Join us as we explore Australian culture, history, and sport in this lighthearted, unfiltered conversation between two old friends and colleagues. Nigel Catt, CEO of The Blackbridge Group, shares insights into Australia’s unique mentality, heritage, and the qualities that shape its people — from its origins as a penal colony to becoming one of the world’s most desirable destinations. Along the way, we touch on everything from deadly wildlife to global icons like Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth (generously rated a 7/10), as well as Australia’s fierce sporting competitiveness and tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt. Expect honest opinions, friendly rivalry, and plenty of banter as Australia and England go head-to-head. The podcast is a lighthearted discussion between two old friends and work colleagues.
Summary
Join us as we explore Australian culture, history, and sport in this lighthearted, unfiltered conversation between two old friends and colleagues.
Nigel Catt, CEO of The Blackbridge Group, shares insights into Australia’s unique mentality, heritage, and the qualities that shape its people — from its origins as a penal colony to becoming one of the world’s most desirable destinations.
Along the way, we touch on everything from deadly wildlife to global icons like Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth (generously rated a 7/10), as well as Australia’s fierce sporting competitiveness and tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt.
Expect honest opinions, friendly rivalry, and plenty of banter as Australia and England go head-to-head.
Key topics
Australian culture and mentality
Heritage and ancestry of Australians
Australian sports and competitive spirit
Sound bites
"Extremely happy with 50,000 downloads."
"Australians are more fearless in sports."
"Podcast is in the top 1% globally."
Chapters
00:00 Celebrating Milestones: The 50,000 Downloads Special
05:09 Understanding Australian Culture and Identity
11:27 Ancestry and the Legacy of Convicts
16:21 Family Heritage: The Cats of Sussex
20:16 The Journey of Fatherhood
24:00 The Nature of Human Babies
27:41 Preparing for Parenthood
29:48 Australian Sports Mentality
39:02 Podcast Success and Reflections
Lawrence Dauncey (03:05.643)
hi and welcome to the priority late podcast. Normally a show where we discover how to work smart and not harder, but this is a special episode. as I believe if the numbers are correct, we've hit 50,000 downloads across all platforms, which is a phenomenal achievement.
Nigel Catt (03:10.865)
okay.
Lawrence Dauncey (03:34.891)
And to celebrate that with me in a non-business sort of discussion is our CEO, effectively my boss, but I don't like to use that word in conjunction with him. It just doesn't go. It's Nigel Catt CEO of the Blackbridge Group, Dovera Capital, and inventor of My Broker's App. So, Nige we've already had a quick discussion which is recorded, but it's very nice to see you.
Nigel Catt (04:00.014)
Yes, good to see you Lawrence. Thank you for having me on.
Lawrence Dauncey (04:05.246)
That's what on your podcast. It's fine. It's fine. I think we'll find I think the audience realizes and everyone else who knows you and I that I'm better at this than you. So I you know, what can I say?
Nigel Catt (04:15.448)
Well look, I'm not going to disagree with you there. think you're not careful for this. Not really my forte. I just struggle when you just do it with ease.
Lawrence Dauncey (04:25.61)
well that's very true but i just have rolled out of bed seeing it is half past seven hence my bed hair although it kind of looks like this all the time really so it doesn't doesn't say a lot
Nigel Catt (04:36.5)
And just to confirm, is that AM or PM?
Lawrence Dauncey (04:40.192)
It's AM mate, yeah. Well, that's a long line. Listen, I'm going to kick this off. going to be, I'm going to, you know, I'm going to sort of be rude and because, know, my history of Australia and everything that's Australian is, well, it's not that great. So I figured you would help me and other people who listen into the intricacies of
Nigel Catt (04:42.192)
You
Lawrence Dauncey (05:09.498)
you know, Australian mentality and culture. We obviously, we know the general ones, lots of drinking and playing cricket and occasionally rugby, that sort of thing. But outside of that, and I know you've got some strange, strange animal creatures as well. Things, Galah, you taught me, which is, you know, a bit of a dim witted bird. Surprisingly, you brought up that first. And...
Nigel Catt (05:12.183)
Mm-hmm.
Nigel Catt (05:30.371)
Yep.
Lawrence Dauncey (05:36.876)
Yeah, so just fill me in on what makes an Australian. Tell me that.
Nigel Catt (05:43.168)
Okay, well first of all on the galah, I think that first got mentioned with us at, you took me to that dodgy bar years ago and you didn't think a galah was real. yes, I had to sort of educate you on that. So yes, I didn't bring it up because it was dim-witted, I brought it up because you were dim-witted.
