Colleen Hewett from Studio 10 in 2015.
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MusicTranscript
00:00Hey, we are thrilled to have Colleen Ewan as our wonderful guest host this morning.
00:04And you were of course one of Australia's first superstars and the undisputed queen of pop.
00:09Look, there were a few queens before me. Oh gosh, that's pretty clean.
00:15Look at you!
00:16So how old are you there?
00:17There I'm 19 doing bandstands.
00:20You launched your career at 13.
00:22No, I started on my 12th birthday.
00:24Your 12th birthday?
00:25And I've just turned 65, so I've just celebrated 53 years doing it.
00:29What was it like to be in the business so young?
00:32I don't know, I was just doing what was kind of natural, you know.
00:35And I was asked to perform at this place where my uncle actually, this is Bendigo.
00:41Yeah, he gave the job to me as a birthday present.
00:45And he said, learn three songs and you can come up and sing with my band on Saturday night.
00:50And that was the beginning of it.
00:52The manager of the place came up afterwards and said, would you like to come back again next week?
00:57But could you kill the sandals and the socks?
01:00And I went, I can deal with that, but I don't know how I'm going to tell my mum that I can't wear the socks.
01:07Look at these old clips!
01:09This is the thing, we all know that the music industry is all about sex, drugs and rock and roll.
01:14We've heard terrible stories about crazy sexism and crazy debauchery, all that sort of stuff.
01:19Was it hard for you?
01:20Did you have to sort of punch through any barriers or glass ceilings or do anything?
01:27What did you have to do to get where you are?
01:29Or did it all just sort of lay out before you?
01:31I just sang.
01:32I didn't think about stuff.
01:34You guys all think too much.
01:36Just sing or cook or breed or fix the car.
01:42Do your thing.
01:44Don't think about it too much.
01:46Why do you think we overthink things these days?
01:49Because it all comes out in magazines and stuff from America and we're all overanalyzing everything.
01:56You just do it.
01:58You've got to make mistakes.
02:00Otherwise you've got no character at the end of the year when it's time to get horizontal.
02:05I've just started...
02:06In a bad way, she means.
02:08No, no, I'm talking about Dede Vu.
02:10It's the bad way.
02:12There's nothing complicated about life.
02:16People make it complicated.
02:18We do though, don't we?
02:19You get up in the morning, you do the toilet, you have a wash, have your Vegemite on toast, away we go.
02:24Really, I was just after a scandalous story, but this is much better.
02:27You like the drama, don't you?
02:31You little devil you.
02:32And what you have done though is that you've just launched your first single in what, 15 years?
02:37It's probably longer than that.
02:38I mean, we haven't talked singles for such many, many decades.
02:42But yeah, I have.
02:43And it's for an important cause.
02:45It's for an anti-domestic violence campaign, isn't it?
02:47Thank you, Jess, for talking about it.
02:49Actually, the song Shut Up and Let Me Breathe was just a track that I had given to me just for the album.
02:58It wasn't supposed to get as much attention as it's certainly getting, but it was played.
03:04My manager took it to Rotary.
03:07He said it might be a good idea.
03:09He heard that it might have been a good idea because of their initiative, Rotary's initiative for violence-free families.
03:14We'd love to hear some of it, Colleen.
03:16Well, I'll shut up.
03:17Let's have a listen.
03:18Let's have a listen.
03:19Colleen, you went through your own struggles with domestic violence.
03:49Yeah.
03:50You called the Frenchman.
03:51Yeah, I did.
03:52And let's not all get gloomy and sad about this situation.
03:57I mean, I am a survivor.
03:59So that's the happy end of the story.
04:01You know.
04:02Wow.
04:03No, don't waste your time.
04:06Really.
04:07I mean, and I wasn't strong at the time.
04:09I wasn't strong enough.
04:10But I tell you what, I became quite strong in the middle of it.
04:15And even stronger when the problem was removed from my life.
04:19And really, it's just a matter of just, you know, getting a grip.
04:23I know it's bloody hard to leave a situation, whether it's a financial thing.
04:27You cannot afford a little motel.
04:29You don't want to tell your family.
04:30You don't want to tell your friend.
04:31Because they will look at you and think that, you know, you're in, well, for me anyway, oh, you're in show business.
04:36Nothing but parties and blah, blah, blah.
04:38But no, no, no.
04:39It happens.
04:40It happens to your neighbour.
04:41You know.
04:42So what would you say to someone?
04:44Speak up.
04:45Go and talk to somebody.
04:46If you can't sort it, and it's getting into a dangerous situation, then you've got to find someone to talk to.
04:54And I'm talking to men and women.
04:56And I'm not here to give advice.
04:58I'm only the singer of that song.
05:00Which, you know, says it all, actually.
05:03And the other thing, which is great what you say, but there's no shame in it.
05:06No.
05:07It doesn't mean you've failed at anything.
05:08No, it's just you couldn't work it out.
05:10In fact, my husband, after I'd gotten him out of the country, he went on and got married again, and it was the same pattern again.
05:19So, I mean, yeah, it's really sad.
05:22And it is sad, because if he'd have been able to talk to somebody, we might be still married.
05:28We could be, you know, still having a great time.
05:31Even sadder, it's 35 women so far this year.
05:3437.
05:3537.
05:3637.
05:37Who have been killed by their partners.
05:39Yeah, that's right.
05:40That's an extraordinary number.
05:41Not only their partners.
05:42A woman knocks off work, she gets on the train or the tram or, you know, walks on home, and somebody attacks her.
05:48What a low life.
05:49You know, for God's sake, guys, if you want to have a fight, go in and pick on someone your own size, and don't sneak up on them from behind either, you gutless wonder.
05:58Come, you know, do it.
06:00Take it out in a boxing ring or something, you know.
06:03Colleen, this was an amazing video.
06:05It was very moving to watch.
06:07And you had a message from the Prime Minister at the end.
06:10Yeah.
06:11That must have been something unexpected for you at one level.
06:14Does the government have a really significant role here, do you think?
06:18I mean, you've talked about strength for a woman, but what role can we as a society and we as a government play?
06:23Well, if you know someone or you hear about someone that's a lot of arguments going on down the road there, or a lot of kids.
06:31I see that kid, he's crying all the time.
06:33What's going on?
06:34You see something, get involved.
06:37Don't hide.
06:39No, I don't want to get involved.
06:41That's crap these days.
06:42You've got to get involved.
06:44It's not all about the government.
06:45They've got their bloody hands tied with everything else that's going on.
06:48You know, I mean, it's a big problem, and it's about us as a community.
06:53We're in it together.
06:55We've got to break the cycle.
06:57That's what it's all about.
06:58Yeah.
07:00And there is a 24-hour counselling line for anyone who is experiencing or at the risk of domestic violence.
07:05That number on your screen, 1-800-737-732.
07:09We'll also pop it on our Facebook page.
07:10You are an extraordinary woman.
07:12We love you.
07:16I've had a ball, but I haven't had any fun yet.