:22:00,820 --> 00:22:05,180 And then it actually didn't take long for people to drop in. 538 00:22:05,180 --> 00:22:09,260 So, what I think people connect with is real. 539 00:22:09,260 --> 00:22:09,500 So, what I think It's when we're real. 540 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:11,220 It's when we're real. 541 00:22:11,220 --> 00:22:16,980 And to be a bit different, it can feel very unsafe to be real, 542 00:22:16,980 --> 00:22:19,820 because the feedback that we get from the world is... 543 00:22:19,820 --> 00:22:20,060 because the feedback that we get ..is that it isn't safe. 544 00:22:20,060 --> 00:22:21,540 ..is that it isn't safe. 545 00:22:21,540 --> 00:22:24,380 And what I've found through Alone 546 00:22:24,380 --> 00:22:28,900 is that by allowing that authenticity to shine through, 547 00:22:28,900 --> 00:22:30,580 it may not be for everyone, 548 00:22:30,580 --> 00:22:36,100 but for the people who are willing to engage with...with real, 549 00:22:36,100 --> 00:22:39,420 there is...the doors are now open, 550 00:22:39,420 --> 00:22:44,300 and what that looks like, I think is different for everyone. 551 00:22:44,300 --> 00:22:44,540 and what that looks like, I think Hi, Gina. I'm Prue. 552 00:22:44,540 --> 00:22:46,500 Hi, Gina. I'm Prue. 553 00:22:46,500 --> 00:22:49,140 I was thinking about your writing. 554 00:22:49,140 --> 00:22:53,100 You write with an amazing capture of language 555 00:22:53,100 --> 00:22:55,820 and such beautiful expression on your socials and in your blog. 556 00:22:55,820 --> 00:22:57,980 What was it like for you when you found out 557 00:22:57,980 --> 00:22:59,980 that Charmian Clift was your grandmother? 558 00:22:59,980 --> 00:23:02,780 Was that an epiphany, and did it connect you to something? 559 00:23:05,740 --> 00:23:07,980 KRISTIN: Charmian Clift was a journalist. 560 00:23:07,980 --> 00:23:08,260 She married an author called George Johnston, KRISTIN: Charmian Clift was a journalist. 561 00:23:08,260 --> 00:23:11,420 She married an author called George Johnston, 562 00:23:11,420 --> 00:23:13,940 and one of their most famous books is My Brother Jack. 563 00:23:13,940 --> 00:23:16,380 WOMAN: And that was her in the early time 564 00:23:16,380 --> 00:23:20,060 when she was starting to write with George Johnston. 565 00:23:20,060 --> 00:23:23,300 She was this sort of, like, wild, bohemian trailblazer. 566 00:23:24,300 --> 00:23:26,340 I mean, the first thing when I found out 567 00:23:26,340 --> 00:23:30,140 that Charmian was this sort of wild, trailblazing woman, 568 00:23:30,140 --> 00:23:33,580 I think I was, like, 20 when I found out about Charm 569 00:23:33,580 --> 00:23:36,100 at the, you know, height of my own wildness. 570 00:23:36,100 --> 00:23:39,700 And my first thing was, "Oh, my God. Thank goodness. I make sense." 571 00:23:39,700 --> 00:23:41,580 Because I hadn't really made sense anywhere, 572 00:23:41,580 --> 00:23:45,420 but now it's like there's this direct line of...of wildness. 573 00:23:45,420 --> 00:23:47,220 So that was...that was incredible. 574 00:23:47,220 --> 00:23:49,300 And finding out that she was a writer also, 575 00:23:49,300 --> 00:23:51,300 because I've been writing and I've been loving writing 576 00:23:51,300 --> 00:23:51,540 because I've been writing since I was a kid, 577 00:23:51,540 --> 00:23:52,620 since I was a kid, 578 00:23:52,620 --> 00:23:52,860 and I could feel since I was a kid, 579 00:23:52,860 --> 00:23:57,620 and I could feel the river of words, you know, 580 00:23:57,620 --> 00:23:57,860 and I could feel almost coming from her into me. 581 00:23:57,860 --> 00:24:01,340 almost coming from her into me. 582 00:24:01,340 --> 00:24:05,140 But here's something really interesting - I don't read her work. 583 00:24:05,140 --> 00:24:08,900 Because I'm so, sort of, ferociously defensive of my own voice, 584 00:24:08,900 --> 00:24:14,780 I don't want to be, um... influenced by her style. 585 00:24:14,780 --> 00:24:16,780 And...and so it's like... 586 00:24:16,780 --> 00:24:20,540 Because I can feel there is so much of her in me. 587 00:24:20,540 --> 00:24:20,780 Because I can feel there is WOMAN: Uh, Jane. Hello. 588 00:24:20,780 --> 00:24:22,100 WOMAN: Uh, Jane. Hello. 589 00:24:22,100 --> 00:24:26,140 Um, Gina, do you still feel you're too big for the world, 590 00:24:26,140 --> 00:24:27,740 or do you think it's ready for you now? 591 00:24:27,740 --> 00:24:29,380 Aha! (LAUGHTER) 592 00:24:29,380 --> 00:24:32,340 I don't feel like I'm too big for the world anymore. 