Lawrence Dauncey (05:58.715)
That's very true.
Nigel Catt (06:13.546)
wanted to clarify that. So what was your question? What makes Australians Australians basically?
Lawrence Dauncey (06:19.958)
well just what makes an Australian, you know, culture mentality apart from lager and cricket and rugby and Aussie rules and great white sharks.
Nigel Catt (06:28.022)
Yeah, well depends how far you... Yeah, look at it. I think a part of it is being so far away from everywhere else in the world. We're over here by ourselves.
Lawrence Dauncey (06:41.368)
We enjoy that.
Nigel Catt (06:42.818)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's great. I mean, for that's one thing which it's good and bad like for you, for you English people, going across to Europe isn't that much of a big thing, is it? It's just one two hour flight, you're there, it's really nothing. Where for us it's a big adventure, it's kind of like, okay, it's a commitment. You've got 20 odd hours sitting on a plane next to someone that you don't know. I mean, it is a big commitment to do that.
that makes it more exotic. Also, we don't have the the history of you guys. mean, I'm a bit of a fan on English history. I've read and listened to a lot of podcasts on English on English history. have my favorite monarchs, my favorite events in English history. And then when you go over there, everything is just so old compared to here. And it really, really just puts everything into context.
Lawrence Dauncey (07:20.922)
.
Nigel Catt (07:42.764)
So over here I think more out, my perception, more outgoing mainly because of I think our location also because we had to do things the hard way. think from memory the only country that got started as a penal settlement. So we just...
Lawrence Dauncey (07:49.765)
Thank you.
Thank
Nigel Catt (08:04.622)
It was just basically getting through that. Come over here, there was not a lot of resources to use. It wasn't easy. It took a while to get established. Didn't know whether this whole venture was going to be a success or not. And just had to do some hard work, be entrepreneurial, and get on with it.
Lawrence Dauncey (08:05.978)
Well, I suppose that's, yeah, that's one way of putting it. What you're saying is that, you know, Australia was populated by the flotsam and jetsam of the UK criminal society. Is that what you're
Nigel Catt (08:34.572)
Well, I mean, yeah, yeah, you're saying that. mean, so what it was is, guess you could look at it that way. I mean, for the record, no Australian was transported, only the English were. So, you know, let's put that on record. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And also, if you look at that, mean, looking at 17th, 18th century England.
Lawrence Dauncey (08:35.694)
Well, I'm saying that.
Lawrence Dauncey (08:50.594)
right it's our fault
Nigel Catt (09:01.634)
very strict, was a very rigid society. And who would want to stay there in that environment? It was the people that had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit and hey, for a laugh let's do a loaf of bread and see where it takes us. yeah, all the people that wanted to conform and stay with that rigid society, they stayed where they were.
thinkers took a holiday to Australia.
Lawrence Dauncey (09:36.795)
I don't really know who came up with the idea of sending all the convicts and the ne'er-do-wells to basically a massive island paradise. think, and they probably didn't realize either at the time that Australia is home to 18 out of 20 of the most deadliest creatures on the planet. I think if they'd known that, they would have thought, yes, this is a good way of
thinning out the herd and getting rid of our creatures. But they didn't. And surprisingly, Australia has flourished. Even with all those dangers around there, you've managed to come through. What I do find... Go on.
Nigel Catt (10:20.866)
Yeah, and I was just going to say, very grateful that they did decide to send us to Australia and not to just the Channel Islands because that wouldn't have been much fun.
Lawrence Dauncey (10:25.914)
Thank
Lawrence Dauncey (10:33.558)
Well, no, it's, you know, think, you know, Guernsey is only 23 miles circumference. So if you, I've been there and I'd hired a car and I didn't get out, I didn't even get into third gear. It's pretty pointless. And on the island, you've got people obviously, because it's a tax haven, there's lots of, you know, rich people, high net worth individuals, and they've got, you know, supercars and big four by fours. And I remember thinking, what's the point? You can't actually do anything with it.
Nigel Catt (10:43.87)
You
Lawrence Dauncey (11:01.284)
So which is why a lot of them get on the ferry and come over to France so they can open it up on the on the auto route. So yeah, so I understand we had a chat a while back and this is, you know, something that intrigued me that you are in fact a direct descendant of a highwayman who was convicted and sent to the penal colony called Australia. Is that right? So you're basically a descendant of a gangster.
