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"Our children have to hear our stories in our own voices."

In Conversation with Jay Laga'aia – Actor, Children's Entertainer and Singer

In the third episode of For the Love of Play's third season, we chat with actor and musician Jay Laga'aia.

Jay discusses the joy and fun of a large family, the lessons he's learnt as a parent and the bittersweet moment of pushing a child's 'canoe' out into the open sea.

Beloved for his hosting role on the legendary Australian children's show Play School, Jay tells us how performing for children has taught him valuable life lessons.

The conversation also covers the wisdom of older family members, the importance of local television programming, the universal nature of music and much more.

About Our Guest

Jay is a proud Polynesian man who spent his youth in New Zealand before crossing the Tasman to begin his career in Australia as a performer. He started out acting in the primetime television program Water Rats, before starring in Hollywood blockbuster Star Wars, as well as Australian TV classics Home and Away and Play School. Alongside his time performing for early years audiences, he has played Mufasa in The Lion King musical, Vince Fontaine in Grease the musical and Shrek in the popular stage show.

• Jay's Instagram
• Jay on Spotify

Show Links

• Website: For the Love of Play
• Listen to all episodes: Buzzsprout
• Follow us on Instagram: @fortheloveofplaypodcast

Learn More About Playgroup Victoria

• Website: playgroup.org.au
• Instagram: @playgroupvicofficial
• Facebook: Playgroup Victoria
• LinkedIn: Playgroup Victoria

Episode Credits

Hosted by Mylie Nauendorf and Sinead Halliday.

Interview conducted by Sinead Halliday.

Edited by Jonathan Rivett.

Mastering by James North Productions.

Music by Selina Byrne.

And thanks to our little friends Laddy, Lucy, Toby, Andie and Adelaide for voicing the intro.

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"I think gardening teaches you resilience. And awareness that things go on."

In Conversation with Jane Edmanson – Gardener, Horticulturalist and TV Host

It's the third season of For the Love of Play and in our second episode, we have a chinwag with gardener and TV personality, Jane Edmanson.

Jane discusses her early years travelling overseas, her experiences in England, "the home of horticulture", and her start in nurseries at a time when women rarely pursued a career in the area.

She talks about overcoming her natural shyness to begin working on TV as a gardening expert, which turned into a 35-year stint on Gardening Australia.

Jane mentions the many reasons she loves plants, gardens and the great outdoors, including her interest in the Japanese concept of forest bathing. She suggests "garden bathing" as a way of slowing down in a world that asks us to constantly go fast.

About Our Guest

Jane Edmanson has wandered down thousands of garden paths in her time - and forged many of her own. At a time when it was unheard of for women to work in nurseries, Jane prevailed, knowing that there was something in the career worth pursuing. Getting her hands in the soil prepared her for what was to come. She has been part of the team at Gardening Australia for 35 years, only recently stepping back from the camera, but not from the communities of gardeners across Australia.

• Jane's Gardening Australia profile
• Jane's Instagram

Show Links

• Website: For the Love of Play
• Listen to all episodes: Buzzsprout
• Follow us on Instagram: @fortheloveofplaypodcast

Learn More About Playgroup Victoria

• Website: playgroup.org.au
• Instagram: @playgroupvicofficial
• Facebook: Playgroup Victoria
• LinkedIn: Playgroup Victoria

Episode Credits

Hosted by Mylie Nauendorf and Sinead Halliday.

Interview conducted by Sinead Halliday.

Edited by Jonathan Rivett.

Mastering by James North Productions.

Music by Selina Byrne.

And thanks to our little friends Laddy, Lucy, Toby, Andie and Adelaide for voicing the intro.

Enjoyed This Episode?

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"I just feel compelled to tell the truth."

In Conversation with Jacinta Parsons – Broadcaster, Writer and Public Speaker

To kick off season three of For the Love of Play, we welcome broadcaster, writer and speaker Jacinta Parsons into the studio. She brings warmth, wit and depth to our conversation on play.

Known for her radio work on ABC Melbourne and her books Unseen and A Question of Age, Jacinta reflects on curiosity, creativity and living with chronic illness. We explore how play can coexist with hardship, how asking bigger questions shapes our lives and why staying true to yourself matters.

