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Spirit of the Bush - A Unifying Story

Spirit of the Bush - A Unifying Story

By: Al Charry
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Australia is more than just a country. It's a land of stunning landscapes, diverse communities, and a deep-rooted spirit that unites us all. There’s much to be proud of and to celebrate. The harsh environment and extreme weather – bringing at times droughts, floods, bushfires – has shaped a resilience and tough-spirited attitude among its people across the vast continent.

This background has forged our Australian character and the way see ourselves and each other.

Co-hosts Skye and Al Charry seek to understand what it is about the spirit of the bush and how those living in the regional and rural areas of Australia develop relationships at home, at work, and at play. And they examine what organisations can do to foster equity and fairness in their own workplaces.

 

About Skye Charry

Dr Skye Charry is a gender equity consultant, with a background in sex discrimination law, author, speaker and an associate professor of law. She is author of Whispers From the Bush – The Workplace Sexual Harassment of Australian Rural Women.

About Al Charry

Lieutenant Colonel Al Charry (retired) is a commissioned Army Officer with 27 years’ experience in the Australian Defence Force. Al’s distinguished career saw him serve, train and lead in combat and war zones. Here, Al gained powerful insights into the healthy and challenging sides of leadership and culture.

SAC Consulting

As a workplace culture consulting firm specialising in building thriving workplaces, SAC Consulting offers advice and training, delivered with authenticity, empathy and collaborative communication.

More information: https://sacconsulting.com.au/

 Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Ep4 Reflections on moral courage

    Ep4 Reflections on moral courage
    Nov 21 2023

    Al Charry takes us through his 27 years in the Australian Army, from infantry soldier to recruit-training instructor to leading soldiers in combat. Team cohesion and mateship are instilled from day one, where the needs of the team are placed ahead of the individual. After all, the blunt purpose behind the military’s physical and psychological training is to fight in a war zone, so camaraderie is crucial.

    Al discusses moral courage and its importance in an institution like the military, a hyper-masculine and hierarchical environment. Like any organisation, harassment and other discretions need to be called out early; and best handled in a delicate, non-confrontational manner. At the end of the day, it’s about treating individuals with the respect they deserve.

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    SAC Consulting –  sacconsulting.com.au 

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    46 mins
  • Ep3 Practical steps to change behaviour

    Ep3 Practical steps to change behaviour
    Nov 7 2023

    Skye Charry walks us through some of the revelations she documents from her book, Whispers From the Bush. Skye conducted an extensive study in rural Australia, which highlighted concerning statistics – very high incidences of sexual harassment in the workplace. Skye and Al Charry explore the cultural issues underlying the attitudes which ultimately lead to humiliation, intimidation and aggravation in the workplace.

    Although collectively we have a lot of work to do to transform that culture, the heartening conclusion is that it is not an insurmountable challenge. There are very real and practical steps organisations can make to support wellbeing and safety. It stems from recognising the fact that as individuals we strive to do the right thing, and so if people are cognisant of the damage and discomfort that words and actions can do to others, they’ll more likely to embrace change.

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    SAC Consulting –  sacconsulting.com.au

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    52 mins
  • Ep2 Diversity is strength

    Ep2 Diversity is strength
    Oct 24 2023

    Dr Skye Charry is an associate professor in the field of sexual discrimination and gender equity. As part of her PhD, Skye travelled extensively across the country listening to a range of people in rural communities. She documented their stories in her book, Whispers From the Bush – The Workplace Sexual Harassment of Australian Rural Women.

    In this episode, Skye and Al Charry discuss the findings from her book and how it’s been influential in helping organisations in the bush to support their own people. It’s important, they say, to recognise how certain negative and discriminative behaviour is normalised in rural communities, and yet doesn’t reflect the equity that we as Australians value.

    MORE INFORMATION

    SAC Consulting –  sacconsulting.com.au 

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    55 mins
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.