“I feel really, really quite scared, at the same time as happy, at the same time as anxious, at the same time as, well, excited, at the same time as sad”, whispers 9 year-old Saxon as he prepares for his Dad to be away for the next few months.
Against a backdrop of cicadas, tropical bird song and monsoon downpours, the Uden family navigate the uncertainty and excitement of Shaun’s impending departure, and Lori asks the hard questions about long-distance love.
Of course it’s a great opportunity for Shaun to go to Antarctica, but what about the rest of the family left behind? Is it okay to up and leave for months at a time? How can they prepare - both practically and emotionally? What if there’s a cyclone in Darwin? What if something goes wrong in Antarctica? What about COVID-19, or the huge seas, or the extreme cold? And, how do you say goodbye...?
With thought-provoking insights from Tamara and Rhiannon, a Territory couple who leave each other and their kids to work remote, often dangerous jobs, and Miriam Charlie, a Yanyuwa/Garrwa woman living in Darwin on dialysis, separated from her family, country and culture.
Join Shaun as he gets used to the sound of the microphone in his ears and chats to two of his Antarctic workmates, Nadia and Jonno, on board the ship bound for the coldest, driest, highest continent on Earth.
Contributors to Ep1: Tamara Travers, Rhiannon Townsend, Miriam Charlie, Nadia Bush and Jono Tobey
Host and creator: Lori Uden
Co-producers: Cinnamon Nippard and Lori Uden
Interviews and sound recordings: Shaun and Lori Uden
The kids! 10-year old Matilda Uden and 9-year old Saxon Uden
Editor: Cinnamon Nippard
Mixer: Hamish Robertson
Music producer: Serina Pech
Online producer: Lori uden
Graphic designer: Kelly Walsh
Photographer: Helen Orr, Adam Leatherbarrow & Shaun Uden
Mentor: Johanna Bell
Critical listeners: Johanna Bell and Jess Ong
From Afar was created on beautiful Larrakia land and was produced with funding support from the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT
Thanks also goes to the Australian Antarctic Division and Maritime Construction Services for their support.
'Time to throw the ropes' is the first episode of From Afar, a 5-part podcast exploring long distance love, from tropical Darwin to icy Antarctica.