Nigel Catt (11:27.912)
Yeah, yeah, that's one, obviously there's a lot of branches, but that's one, that's one way we came out. Yeah, so Isaiah, or was it Ruben? I can't remember. But yeah, he, highwayman, he got sentenced to death, and then that got commuted to life in the colonies. And...
Lawrence Dauncey (11:50.618)
See and then then hence here we are
Nigel Catt (11:54.336)
Yeah and I think he, I have to check, he then became free. They freed him after a while. Which I think that a lot went on. Yes, of like, we're away from the English, let's just let everybody out. There's the thongs, there's the beach.
Lawrence Dauncey (12:04.57)
Didn't know what to do with him.
Lawrence Dauncey (12:10.18)
Just, yes.
That's it. Nice. I see. you answer? Here's a question. With that, you know, ancestry, that lineage that you had with, you know, gangsters and things like that. What sort of portion of your DNA do you feel has been transported over?
Nigel Catt (12:40.494)
That's a good question. Yeah, look, I think that portion only comes out after dark.
Lawrence Dauncey (12:41.05)
Isn't it?
No.
Lawrence Dauncey (12:51.7)
okay, right.
Nigel Catt (12:52.574)
Yeah, so during the, so another line of our ancestry, we were farmers from Sussex and we were actually paid farmers. So there you go, someone paid for us to come out. And so that's obviously my daytime persona, hard worker. So, yep, another line was Irish and came out because the prospects in Ireland at the time
Lawrence Dauncey (13:01.731)
Ow.
Lawrence Dauncey (13:07.662)
How did they?
Lawrence Dauncey (13:13.102)
Hard worker.
Nigel Catt (13:22.448)
weren't that good. yeah, so we came out. So hungry, hard work and robbers.
Lawrence Dauncey (13:24.26)
Yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (13:32.865)
And now you run a couple of businesses.
Nigel Catt (13:34.638)
Wait.
Yeah, yeah, there you go. So it takes all sorts.
Lawrence Dauncey (13:40.704)
It doesn't it? think I did have a message from you a while back that it did make me laugh. Let me just see if I can find it. I think it said something like...
Bear with me. gotta bear with you. I think that's it. What do we have? We have get free money and move to a better country. Entrepreneurialism or highway robbery. It's all a matter of perspective. So, you know, and what was the other thing? Something about
stealing a loaf of bread. If you can't do it the normal way, just steal it or something like that.
Nigel Catt (14:37.3)
yeah, that's right. I remember that. That's when I said that we're going to put on our coat of arms. When you're down and out, steal from someone who has more. That's right.
Lawrence Dauncey (14:43.716)
That's right.
That's it. That's it. And has that influenced any of your business decisions?
Nigel Catt (14:54.612)
Not over the last 20 odd years. I do remember, well I do remember a time, yeah, yeah, when I was working in England when we met. I think that was almost the motto of the company. So yeah, yeah, won't mention the company, but...
Lawrence Dauncey (14:59.511)
so when you were working in England.
Lawrence Dauncey (15:13.358)
Bye!
Lawrence Dauncey (15:16.718)
It's true.
No, we won't. I do remember the terms and conditions on the fax that we used to send for them to sign. There was a small print that said, do not believe a word the salesperson tells you.
Nigel Catt (15:32.318)
Yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (15:34.425)
And that is true. It's just obviously nobody ever... Yep. Yes, in a nutshell, that's what it said. Do not believe a word the salesperson tells you. So that was it. Well, you did. You did pretty well. know. But yeah, so an ancestry of gangsterism, I think, is...
Nigel Catt (15:37.152)
I actually didn't read that, you see what I said? It was too small for me to read.
Nigel Catt (15:49.959)
I was just add that in the intro.
Nigel Catt (16:03.937)
a one-pot.
Lawrence Dauncey (16:04.386)
He's a, well, I know, but it sounds good, doesn't it? know, don't know, gangster descendant runs global businesses. It's like a rags to riches type story, isn't it?
Nigel Catt (16:07.374)
Yeah, it's an interesting part.
Nigel Catt (16:21.602)
Well it is, it is, and look I'm glad they did change his sentence otherwise I may not have been here.
Lawrence Dauncey (16:26.49)
And then there we go. That's very, true. And what about the Catt side of it? That's a massive lineage, I understand.
Nigel Catt (16:32.107)
I'm out.
Yeah, so the Catts were the, they were the farmers from Sussex. And if you go to, oh, where is it? I went there with Karen in 2002. Went to Rye and, yeah, and then, was it Surrey? Maybe it Surrey, sorry. That's in Surrey, isn't it? No, Sussex, Surrey.
