Dear Dad

With special guest:

• Samuel Johnson OAM
  … in conversation with Bill Kable

Samuel Johnson gave his contributors only one restriction when he contacted them about writing a letter to their Dad for a book he was editing. Their letters had to start with the words “Dear Dad …”. Faced with this task what would you say? Samuel himself is such a noteworthy character and he is candid about the relationship he had with his own father. Samuel wrote his own contribution as well as editing those from 85 other luminaries.

Samuel likes taking on a challenge in a good cause. When his sister Connie was diagnosed with breast cancer she suggested that he should unicycle around Australia. With that completed he said what next? The great thing for us is that it lead to this beautiful book called Dear Dad.

This project was supported by men and women who were all keen to share their fascinating stories. The contributors provided their stories free of charge to help Samuel in his quest to raise $10million for cancer research.

It is great to speak with Samuel about the book he edited. We get to hear some of the stories behind the stories. The contributors include champion sportsmen such as Steve Waugh and Kurt Fearnley, singers such as Glenn Shorrock and John Williamson and even the son of the original Solo man in the well-known television ads of a few years ago. Boxing fans might like to listen to what Danny Green says to his father between rounds and there are fascinating insights from the many friends and colleagues of Samuel Johnson.

We get to hear a lot of wisdom from the many fathers quoted in the book. And the children show wisdom too in working out how to relate to Dad. The stories are not sugar-coated; in fact there are some Dads who clearly did not do the right thing by their children. What we learn is the importance of Dad in our lives.

The strong message from Samuel is that we should not let time go by without staying in contact with our Dads. Time is always short so we need to make a move now. Sadly there are stories about a lot of Dads who have died before the contributors got to write their stories but that does not prevent the children writing about their memories.

This book is timely when Dads are not always presented in the best light. It is also a fascinating insight into some famous characters. And it is all for such an excellent cause, namely cancer research through the Love Your Sister foundation which has raised over $9m in honour of Samuel’s much loved sister Connie.

Samuel Johnson OAM

Samuel Johnson OAM is a much-loved Australian actor, best known for his work on THE SECRET LIVES OF US, CRACKERJACK, UNDERBELLY II, RUSH and as the star of the hit biopic MOLLY. In recent times he has devoted himself to his work as a breast cancer advocate and determined unicyclist. He won a Gold Logie in 2017 for his work on MOLLY and was named the 2018 Victorian of the Year for his charity work to vanquish cancer. Samuel has retired from acting until he raises $10M for cancer research. So far the charity he set up with his sister Connie, Love Your Sister, has raised over $9M. Samuel is a bestselling author with his and Connie’s book LOVE YOUR SISTER and last year’s DEAR SANTA both hitting the bestseller lists and both shortlisted for an ABIA award. His recent winning stint on DANCING WITH THE STARS reminded all of Australia how much we love Samuel Johnson.

Song selection by our guest: Here Comes the Sun by Nina Simone

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