This episode is a thoughtful and uplifting look at what it means to live playfully, even through life’s challenges.

About Our Guest

Jacinta Parsons began her career in radio more than 20 years ago at Triple R and has been speaking with Victorians across the airwaves ever since. Today she is the co-host of The Friday Revue with Brian Nankervis. She has published a memoir about living with Crohn's disease, a condition she has lived with for more than half of her life. A Melburnian through and through, she had the distinction of finishing top of the class in tram conductor training.

• Jacinta's website
• Jacinta's ABC Listen profile

Show Links

• Website: For the Love of Play
• Listen to all episodes: Buzzsprout
• Follow us on Instagram: @fortheloveofplaypodcast

Learn More About Playgroup Victoria

• Website: playgroup.org.au
• Instagram: @playgroupvicofficial
• Facebook: Playgroup Victoria
• LinkedIn: Playgroup Victoria

Episode Credits

Hosted by Mylie Nauendorf and Sinead Halliday.

Interview conducted by Sinead Halliday.

Edited by Jonathan Rivett.

Mastering by James North Productions.

Music by Selina Byrne.

And thanks to our little friends Laddy, Lucy, Toby, Andie and Adelaide for voicing the intro.

Enjoyed This Episode?

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For the Love of Play is a podcast by Playgroup Victoria exploring childhood, community, family and belonging... and play, of course, in its many wonderful forms.

In this short intro episode, we give listeners a glimpse at what you can expect from our third season.

Whether you are a parent, carer, educator or just someone curious about childhood, community and culture - come along with us as we explore, live, learn and grow through play!

Support the show

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"I was happiest in the cricket world, and funnily enough I performed at my best, when I could tap into that childlike sense of play and love of the game."

In Conversation with Ryan Carters – Former Professional Cricketer and Founder of Dadfit

In this episode of For the Love of Play, we sit down with former professional cricketer and founder of dadfit, Ryan Carters.

He tells us about his childhood, including a love of cricket that began at the age of three, his work across the world raising money for disadvantaged women in cricket-playing countries and his community work back in Australia.

Ryan also tells us about dadfit, a grass roots not-for-profit which creates spaces for dads to reconnect with so much of what we love about childhood: play, a sense of fun and a feeling of belonging.

About Our Guest

Ryan Carters has carried the best of what he loved about top-level sport - mateship, empathy and teamwork - and directed it back into philanthropic and community work. A natural leader, Ryan founded dadfit, a "community on a mission to make dadding a team sport". Before turning his attention to parenting and mental health advocacy, Ryan played cricket for Victoria, New South Wales, the Sydney Sixers and the Sydney Thunder.

• Ryan Carters' website
• The dadfit website

Show Links

• Website: For the Love of Play
• Listen to all episodes: Buzzsprout
• Follow us on Instagram: @fortheloveofplaypodcast

Learn More About Playgroup Victoria

• Website: playgroup.org.au
• Instagram: @playgroupvicofficial
• Facebook: Playgroup Victoria
• LinkedIn: Playgroup Victoria

Episode Credits

Hosted by Mylie Nauendorf and Sinead Halliday.

Interview conducted by Sinead Halliday.

Edited by Jonathan Rivett.

Mastering by James North Productions.

Music by Selina Byrne.

And thanks to our little friends Laddy, Toby and Adelaide for voicing the intro.

Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a conversation. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with friends and family.

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"I share the realities of my life to try to de-stigmatise things. To let people know 'I'm going through this and you might be going through something similar. You're not alone here in this world.'"

In Conversation with Matt Okine – Comedian, Actor, Writer and Musician

In this episode of For the Love of Play, we chat with the "joker" (his daughter's word), actor and writer, Matt Okine.

He talks about the pain he suppressed after the death of his mother when he was just 12 years old, the unexpected joys of becoming a father and the fun that comes from making music for kids.

Matt spoke with us just a few weeks before touring Australia, including a stint at the Melbourne Comedy Festival where he is performing a show called Number 10 Hope Street.

About Our Guest

As a young man, Matt Okine had to make a choice between pursuing his talent for Australian rules football or his gifts in the arts. He chose the latter and the rest is history. He is now one of Australia's most popular comedians and actors. He is also a writer, producer and talented musician, performing for both adults and children.