Lawrence Dauncey (16:40.161)
I see. Right.
Lawrence Dauncey (16:51.586)
Okay, down there Hastings on the coast. Yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (17:01.034)
No, right, rise in East Sussex. Down on the coast.
Nigel Catt (17:04.01)
in Sussex, in Sussex, yes.
Yes, and it was actually my birthday and I was down at the bar, staying upstairs and the barman asked me what brought me to Rye, why am I here? I explained, you know, just we were from here somewhere, so just trying to find some family connection and he asked for my surname and I told him and he said god and he shouted off to a bloke, shout out to a bloke at the back of the bar, he's going Ian we've got another Catt here.
Lawrence Dauncey (17:14.114)
standard.
Nigel Catt (17:37.248)
He's going, oh, okay. I said, what, there's a few? He's going, oh yeah, we get them all the time. He said, where you gotta go is, I think it's Roxburgh. Just trying to remember, I think it's Roxburgh.
And he said, go up there. He said, that's where they all are. So we did the next day, we went up there and there's a, Catts arms pub. There's actually from memory, I think there was a Catts corner. Then there was also, I think there was a Catts butchery as well, which doesn't sound good. But yeah, so we went to the pub, went to the Catts arms pub and actually.
that had the family emblem on it actually as well. Yeah, took a photo of that. And yeah, spoke to the publican, Fred Jones from memory, which I think he was also at Scooby Doo. so I was chatting to him and told him, know, why.
Lawrence Dauncey (18:27.3)
right
Nigel Catt (18:36.942)
He's going, oh, okay. He's going, yeah, yeah. He's going, well, our family bought it from the Catts, bought the pub from the Catts. I said, oh, okay. And I'm thinking this must have been recently. I said, well, when did this happen? He's going, I think it was about 1834. I said, oh, okay. So the business doesn't change hands too much. So yeah, he gave us some coasters. He had proper like cork backed coasters with the family emblem on it. He said, look, I'll give you six pennies and stuff. yeah. Yeah. So we're,
Lawrence Dauncey (19:00.444)
okay nice
Lawrence Dauncey (19:05.4)
I was going to say, I was going to say, so I had visions of you knowing you as I do and being the pilfering boy that you are. had, I had visions of you asking him for, you know, the profit share saying is your family. But now I realized that I realized that actually he wasn't your family. He'd bought it off your family. So you're a bit late. So, you know, because you could have get, listen, our family lend us a fiver or whatever it is, but you know,
Nigel Catt (19:06.896)
you
Nigel Catt (19:21.524)
Hahaha
Nigel Catt (19:26.754)
Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I missed out on anything.
Lawrence Dauncey (19:35.431)
you couldn't. So basically what you've done is you've now got some memorabilia from that part of the world at home, I imagine.
Nigel Catt (19:44.738)
Yep, yep, got it there and I've even got his, he gave me his business card and I've got that stuck on the beer fridge outside. So, yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (19:50.211)
Huh?
Lawrence Dauncey (19:54.715)
That's excellent. It's really good I've never known a publican never known a publican with a with a business card that sounds what does he do? Does he do a pop-up bar or something?
Nigel Catt (20:07.022)
I don't think he uses it much because it didn't really look that good but anyway at least he's right.
Lawrence Dauncey (20:16.184)
He did, he did. So let me ask you about this a little bit more serious note, fatherhood. Okay, we're both, we're both dads. So what do you, what do think it takes to be a good dad?
Nigel Catt (20:23.725)
Mm-hmm.
Nigel Catt (20:34.126)
Wow, good question. Yeah, I think we've all got it in us. Well, that's what I was hoping just before I became a dad because I was stressing out and everyone was getting excited. I mean, obviously I was excited with the birth of the first one, but I'm thinking, what do I need to do? What is it? And it's just so funny how your life changes at that moment. I remember
Lawrence Dauncey (20:37.242)
tricky.
Nigel Catt (21:01.646)
week was her seven day birthday I was sitting up it was that and was about three in the morning I was giving her her bottle and
sitting on the couch in a room just thinking, I cannot comprehend what my life was like eight days ago. Before the birth of your first child, I just couldn't comprehend what life was like. just couldn't, yeah, it was just completely changes you. So I don't know if that is like an inbuilt evolutionary thing that as soon as you become a father, bang, you just know what to do. I don't know, just.
