Wow! I’m back to blogging after nearly four years. I must say it feels quite good. That said, I hope this post makes it past the drafts unlike the other seventeen that are in drafts🤞
My last post here was in September 2018 and it’s such a different world now. So many things have happened (and are happening) around the world and personally with me too (all good though!). It’s nice to be back to blogging again. Hopefully, I’ll be regular from now on.
That’s what I keep telling myself and maybe this public sharing will make me more accountable. Anyway, my laziness is not the topic of this blog post 😉
I wasn’t much of a podcast person till recently…
For a few years now, most people in my circle have been hooked on to one podcast or another. Conversations would revolve around what was discussed in Joe Regan’s or Naval Ravikant’s or some other famous host’s podcast. Somehow, I never got into podcasts. Maybe it was just the auditory nature of it that did not catch my interest? Or it was just that I didn’t have the time – balancing work and family needs over the last few years.
How I got hooked on to my first podcast…
Something interesting happened about six months or so back. I discovered this amazing podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast by Matt Abrahams, a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
I think the Stanford GSB Twitter handle shared a link to this podcast. I listened to one episode out of curiosity. At that time, I would walk to our daughter’s daycare for pick-up and drop-off and this podcast became by walk companion. Each episode is about 15 minutes and that was perfect duration for my walk. I have probably listened to most episodes by now. I would highly recommend this podcast if communication is an area of interest for you.
Anyway, by now I was at open to trying out podcasts. In fact, I was already hooked on to one.
The Easter 2022 trip to Bathurst…
During the Easter break this year (2022), we did an impromptu trip to Bathurst. We chose Bathurst for no particular reason except that it fitted well with how much time we had for travel and stay during the break. Also, I knew about the famous Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama and that added to the interest in traveling to Bathurst.
So there we were driving through the scenic Blue Mountains region and our daughter had fallen asleep. While driving, we mostly play songs that our toddler asks for demands. But since she was asleep, I suggested to Deepti that we may want to listen to Liar, Liar: Melissa Caddick and the Missing Millions. The first episode of the podcast had just dropped and I was keen to check it out. Dropped is the word, right? (I’m already feeling like a famous content creator now 😜)
I had been following the fascinating case of Melissa Caddick which was in the news for some time then. A podcast on that topic sounded interesting. Some unsolicited relationship advice to bond with your partner when you get that rare time on a long drive when the child is sleeping – listen to a podcast on financial crime 😅 Well, that’s what makes us true partners in crime I guess!
Here’s a quick summary of the Melissa Caddick case –
What really happened to Melissa Caddick?
That’s the question online sleuths and real-life detectives have been asking themselves for almost 18 months.
The millionaire fraudster who grew her fortune by scamming those closest to her vanished on the morning of November 12, 2020.
The only trace of her since is the skeletal remains of her foot, which washed up on Bournda Beach last February, about 400km from her last known location in Dover Heights.
Court dates have come and go as her victims attempt to recoup some of their losses – with legal hearings still underway.
https://7news.com.au/news/missing-person/the-melissa-caddick-question-that-may-never-be-truly-answered-c-6336494
We started listening and the riveting narration by the hosts, Kate McClymont and Tom Steinfort kept us hooked. Unfortunately, it was just the first episode that was dropped (right word?) then and we had to wait for another week until the next episode. Eventually, we both ended up listening to all the episodes over the coming weeks.
Lucky for you if you would like start listening to this podcast. The season finale just dropped, so you will have all the episodes available. Just be warned that it’s hard to stop listening once you start. Not only is Kate and Tom’s narration very riveting, but also their conversation is extremely engaging!
This was about the journey to Bathurst and how I got hooked my first Aussie true crime podcast.
Something caught my attention in Bathurst that led me to another podcast…
During the couple of days we spent in Bathurst (which is a very nice place!), I came across hoardings and posters at multiple places with ‘Where is Janine Vaughan’ messages announcing a million dollar reward for information about her.
Here’s a quick background on the case
Janine Vaughan – a pretty and vivacious shopkeeper with a trademark mop of blonde hair – had vanished after a night out. As rain pounded down on Keppel Street, the 31-year-old stepped into a red car and was never seen again.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hidden-cellar-horrendous-smell-and-swarms-of-bugs-provide-fresh-leads-in-cold-case-murder-hunt-20211021-p59260.html
It was quite eerie in that we had spent most of our time in the same locations which most of the events related to Janine’s disappearance took place. Some more searching around on the internet led me to a podcast on this case. It was The Night Driver by Hedley Thomas.
While back in Sydney, I listened to one episode during a bus ride to the office and got completely hooked to Hedley’s narration. Again, the duration of the each of the episodes fit in perfectly with my bus ride duration to the office! Each episode is just a few minutes over an hour and that’s how much it usually takes for me door to door from home to office.
At the same time, I started my morning walks in order to get some exercise. The weather was starting to get colder, but listening to The Night Driver was a great motivator for me to be up early in the morning for the walk.
I can’t quite put my finger what is it that made listening to Hedley so enjoyable and immersive, but I found myself very eager to get back to the podcast at every next possible opportunity. Naturally, I finished all the episodes. I wouldn’t spoil it for you if you’d like to listen to it, but my heart really went out for Janine’s family and friends, especially her determined and unflinching sister, Kylie.
I wasn’t quite done with Hedley Thomas’s podcasts yet…
When I finished listening to all the episodes of The Night Driver, I was naturally looking to listen to more of Hedley Thomas’s podcasts. Co-incidentally, in the news around the same time was the trial proceedings against Chris Dawson, accused of murdering his wife, Lynette Dawson nearly 40 years ago.
Lynette Joy Dawson (born 1948) was an Australian missing person who disappeared on 9 January 1982, leaving two daughters and her husband, former rugby league footballer Chris Dawson. Her whereabouts are unknown, but two coronial inquests have found that she had been murdered. In December 2018, Chris Dawson was charged with her murder and, in June 2019, pleaded not guilty. In February 2020 he was committed to stand trial for the murder of his wife.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Lynette_Dawson
It turns out that Hedley Thomas had a podcast on Lynette Dawson’s disappearance called The Teacher’s Pet. It was a hugely popular podcast and generated a lot of public interest in the case. But I couldn’t listen to that podcast as it is currently unavailable in Australia due to the ongoing legal proceedings. In fact, Hedley Thomas himself might be called to give evidence in the case and hence, he himself is not directly following the court proceedings live.
Instead, there is a podcast called ‘The Teachers’ Trial’ on proceedings of the trial in this case. It still features Hedley Thomas, but also features his colleagues from his employer who are tracking the case in the courtroom. A new episode is published every Friday with the details and analysis of the trial proceedings during that week. It’s quite a different format where you’re hearing things play out live (well, almost) and again, makes you to keenly await the next Friday’s episode.
And this brings me to where I am right now – eager to catch up on the episode that was dropped (pardon my excitement on being able to use this word!) this Friday. Hopefully the flu symptoms will go away soon and I will be able to step out for my walk. I want to catch up on the episode before another episode drops next Friday!
Oh, I mentioned about morning walks, right? It’s freezing cold here in the mornings in Sydney and thanks to Hedley Thomas’s podcasts, I am able to get the motivation to go out for walks in the chilly weather.
I’ll leave with you a picture I took during one such walk. Here’s my Instagram if you’d like to see more of such pics along with some 🥙🥪pics as well.
👋Take care and hope to see you soon on this blog. I’m happy this post made it past the drafts and I was able to drop my first blog post in nearly four years!
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