Australian Story

Australia's shared family heirloom Play School is celebrating 60 years on air, but what's the secret to its enduring success? With rare behind-the-scenes access, Australian Story examines its creative process with insights from past and present cast and crew.

Australian Story profiles volunteers in the government's Community Refugee Integration Sponsorship Program.

When a group of Australian Jewish friends decided they would support a newly arrived Muslim refugee family, all their lives would change.

The mother and son from Somalia had been prepared to embark on their new lives in Australia alone.

But when they landed at Melbourne airport last June, Naima Ali Farah and Feisal Abdi Sugal were greeted by a welcoming party who would help them settle into their new country. Over the year, the group has formed a remarkable bond, bridging religious and cultural differences.

"We are one big family," Naima tells Australian Story. "In our group, no Jews, no Muslim." They were brought together by the Federal Government's Community Refugee Integration Sponsorship Program, which matches everyday Australians with refugees.

"Every time I see them, I see aunts, I see uncle, I see grandmother," Feisal says. "They fill the spot in my heart that was empty."

Together they've celebrated religious occasions, shared stories and learned about each other's pasts, including Naima's incredible story of survival and resilience.

"There's been a real sort of cultural exchange," says volunteer Nicole Schlesinger. "It gives you hope that you can meet people from a different culture, that you can build bridges."

Australian Story profiles NRL player-turned #BookTok and anti-gambling advocate, Luke Bateman, who also featured in this year's I'm A Celebrity season on 10.

Growing up in Western Queensland, Luke Bateman had just one dream: to play in the NRL. But a crippling gambling addiction cost him everything.

Luke showed exceptional sporting talent from a young age and by the time he was 12 years old, he'd been signed by the Canberra Raiders. But a team bonding session at the local casino when he was 18 marked the start of a devastating gambling addiction that saw him lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"In the beginning of 2018, I still had $70,000 or $80,000 in my bank account. And in the space of a month, I had nothing," he says.

An ultimatum from his parents ended the cycle of addiction. They absorbed Luke's debts and he repaid them working in his stepfather's logging business.

He's since become an advocate for gambling reform, arguing that proposed recent government changes don't go far enough.

While working for his stepfather, Luke returned to the things that brought him joy – reading and writing. His first video posted to TikTok's community for book lovers, #BookTok, clocked up a million views overnight and caught the eye of a publisher.

Becoming an author was something Luke had never imagined, and it's set him on a mission to encourage young boys to take up reading.