Lawrence Dauncey (21:18.99)
it
Nigel Catt (21:40.024)
Well, as you know, they come with instruction booklets, but it's just doing the best you can. If you're a good person, you do the best you can, well, you're going to make it work.
Lawrence Dauncey (21:41.498)
.
Lawrence Dauncey (21:51.456)
Fair enough, yeah. think we are, are gifted with the ability to just cut things loose very quickly with no emotional content. What I mean by that is, like you say, trying to remember what your life was before or how it was before. Yes, you remember it, but once you've stepped into fatherhood, you have to cut that loose because you,
It's gone. It's over. It's a completely different different life. So yeah
Nigel Catt (22:21.9)
Yeah, I mean, yeah, and like just to help me know was that the days or weeks leading up to the birth of Sophia, our first one was with the I'm not too sure whether whether you know whether what we're going to have a stranger in our house. I don't know this person and they're going to be in our house. then obviously.
Lawrence Dauncey (22:45.082)
I'm gonna put a lock on the beer fridge, she's not having any.
Nigel Catt (22:51.918)
And you know, obviously straight after the birth from that point on
You think, what a ridiculous thing to think, you know, that this person is a stranger into your house. But I was actually thinking that, this went Karen and I for so long, and now this other person, I don't know them. And so it's just after the birth, after the birth, everything just changes. yeah, as I said, I remember there's seven days after, I could not.
Lawrence Dauncey (23:09.978)
Get out!
you
Nigel Catt (23:23.086)
I what my life was like before it. I can remember it, I just couldn't think of living that life, I guess. And it just changes.
Lawrence Dauncey (23:25.881)
No.
Lawrence Dauncey (23:31.419)
Well, you're a better man than me because having children gave me a stark wake up call of how selfish I actually am. And that's true. I'm not joking. That is true. I just realized how selfish I am having children because like you, why can't you get up and move? this is fact.
Nigel Catt (23:55.118)
you
Lawrence Dauncey (24:00.123)
human babies are born prematurely because if they went to term like the rest of the mammals in the animal kingdom the mother would die because every other mammal gives birth to a live young that can actually walk within hours or swim right humans are the only one and it has to be that because if they went to term women would die then there'd be no procreation anyway because there'd be no females at the end
Nigel Catt (24:19.747)
Mm.
Lawrence Dauncey (24:29.912)
done. So and that's true. So if you think about it, you know, the draft, giraffe, for example, or whatever wildebeest, they have a thing it has to get up because if you don't if you don't get up and run, you're dead. So you know, and I remember thinking this, the my children, obviously, this is little baby, it weighs what seven pound 10 or whatever, whatever the first one was. And it's helpless, can't do anything.
Nigel Catt (24:30.862)
Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, got the wrong.
Nigel Catt (24:42.904)
Yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (24:59.41)
And a guy that I knew, was a neighbor of mine in France, he was a corporate trainer for PwC. He was extremely well known and respected. And he told me, and these were his words, a newborn baby is the best trainer in the world by far. When I went, why? And he goes, because it's useless. It can't do anything. It doesn't do anything. So you have to, it forces you.
to do everything. And I've never forgotten that. I was like, wow. And I have to say, I've met a few people, a few adults along the way who are a little bit like that.
Nigel Catt (25:32.654)
Okay.
Nigel Catt (25:36.846)
It's funny what you mentioned about human babies and I think it's nine months. I think they're nine months premature like if they did go full term it be another nine months. Yeah, because that basically fits in where some are sort of walking around about that stage. One thing I did do just after they were then had Phoebe two years later
Lawrence Dauncey (25:49.912)
They went to, if they go full term. Yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (25:57.294)
Correct.
Nigel Catt (26:04.354)
When they started to sort of grow up a bit and know, starting to talk and the rest, I thought, I'm gonna start getting questions. And I remember as a kid, my father knew all the questions, whatever I asked. know, half of could have been made up, I don't know. But at least he had some answer. So I thought, I've gotta do the same thing. So I spent years reading about everything. Okay, what do they wanna know about? Dinosaurs. So I went through and during lunchtime at work, I'd be reading about dinosaurs and this and that, then what else? Okay, stars. So I read all about that, all about
the stars, all about the planets, then okay, evolution. So how the earth was evolved and then, you know, all the way through the Devonian period and the crustaceans or whatever it was, all of those things, I went through all of that. And I just consumed so much knowledge thinking, I'm going to get asked questions one day. And one of the things I did read was what you were talking about, about babies, human babies being born premature. And I've actually used that. I used that, it was about 15 years
Lawrence Dauncey (26:58.062)
No.
