October 30, 2025 • 49 mins
This week, Vision Australia Radio Perth marks 10 incredible years as part of the Vision Australia Radio Network. To celebrate, Program Manager Gemma Sidney has curated a special highlight reel showcasing the standout content, inspiring stories, and unforgettable moments from our Perth studios over the past decade. Join us as we reflect on the creativity, community, and connections that have made the last 10 years so remarkabl, and get a glimpse of what’s to come.
Stay tuned and keep following us on Vision Australia Radio’s Facebook page for more studio highlights and updates as we continue this journey into the next decade.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:14):
Is this thing on? Oh, yeah. Oh, we're we're rolling.
You can cuddle that, right? Okay, great. Greetings and welcome
to this Vision Australia Radio Perth 10th anniversary special. I'm
(00:38):
your host, for want of a better word. Gemma Sydney,
program coordinator at Vision Australia Radio in Perth. So first
things first. Happy birthday to us. Happy 10th birthday. In
this audio reel, I'll do my very best to showcase
at least some of the very diverse voices we've heard
from over the years, as well as collate some of
(01:01):
the memories that have been shared with us recently and
in previous years about people's time at this station. So
let's hear from some of those voices now.
S2 (01:13):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 a m.
S3 (01:17):
Yes. Hello and welcome back to your favourite radio show.
Reading the play All Things Footy, recorded in the studios
of Vision Australia, Radio Perth. It's great to have you
with us for the first week of AFL finals, and
we're more pumped than a Sherrin match ball. My name
is Cal Krzyzanowski and today I'm joined by Vars resident
footy newfies Emma Ross and Rob Nauseda.
S4 (01:38):
AFL Grand final to stay at Icon Park despite Marvel
Stadium push.
S5 (01:43):
West Coast Eagles champion Jeremy McGovern reveals messages of support
from Melbourne forward Jake Melksham.
S6 (01:49):
Kane Cornes slams Clayton Oliver for incredibly stupid social media
post attacking the media.
S7 (01:55):
Best feeling in the world the footy carnival opening up
the game for all players.
S8 (02:00):
Hello and welcome to sights, sounds and songs. I'm Peter
Stotz from our Perth studios and in episodes on this
program we zig zag around the globe. In just 30
minutes We visit continents, countries, regions, islands, beaches, mountains, lakes, rivers, desert,
cities and more. I take you to places where you
have been, to locations you dream of going to, and
(02:22):
to spots you will never, ever go to except on
this program. Sights, sounds and songs right here on the
Vision Australia radio network.
S9 (02:29):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 Am.
S10 (02:34):
Seeing Without Eyes is a program that looks at different
aspects of life, but with a difference from a perspective
of a blind person.
S11 (02:41):
Thanks for your company on talking law today. On today's show,
we'll read articles concerning the impacts of a rise in
pseudo law, which is where people use arguments that they
are their own sovereign and therefore above the need to
comply with Australian laws.
S12 (02:59):
How do polar bears stay warm? Is stroking good for pets?
Are bats really blind? For the latest news stories and
interesting facts about animals. Join me, Elizabeth Oates for Animal Focus.
S13 (03:14):
Vision Australia Radio is your news and information service on air,
online and on podcast.
S14 (03:19):
You're listening to Vision Australia Radio, cats Reads cats Kat
Jennings reading the columns of Danni Cats.
S15 (03:27):
Vision Australia Radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S16 (03:32):
Hello and welcome to Community News, the program bringing you
up to date with what's happening in your local community.
S17 (03:37):
Now turning to the Fremantle Gazette, page two. Australia Day overhaul.
S18 (03:43):
Hello and welcome to Community News, the program we bring you,
which is news in your local area from the various
community newspapers and a segment on sport. My name is
Kevin McLaughlin.
S19 (03:56):
Hello, my name is Juliet Walker, and I'm bringing you
this article from the Southern Gazette.
