A Lap of Caulfield Park

At its peak, in the early 1990s, Smorgon Consolidated Industries was one of the largest and most diverse family businesses in Australia.David Smorgon estimates that there were 25 family members across three generations working in the business, whose origins can be traced to a kosher butcher in Lygon Street, Carlton, in 1927.On top of that, there were another 200 family members who

On the final Lap of Caulfield Park podcast for 2021, Ashley Browne is joined by fellow journalist (and fellow The Age alumnus) for a broad discussion and occasional deep dive into the news and views of the day and the year.On the agenda are:- Memories of working for The Age and why she left.- The weekly column that Julie still writes for the newspaper.- COVID. Did 2021 become even

What is it like to be 34, having just had your first job, just starting your dream job and then having it all ripped out of your grasp by a shocking, life-altering event?In the latest Lap of Caulfield Park podcast, stroke survivor Paul Fink tells Ashley Browne of his journey over the last eight years, from bending over to pick up his son from his cot, to not setting foot inside his

Talk to people in start-ups and one of the first questions is usually about the so-called ‘lightbulb’ moment. For Cara Davies, the fitness-obsessed CEO of Steppen, it was the regular trips to the gym, but then having no real clue what to do once she walked through the door.In the latest Lap of Caulfield Park , Davies tells Ashley Browne about the genesis of the app that is maki

What runs through the heart and mind of the owner of a runner in the Melbourne Cup?Brae Sokolski, the owner of race favourite Incentivise, walks Ashley Browne through what his lead-up to the 2021 Melbourne Cup race is likely to be. (Note: this interview was recorded prior to the Cup). “I’m actually fairly even-tempered (until) probably an hour before the race and then the nerve

Anyone who has worked in hospitality will tell you running a restaurant or cafe is a tough gig. Margins are small, customers are fickle and competition is fierce. Add a pandemic into the mix – including mandated closures – and it's proved near impossible for many restaurateurs.Adam Faigen knows this better than most. For the past two decades, Adam has owned and operated se

For more than two decades, Channel 7's sports broadcasters and presenters have come to rely on the knowledge of one producer: Josh Kay. Every weekend during the AFL football season – and every four years for the Olympics – Kay serves up pages of research to help shape compelling and entertaining television coverage. Not suprisingly, Kay is a walking stats machine, capable

If you were at home on a Friday night in the early 1990s, chances are you were watching Live and Sweaty. The popular sports television show launched the media careers of many a young Melbourne articled clerk turned comedian Libbi Gorr (and her onscreen persona Elle McFeast ). As a roving reporter, panellist and eventual host of the show, Gorr/McFeast won a legion of fans for her wi

A decade ago, commerce student Dean Cohen began a regular soccer meetup with a boy who had autism. Although Dean's exposure to people with autism was limited, the experience changed him. Dean soon he became committed to creating a more inclusive world for people of all abilities.In 2014, under the banner Camp Sababa, Dean and a group of youth leaders began hosting fun-filled c

If you've been watching ABC's Q&A in recent years you might have come across the erudite legal scholar Professor Kim Rubenstein. Kim is an expert on citizenship and in recent years she's been called upon to explain the complex and problematic subject of Australia's citizenship laws. Listen to Kim talk for just a few minutes, however, and you'll quickly