Nigel Catt (27:04.208)
in a conversation. Probably went straight over the head. But yes, I had the knowledge I was going to use it. Yes. No, Dad, I just asked if I could ask for the garlic bread No, well, let me talk about human babies.
Lawrence Dauncey (27:08.921)
What else is this idiot going on about? So, I mean... It's true. You learn all that and then the first question is, Daddy, can I have a horse? You're like, no, but I can tell you about a Triceratops. It's just...
Nigel Catt (27:24.206)
You
Nigel Catt (27:28.546)
Yes, yes. Interesting thing about the horse, do know when they give birth, they can stand up. I bet you can't do that.
Lawrence Dauncey (27:38.331)
You put a flip chart out and some pens and start doing some diagrams for them Yeah Brilliant. So I'm go back to Australia now And in particular the you know what what's You know, what what good has come out of Australia. So here we go. So as far as I can tell Is it as far as I can tell aside from
Nigel Catt (27:51.287)
Okay.
Nigel Catt (28:02.478)
It's going to take a while.
Lawrence Dauncey (28:08.442)
Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth who are, you know, they're a decent seven out of ten. The Monogue Sisters coming around a six. What can you tell?
Nigel Catt (28:19.692)
I think they are more popular in England than they were here.
Lawrence Dauncey (28:23.598)
Well, possibly, but you you've got Marco and Chris who are sevens and you've got the Monogues who are about the i6 holding steady around there, even though they're getting on a bit. Why do you think it is the rest of Australian civilization kind of sort of, you know, hang around the two, two and a half, three out of 10?
Nigel Catt (28:43.566)
Well I don't think that's very fair. Who did you say your employer was again?
Lawrence Dauncey (28:45.614)
No.
Lawrence Dauncey (28:59.288)
Anyway, shout out to Margo and Chris. You're doing all right for Australia.
Nigel Catt (29:02.158)
Well, I mean, if that's your now with that rating you talking about like in general, because obviously if our cricketers are a two, I don't know where that leaves you blokes.
Lawrence Dauncey (29:13.777)
yeah, just-
Lawrence Dauncey (29:19.178)
We kind of, yeah, we haven't come out of the pavilion basically. So on the sport note, this is very important. I've noticed that, you know, having watched lots of it like you have, Australians are, they are just, you're just so much more, I suppose, is it fearless, but you just have your mentality to sport is so more, it's just more advanced than the UK.
So for example over here the FA, I was a grassroots football coach so I coached under 10s football and I ended up when they asked me to take the full-time position I said no because the FA they're basically I said I want to show and teach the kids how to win you know because nobody wants to be
on a Saturday morning, parents on a touch line, all these kids who are eight, nine years old, getting hammered eight nil and then going home. No one likes that. And unfortunately, the FA, they don't agree. That's not a, that's not something I was allowed to say. I want to teach them to win because they're all about participation. And what I remember about, certainly when you look at Australian sports men and women, they are, they're so more focused, so more determined. And I remember Leyton Hewitt when he first came on the scene.
He was an absolute animal. He just ran everything down, chased everything down and he won Wimbledon. He was incredible. That drive and determination, we don't have that. I want to know, how does that, seeing as you guys came from us, how is that so different?
Nigel Catt (31:02.11)
Hahaha
Nigel Catt (31:06.018)
Well, it gets back to that selective breeding. You got rid of all the goods, just because you didn't like them. They didn't conform to society. Look, it's quite funny. I don't have the answer on that. did have the answer. Actually, when I first turned up to England,
Lawrence Dauncey (31:10.892)
sounds like it.
Yeah
Nigel Catt (31:27.148)
first time but it was actually when I was working working with you I was listening to the radio and I forget which team it was but they hired an English team hired an Australian coach and they asked him basically the same question and for the life of me I can't remember what he said but it was interesting
Lawrence Dauncey (31:44.155)
That's a good, well that's a great answer. Brilliant analogy. We can all use that. But I just, for me I thought it was the mentality. I've never really seen an Australian individual sports person or team look under pressure or at least crack. They never seem to capitulate under pressure and they always seem to go for broke. You know, they know that, I've...
you know, this is a risk. I do that, they take that risk. That's what I see. Do you agree with that?
Nigel Catt (32:15.596)
Yeah, yeah, look, what I look at the ending. I did have a theory or maybe I borrowed it from someone I can't remember that you mentioned participation but also but it couldn't be participation right over here.