• Matt Okine's website
• Matt's 2026 Comedy Festival page

Show Links

• Website: For the Love of Play
• Listen to all episodes: Buzzsprout
• Follow us on Instagram: @fortheloveofplaypodcast

Learn More About Playgroup Victoria

• Website: playgroup.org.au
• Instagram: @playgroupvicofficial
• Facebook: Playgroup Victoria
• LinkedIn: Playgroup Victoria

Episode Credits

Hosted by Mylie Nauendorf and Sinead Halliday.

Interview conducted by Sinead Halliday.

Edited by Jonathan Rivett.

Mastering by James North Productions.

Music by Selina Byrne.

And thanks to our little friends Toby and Adelaide for voicing the intro.

Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a conversation. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with friends and family.

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"I'm lucky enough to be a Gen Xer. We weren't allowed inside. Our generation was literally: 'Here's breakfast. Out you go. Be back by six.'"

In Conversation with Justin Calverley – Horticulturist and Author

In this episode of For the Love of Play, we have a yarn with horticulturist, author, garden lover and radio personality, Justin Calverley.

A man who loves grassroots work (in every sense of the word), Justin chatted with us about working in and with local communities, but also his own garden, a place for making memories that he hopes last generations.

Justin knows the power of pottering in the garden and, in the interview, talks about how gardening positively affects the wellbeing of people and the planet.

About Our Guest

Justin Calverley has spent decades devoting his days to the natural world, tending to the health of the soil and understanding the rhythms of different local ecosystems. Based in Melbourne, he is hands-on and passionate about urban gardening; it's a passion that comes through in his books and regular community radio discussions.

• Justin's HarperCollins author profile
• Justin's Instagram

Show Links

• Website: For the Love of Play
• Listen to all episodes: Buzzsprout
• Follow us on Instagram: @fortheloveofplaypodcast

Learn More About Playgroup Victoria

• Website: playgroup.org.au
• Instagram: @playgroupvicofficial
• Facebook: Playgroup Victoria
• LinkedIn: Playgroup Victoria

Episode Credits

Hosted by Mylie Nauendorf and Sinead Halliday.

Interview conducted by Sinead Halliday.

Edited by Jonathan Rivett.

Mastering by James North Productions.

Music by Selina Byrne.

And thanks to our little friends Toby and Adelaide for voicing the intro.

Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a conversation. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with friends and family.

Support the show

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"It's almost impossible to survive by yourself. But once you are working and linked together, you will not be defeated. You will be impregnable."

In Conversation with Jackie French – Author, Ecologist and Historian

In this episode of For the Love of Play, we speak with one of Australia's best-known and best-loved authors, Jackie French.

As she tells us in this frank and broad-ranging interview, Jackie experienced an extraordinary, and often incredibly difficult, childhood in Queensland. Teachers knew from a young age that she had learning difficulties - later diagnosed as dyslexia - but also that she was precociously bright and exceptionally talented. By nurturing her gifts, they helped her onto a path that has led to international renown.

Jackie discusses overcoming hardship through determination, as well as the help and generosity of others, seeking refuge (and new worlds) in books and the beauty of the place in which she's lived for the last half century.

About Our Guest

Jackie French wrote her first book at the age six and has gone on to publish over 200. Although she was an Australian Children's Laureate and is perhaps best known for her books for kids, she has also written many books for adults, including historical fiction, historical non-fiction, books on gardening and on ecology.

• Jackie French's website
• Jackie's HarperCollins profile

Show Links

• Website: For the Love of Play
• Listen to all episodes: Buzzsprout
• Follow us on Instagram: @fortheloveofplaypodcast

Learn More About Playgroup Victoria

• Website: playgroup.org.au
• Instagram: @playgroupvicofficial
• Facebook: Playgroup Victoria
• LinkedIn: Playgroup Victoria

Episode Credits

Hosted by Mylie Nauendorf and Sinead Halliday.

Interview conducted by Sinead Halliday.

Edited by Jonathan Rivett.

Mastering by James North Productions.

Music by Selina Byrne.

And thanks to our little friends Toby and Adelaide for voicing the intro.

Enjoyed This Episode?

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a conversation. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with friends and family.

Support the show