When Veronika Ross suffered an acquired brain injury she found herself having to relearn basic skills, was deemed unemployable and struggled with low self esteem. Despite these challenges Veronika took a snake handling course and discovered a love and aptitude for dealing with snakes but also for educating people on all things snake related.
Now, far from being unemployable Veronika is busy answering copperhead emergencies, rehabilitating injured tiger snakes, and dispelling myths about snakes at her reptile displays throughout Tasmania.
Dr Lila Landowski has come a long way from her childhood in public housing with immigrant parents, fearful of their new country. She's now a leading neuroscientist and teacher in the field of stroke, an advocate for public education and a keen fisherwoman.
Amanda runs a cattle farm and supermarket in rural Tasmania but the rest of her life is devoted to excelling at the sport of woodchopping. She’s won numerous world titles, captained the Australian women’s team, raised a family of woodchoppers and has no plans to lay down her axe anytime soon.
Jocelyn Flint is living the dream.
She delivers the post on the remote North West Coast for a day job and spends her days off on horseback, adventuring across one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Carol has been directly impacted by forced adoption twice in her lifetime - the first time as a young unwed mother pressured to give up her newborn baby, the second as a middle aged woman discovering that she herself was adopted under similar circumstances.
Because of these traumatic events much of Carol’s life has been defined by her search for answers, family and a sense of self.
Stratie is a master fibre-artist whose life of adventure has been at the vanguard of cultural change in Australia. As a young mother she survived family violence, going on to relish independence, education and the freedom of the counterculture movement.
Now in the splendid isolation of Zeehan Stratie and her true love Rob share a garden of earthly delights and home full of things made by hand.
Freya Downie is the remarkable young woman behind the business, "Freya’s Delights", which she started at the age of 12.
Whether it's making her own caramel sauce, or playing soccer representing the state of Tasmania, she is someone who knows all about putting the work in to get life's rewards.
Madeleine Habib has spent her life in remote and sometimes dangerous situations, as she uses her skills as a captain to do work that many others wouldn’t dare to.
She is not at all afraid to stand up for what she believes in and as one of the few female Master Mariners in Australia, she is determined to use her incredible knowledge for the good of the world.
Tasmanian Aboriginal women have protected and practiced the tradition of ‘Kanalaritja’ (shell necklace) for thousands of generations. Artist & curator, Lola Greeno has achieved international acclaim for her necklaces and is an inspiration to her community. It is now her responsibility as an elder within her family to ensure that this legacy continues.
This female art form is so much more than a necklace, it represents the survival and perseverance of Aboriginal women in the face of colonization. It is now her time to continue the unbroken string, passing down sacred knowledge to her granddaughters.
As a scribe to the Commonwealth Government, she created the National Apology to Australia’s Indigenous People document, currently displayed in Parliament House. Meet Gemma Black, one of Australia’s most talented calligraphic artists.
Julia Drouhin is a performance artist with an unusual way of hearing the world. She finds radio static ‘relaxing’, makes records out of ice and chocolate, and delights in recording the ‘mundane’ noises that surround her. Born in France, Julia’s art practice changed significantly when she moved to Tasmania in her adult life. The landscape, soundscape and community of the isolated island inspired Julia to expand her art practice to incorporate her body, a new circle of collaborators, as well as the new sounds she encountered. Julia’s art is fuelled by a curiosity, playfulness and desire to open people’s ears to hear the world a little bit differently.
Jenine Olbrich has been farming black Angus cattle in Cygnet for 30 years.
When she isn't breaking her back on the farm, she's keeping busy inside her museum-like house, full to the brim of collectables.