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Gold Rush: Australia’s Obsession with Winning

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What does it mean to win? Why are so many of us motivated by the prospect of glory? How does our obsession with winning in sport shape our culture and sense of nationhood? And does this obsession spill over into our attitudes towards art, education and our careers?

In this conversation, hosted by broadcaster Francis Leach, we’ll examine the concept of winning from some fresh angles. Leach will be joined by artist Abdul Abdullah, whose artwork has broached the intersection of sport and politics, and academic Zali Yager, whose research focuses on body image and doping. Also stepping up to the crease will be cricket writer Gideon Haigh, whose new book explores themes of legends and legacy in cricket.

The panel will discuss the toll the obsession with winning can take on individuals, as well as the links between triumph, legacy and the dream of immortality.

Featuring

Francis Leach

Francis Leach is a broadcaster and journalist. He co-hosts the breakfast show with David Schwarz on 1116 SEN sports radio in Melbourne and is a regular panellist on ABC TV’s The Offsiders and Ten’s The Project. For the last four years Francis was part of the ABC Grand... Read more

Abdul Abdullah

Abdul Abdullah is an artist from Perth, currently based in Sydney, who works across painting, photography, video, installation and performance. As a self described ‘outsider amongst outsiders’, his practice is primarily concerned with the experience of the ‘other’ in society. Abdullah’s pr... Read more

Gideon Haigh

Gideon Haigh has been a journalist 32 years, published 32 books and edited seven others.  His latest is book is Stroke of Genius: Victor Trumper and the Shot That Changed Cricket published in 2016 by Penguin Random House.

Zali Yager

Zali Yager is a Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education at Victoria University in Melbourne. She is passionate about preparing the next generation of health and PE teachers to inspire health literacy and positive movement experiences for children and young people. Her research expertise is ... Read more

Location

The Wheeler Centre

176 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria 3000

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The Wheeler Centre acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Centre stands. We acknowledge and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their Elders, past and present, as the custodians of the world’s oldest continuous living culture.