episode 1512 Touch, Loneliness & Local Battles

Join host Murray Stewart in Episode 1512, recorded in Alice Springs, as he reflects on courage, personal history and the power of human touch. Murray opens with memories of building businesses through his twenties to forties, his experience as a tactile therapist and reputation as an expert in vibrational myotherapy, and how those skills shaped his thinking about intimacy and connection. The episode features a candid conversation about loneliness and alternative intimacy services after Murray learns about a remedial masseur in Cairns who offers hand-based “happy ending” sessions for women. Murray discusses the therapeutic value of touch, his respect for practitioners filling unmet needs, and his plans to meet the Cairns therapist and his supportive partner to exchange techniques and perspectives. Shifting to local affairs, Murray outlines his role as president of the Ratepayers Association and the group’s preparations to challenge recent actions by the newly elected mayor. He explains his concerns about policy directions he sees as influenced by Green ideology, and why he believes the association must hold the council to account to protect the town’s economic and community fabric. Sprinkled through the episode are personal reflections on recovery after brain injury, a warm invitation to visit Central Australia—described as a restorative place for healing—and a weather update that sets the scene for seasonal change. Expect a frank, sometimes humorous, and always heartfelt episode touching on therapy, intimacy, community activism and local pride.