593 00:24:32,340 --> 00:24:32,580 I don't feel like I'm too big And I'm so, so super grateful 594 00:24:32,580 --> 00:24:36,060 And I'm so, so super grateful 595 00:24:36,060 --> 00:24:40,620 to have this whole experience happening when I'm in my 50s, 596 00:24:40,620 --> 00:24:42,140 rather than in my 20s or my 30s, 597 00:24:42,140 --> 00:24:43,860 because I think I probably would have, 598 00:24:43,860 --> 00:24:45,980 with all of that bigness and wildness, 599 00:24:45,980 --> 00:24:49,140 probably blown up in destructive ways. 600 00:24:49,140 --> 00:24:54,660 Now I feel like I can dance with my own bigness 601 00:24:54,660 --> 00:24:59,460 and find a way to fit that into the world. 602 00:24:59,460 --> 00:25:05,380 And I feel that increasingly there is room for women to be, 603 00:25:05,380 --> 00:25:09,260 you know, not obedient, not good girls, to have a voice. 604 00:25:09,260 --> 00:25:14,260 You know, we're still bashing away on that ceiling, but I, um... 605 00:25:14,260 --> 00:25:18,820 ..I don't feel like there are ligatures and strictures 606 00:25:18,820 --> 00:25:20,340 around my size anymore, 607 00:25:20,340 --> 00:25:22,220 and it's really nice to be able to breathe. 608 00:25:22,220 --> 00:25:24,420 It's like taking your bra off and going, "Ohhh!" 609 00:25:24,420 --> 00:25:26,740 (LAUGHTER) Let the girls free. 610 00:25:26,740 --> 00:25:28,660 (LAUGHS) Thank you. 611 00:25:28,660 --> 00:25:31,340 Gina, let me ask you one question to finish. 612 00:25:31,340 --> 00:25:31,580 Gina, let me ask you On Australian Story, Lee said 613 00:25:31,580 --> 00:25:33,580 On Australian Story, Lee said 614 00:25:33,580 --> 00:25:38,100 that on Alone there's a philosophy that relates to the whole of life. 615 00:25:38,100 --> 00:25:40,340 Do you agree? And what is that philosophy? 616 00:25:40,340 --> 00:25:45,820 I think that we live in a culture that pathologises discomfort. 617 00:25:45,820 --> 00:25:48,100 Anything that makes us feel slightly uncomfortable, 618 00:25:48,100 --> 00:25:48,340 Anything that makes us feel it's like, "Oh, quick," you know? 619 00:25:48,340 --> 00:25:50,020 it's like, "Oh, quick," you know? 620 00:25:50,020 --> 00:25:52,500 Reach for a durry, or reach for the TV, 621 00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:54,740 or doom-scroll, or go get laid, 622 00:25:54,740 --> 00:25:59,020 or go smoke a spliff, or, you know, go for a run, whatever. 623 00:25:59,020 --> 00:25:59,260 or go smoke a spliff, or, you know, Anything to not feel discomfort. 624 00:25:59,260 --> 00:26:02,180 Anything to not feel discomfort. 625 00:26:02,180 --> 00:26:06,260 Whereas we only grow when we're uncomfortable. 626 00:26:06,260 --> 00:26:10,620 And so being able to have tools to be in that discomfort 627 00:26:10,620 --> 00:26:11,940 and hold ourselves there, 628 00:26:11,940 --> 00:26:13,860 that's when we start to metabolise 629 00:26:13,860 --> 00:26:17,580 the edges of that fear of whatever it's going to be 630 00:26:17,580 --> 00:26:17,820 the edges of that fear and realise it ain't gonna kill us. 631 00:26:17,820 --> 00:26:19,740 and realise it ain't gonna kill us. 632 00:26:19,740 --> 00:26:19,980 And then our world gets bigger and realise it ain't gonna kill us. 633 00:26:19,980 --> 00:26:23,660 And then our world gets bigger and bigger and bigger, 634 00:26:23,660 --> 00:26:27,060 and we can find what the discomfort is teaching us, 635 00:26:27,060 --> 00:26:27,300 and we can find what the discomfort and then we can rely on ourselves, 636 00:26:27,300 --> 00:26:29,300 and then we can rely on ourselves, 637 00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:33,540 and that self-reliance becomes the ground that we stand on, 638 00:26:33,540 --> 00:26:37,140 so then every step that we take is in our own rightness. 639 00:26:37,140 --> 00:26:38,620 So, if that's a philosophy, 640 00:26:38,620 --> 00:26:41,540 I have no idea what I just said, but that would probably be it! 641 00:26:41,540 --> 00:26:41,780 I have no idea what I just said, (LAUGHTER) 642 00:26:41,780 --> 00:26:43,020 (LAUGHTER) 643 00:26:43,020 --> 00:26:43,260 Please thank Gina. Aww! (LAUGHTER) 644 00:26:43,260 --> 00:26:45,540 Please thank Gina. Aww! 645 00:26:49,740 --> 00:26:52,300 That was wonderful. Thank you so much. 646 00:26:53,260 --> 00:26:54,740 Captions by Red Bee Media 647 00:26:54,740 --> 00:26:56,700 Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation