Epic Fail

Sam Bramham entered Paralympic competition with a splash when he broke the 100m butterfly world record at the 2004 Athens Paralympic, his first games, at the age of 16. Since then he has travelled the world winning golds, breaking records and experiencing life at events such as the 2006 Melboune Commonwealth Games, 2007 South African World Championship and 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

In 2009 Sam was awarded with the Order of Australia Medal for services to his country and for being a role model for his younger team mates.

Born without his right femur due to unknown circumstances, Sam had his right leg amputated at the age of five, which enabled him to wear a prosthetic. Never letting his disability get in the way, Sam has played a number of sports, including AFL football, Rugby, Kayaking and even captained his school water polo team.

A multi-talented stand-up, host and actress with nearly twenty years experience performing to crowds all over the world, Lady Julia Morris is one of Australia’s most successful and polished comedy exports.

Julia’s career has taken her across the globe working with comedy royalty including Richard Pryor, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams. Back on home soil, Julia won the first Celebrity Apprentice, raising nearly $200,00 for Breast Cancer Research in the process before taking the reigns of Australia’s Got Talent for the Nine Network.

Whilst comedy has made Julia a household name, she proves her versatility and talent transcends the genre with her current role as Gemma in the hit Nine Network drama House Husbands, winning the Most Popular Drama Logie for its first series, and for which Julia has received two consecutive nominations for Most Popular Actress. However, Julia Morris’ position as one of Australia’s most popular and prolific comedians working today is evident from her successful, award winning national tours including the recent No Judgement Tour.

P.S. Yes, the ‘Lady’ title is real - Julia’s husband bought it on the Internet as a Christmas present.

Rob Oakeshott was the Independent member for Lyne in the House of Representatives from 2008-13. Prior to that, he had been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, elected in 1996 as the National Party candidate. He left the party to become an Independent in 2002 and retained the seat until 2008. The Independent Member from Lyne: A Memoir (Allen & Unwin) is his first book.

Erik Jensen is an award-winning journalist, biographer, poet and screenwriter. He is the founding editor of The Saturday Paper and editor-in-chief of Schwartz Media. He is the author of Acute Misfortune: The Life and Death ...

Nga Chu, known to everyone as Nahji or Miss Chu and to those who get in her way, as ‘The Queen of Rice Paper Rolls’ is the founder and creative director of misschu.

Born in Luang Prahbang, Laos, in 1970, Nahji and her family escaped the Pathet Laos Regime in 1975. They sustained themselves on the meagre living conditions afforded by the various Thai refugee camps they inhabited over a four year period before the Chu family’s number came up and the Australian government made them one of the first Vietnamese/Laotian refugees to settle in Australia.

A talented filmmaker, she produced a charcoal animation telling her story and that of many other Vietnamese refugees. These skills are still part of the brand, with Nahji hand writing the menus on the blackboards found in the tuckshops. Nahji’s early desire for a career in the arts has been fully handed over to the creative life of misschu - the high-design fast food chain.

Sarah Blasko is an acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer who has released five studio albums and won numerous accolades, including two ARIA Awards and a J Award. Her most recent album, Eternal Return (2015) was described by the Guardian as 'an extraordinary record' (*****).  She has also composed music for film (The Nightingale and The Rose, Ruben Guthrie), theatre (Bell Shakespeare’s Hamlet) & dance (Sydney Dance Company’s Emergence).

Julian Burnside is a Melbourne barrister. He joined the Bar in 1976 and took silk in 1989. He specialises in commercial litigation, and has acted in many very contentious cases - the MUA Waterfront dispute; the Cash-for-Comment enquiry; cases for Alan Bond and Rose Porteous - but has become known for his human rights work and has acted pro bono in many refugee cases. 

He is an outspoken opponent of the mistreatment of people who come to Australia seeking protection from persecution. His latest book is Watching Out: Reflections on Justice and Injustice (Scribe).

Professor Clare Wright OAM is an award-winning historian, author, broadcaster, podcaster and public commentator who has worked in politics, academia and the media.
Clare ...