Lawrence Dauncey (32:25.307)
stole it, probably!
Nigel Catt (32:32.544)
It is just a climate that's more conducive to being outside and outside activities. You spend more time outside, maybe it's that. That there is just more participation, even though I know you've got larger population. Maybe it is just that. Maybe it's more time outside, more time without knowing it, honing these skills that will come in use later. And just spending more time, whether it's playing an organised game of sport or just a game that you've made up with a few of your mates.
and it could be that, it could be just spending more time outside doing it. Or it could just be right from the bottom, if it's right from the younger age, if that's the bar that's set, that's the bar you've gotta meet as you progress through the age groups all the way up. So maybe they needed someone like you on the sidelines teaching them how to win. Maybe that's it.
Lawrence Dauncey (33:02.724)
Yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (33:17.337)
Bye.
Lawrence Dauncey (33:24.859)
I don't know about that. There was just a couple of things that you can see as an adult that you know, particularly defensively or whatever, you know basics and you're not allowed to kind of push that or you can, but you're just not allowed to say that that's what you're doing, which I just found kind of counterproductive because as I said, as a parent standing on a touchline on a Saturday,
Nigel Catt (33:50.072)
What?
Lawrence Dauncey (33:53.197)
in England when it's pissing down with rain watching your kid get hammered in the mud you're like I don't want to be here.
Nigel Catt (34:00.14)
Yeah, yeah, look at, there was a push, maybe go back 10 years ago, where there was a bit of talk about not keeping score with a lot of the younger kids sports, but it went away from that. Cause again, they're going along with the participation and everything else, they don't want to put the pressure, but I believe maybe some competitions do it, but in the main, yeah, no.
Lawrence Dauncey (34:15.514)
Mm-hmm.
Nigel Catt (34:28.174)
You're playing a game, but you're also scoring.
Lawrence Dauncey (34:31.105)
Yeah, of course. Yeah, I think, yeah, that's important.
Nigel Catt (34:33.762)
But with your Leighton Hewitt, yeah, look, I have to agree, and he's probably one of the best examples of that. He was compared to the other players, he was undersized, he didn't have the ground strokes of the power of the other guys. But my God, I've...
Lawrence Dauncey (34:50.209)
Yeah, yeah.
Nigel Catt (34:53.166)
He was a bit of a polarizing figure, especially in his younger days. He sort of had a bit of mouth on him and all the rest. But he never gave up. just would... I'd be watching going, mate, just forget about it. He'd be there and he'd run everything down and he'd finally provide...
Lawrence Dauncey (34:58.574)
Yeah.
Lawrence Dauncey (35:04.922)
No.
Lawrence Dauncey (35:09.637)
Yeah.
He did. And I just think that that, you know, that tenacity is, and like you say, he was fiery temper as well. But, you know, that's, was incredible. I remember watching him blitz. Absolutely. I think it was David Nalbandian n and he completely destroyed. think it was in the, in the final, um, and made him look very, made him look very, very average. I remember that just thought.
Nigel Catt (35:31.054)
Yes.
Nigel Catt (35:35.264)
Yeah, I was David Nalbandian, the Argentinian in 2002 because I was over there just living around the corner from Wimbledon and we went there. It was great. We were at Southfields and
Lawrence Dauncey (35:40.553)
That's it.
Lawrence Dauncey (35:47.546)
Yeah.
Nigel Catt (35:49.998)
Yeah, so we were down at the Weatherspoons pub at Southfield and you know, they have the defence forces doing all the ushering at Wimbledon. And anyway, we were down there one night at the pub and there was, were they Navy guys? I don't know, their base was at, what's it right at the other end? Is it Uxbridge?
Lawrence Dauncey (35:54.842)
Right.
Lawrence Dauncey (36:14.971)
Okay, middle six, yeah.
Nigel Catt (36:16.908)
Yeah, that's where their base was from memory and fricking miles away from the courts. and they were there drinking and then had to be back, basically had to get up at four in the morning to go back to the courts to do their job. So we started chatting. We had a spare room in our place and it was like 200 meters up the road. And so for 20 quid a night, they said, can we stay there? I said, yeah, fine. I think they only stayed there once, but they kept paying.
And yeah, so we got to know him and one of the guys, Tomo, was on centre court that was his gig. So said, look, just come on in and you know.
