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Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery: July 15

Julia Zemiro heads to Vermont, where a young Waleed Aly grew up in an Egyptian-Australian family.

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This week Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery heads to the Melbourne suburb of Vermont, where a young Waleed Aly grew up in an Egyptian-Australian family.

The Project host is big on sport, Queen and journalism -but has no time for tears…

Waleed Aly is a lawyer, writer, columnist and lecturer, and is considered one the country’s foremost thinkers. He is an influential voice on matters as varied as sport, politics, theology, science and religion.

Julia meets up with Waleed in a place very dear to his heart – Melbourne’s Punt Road oval – the spiritual home of the Richmond Tigers. He talks about his deep love for the team and how he has even climbed into the team’s official mascot costume, once causing a fracas with an opposing team’s mascot.

Before they head off to his original home turf, Waleed takes Julia to his current home where they meet his radiant wife and fellow academic, Susan Carland. On the way out to Vermont, Waleed talks about the power of sport and the country’s obsession with it.

Outside the family home, he paints a heartfelt picture of what the place means to him, and the strangeness of knowing that these memories of the past are well and truly gone. He recalls a childhood filled with cricket and music and expands on the influence his parents and older brother had on him.

Delighted to be back at Vermont Primary School, Waleed takes Julia through the demountable buildings and into the old library. He reflects on being the only Egyptian kid at school and how being good at sport ensured his popularity. Waleed was an outstanding student and says his secondary school years were as pleasant as his junior ones.

His experiences at Wesley College in Glen Waverley were overwhelming positive and his talents for writing, sport and the arts were thoroughly nurtured. In the impressive drama studio, Julia challenges him to a quiz about the band he still worships, Queen.

He talks about his work within the media, his spiritual awakening, and his regret that he didn’t seriously pursue a musical career.

9pm Wednesday ABC.

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