Lawrence Dauncey (36:54.789)
Thank
Nigel Catt (36:54.922)
So we did that a couple of times, paid the entry fee and then we'd go up to his gate and you'd have look around and say, I've got seats for you. Cause a lot of corporates went and goes, I know when they leave, that's it. So we got there the middle Saturday to see Layton play, I forget who it was. And then we watched the men's final at home in the living room and saw him beat Nalbandian and then set
Lawrence Dauncey (37:05.846)
Yes. Yeah.
Nigel Catt (37:24.816)
to Karen why not we'll just wander down to the courts and she said okay so she went off got ready and then started watching the the Williams sisters I think they were playing Hentikova and somebody else and so I started watching that while Karen's getting ready then we wandered down the road got into Wilberton I think it was free to get in or something at that stage and then
Lawrence Dauncey (37:32.634)
Mm.
Nigel Catt (37:47.533)
I let's just see if Tomo's there. And he said, yep, okay. So we started watching the women's doubles finals at home on the telly and then ended watching the end of that set, sitting on Centre Court watching it live. was just really, really, yeah, it was, it was amazing. And then because there were rain delays throughout the tournament, they had the mixed doubles finals after that as well. So we got plenty of tennis that day. No, I think it was a gold coin to get in or something. And then, yeah, Centre Court for nothing.
Lawrence Dauncey (38:01.57)
That's amazing.
Lawrence Dauncey (38:11.855)
Yeah.
Nigel Catt (38:17.097)
because it's all about who you know. Yeah, because it was after men's finals, so it was like, I think it was like two pounds or something. That wasn't a normal price of admission because it was basically all over. They were sort of, probably in the gate over type thing. Men's finals had finished, and so yeah. So yeah, it was really cheap. Might have been two pounds to get in or something like that. And then...
Lawrence Dauncey (38:18.773)
A gold a gold coin
Lawrence Dauncey (38:28.923)
I see.
Yeah. Okay.
It was the men's finals over, the lesser players will turn up, the Williams sisters. mean, come and see the Williams sisters for two quid.
Nigel Catt (38:45.614)
you
It was the mixed doubles after that I think. And then I think they had the juniors, well they were there for freaking hours. I think they had the juniors, it was getting dark. No, that was fun, I enjoyed that. Just wandering around, going to the courts, just the atmosphere, the buzz around Southfields and the whole lot when that was going on. was a good two weeks.
Lawrence Dauncey (39:02.989)
Yeah Good
Lawrence Dauncey (39:18.113)
Excellent. And just to finish the podcast itself, the priority lane, as you know, we've globally, I understand across all platforms hit 50,000 downloads. You must be pretty happy with that seeing as the first episode was back in the beginning of December.
Nigel Catt (39:37.868)
Yeah, no, no, extremely. were, I remember when we did the first one and we launched it and then I said, three people have downloaded it. I thought, wow.
so happy. then I emailed everyone, you would have got the email, hey, if you download the podcast, let Nyoli know and let her know which platform so you know we can see how many real listeners, know, downloads we have. And then it was a day or two later she messaged me she's done. We've got 350. Okay, what? All these people started downloading and then yeah, and it's just gone from there. It's been incredible. I think I saw a stat somewhere this
Lawrence Dauncey (40:08.294)
Yeah
Nigel Catt (40:24.784)
about a month ago based on how long we've been around and the genre we're in, that we're in the top 1 % of business podcasts or something based on our amount of time. So no, it's been incredible and very humbling that people want to tune in each week and listen to us.
Lawrence Dauncey (40:48.046)
That's true, because it's not something, you know, it's not a technology that we, we, you know, grew up with. And it's not a technology that we even knew about when we were working together back in the late 90s. So, you know, to be able to now produce something, you know, and talk to people and get that sort of engagement is, is, is really, really incredible. So that's great stuff. Well, look, thank you very much for joining, Nigel. I will leave you to your evening.
and your wild turkey. And I've been Lawrence Daunsey. This is the Priority Lane podcast. I am clearly the better host, which we all know. But I think Nigel who's going to be, he's got a few guests that he'll be introducing in the coming weeks. So look out for that. And we're also going to be present at PA 360 on the 23rd of April at Conveen in London. I will be manning the hub.
Nigel Catt (41:18.306)
Yes, thank you.
Nigel Catt (41:27.022)
you
Lawrence Dauncey (41:47.756)
that we have there. So yeah, if you you have listened to this and you're about in London at PA 360 come say hi and I'll dish out an Australian treat because everyone loves a treat. And on that note, see you soon. Cheerio.
Nigel Catt (42:03.854)
All right, thank you, see ya.
Lawrence Dauncey (42:06.023)
See you next time.