S15 (04:01):
Hello and welcome to Community News, the program bringing you
up to date with what's happening in your local community?
My name is Maureen Mortimer. Hello and welcome to Community News,
the program bringing you up to date with what's happening
in your local community. My name is Val Marsden.
S20 (04:18):
Starting with this first news article from the Mandurah Coastal Times,
page five. All eyes on camera rollout. Hello.
S21 (04:26):
I'm Dorothy and this report comes from the Wanneroo Times.
S15 (04:32):
Vision Australia radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S22 (04:37):
Vision Australia is our nation's leading provider of blindness and
low vision services, supporting more than 27,000 people of all
ages and circumstances.
S15 (04:47):
Welcome to the AFL record.
S16 (04:49):
2021 finals.
S15 (04:50):
Week two. Coming to you from Perth, Western Australia, home
of the 2021 Grand Final. I'm Zoe Warwick and next
to me is sports fan and journalist Danny Gibson. So
what are your thoughts and feelings? Commiserations. Comments from last week.
S23 (05:06):
Wow, what a final series we have underway already.
S15 (05:13):
Hi I'm Abby.
S24 (05:15):
I'm Simon, and welcome to In Plain Sight.
S25 (05:17):
A programme where we highlight people who are making a
positive impact in the community and disability sector.
S24 (05:23):
Shining a light on those who would be otherwise hidden
in plain sight.
S26 (05:29):
Every Thursday from 10 a.m., we bring you all the
latest health related stories and articles on your health. Whether
it's the latest in dietary information or the newest medical breakthroughs,
you'll find everything you need and more on your health.
S27 (05:42):
It's good news.
S28 (05:43):
Hi, I'm Terry.
S15 (05:44):
And I'm Michele.
S28 (05:45):
Each week on Vision Australia Radio 990 Am, we feature
plenty of items of interest to baby boomers and seniors
sourced from the have a go news, the senior, the
West Australian and others.
S15 (05:56):
Join us on Baby Boomers and Seniors half hour for
articles about well-known personalities. Travel. finance, health, entertainment and more.
S29 (06:06):
On Vision Australia Radio. Welcome to one hour of selected
readings from the February 2023 edition of Reader's Digest Australia
and the Reader's Digest website, researched and compiled by Kerry Fasolo.
S5 (06:22):
I'm Bert.
S30 (06:23):
Goldsmith and reading with me today are Dorothy and Faye.
S15 (06:26):
On Vision Australia.
S23 (06:27):
Radio. This is the digest. Over the next hour, we'll
bring you readings from the Reader's Digest, Mindfood magazine and
other sources.
S31 (06:37):
The Making of Downton Abbey.
S32 (06:39):
How dare you is the title. It's from Australia's most
bizarre crimes.
S33 (06:45):
Vision Australia radio in Perth on 990 Am.
S29 (06:50):
It's time for women to step into their big girl
panties and be educated to celebrate all of who they
are and demand respect. That's the message Kath Mozilla wants
to bring to all women and society as a whole
about their approach to women's health.
S34 (07:05):
One. Two. Three. It's happy pants.
S15 (07:21):
G'day, and welcome.
S20 (07:23):
To Happy Pants, a show specially for kids and especially
for you. My name is Geraldine.
S35 (07:29):
And my name is Rebecca. And my name is Kate.
And together we're your happy pants team for today.
S36 (07:37):
My happy pants feel soft and silky like the fur
on my cat. Her name is marmalade because mum says
she is striped orange and yellow with a little bit
of white like marmalade jam.
S15 (07:50):
Have you checked your pockets yet, Geraldine?
S20 (07:53):
Um. Not yet. It's more fun when we take turns.
You go first, Joe. Okay.
S15 (07:59):
In the left hand one there is a little box.
Just a tick. Will I get the lid off?
S35 (08:07):
What's the matter?
S20 (08:08):
Well, the rhyming bug escaped. I thought I had locked
it up tight in my pocket, but the rhyming bug
is out. That's why I gave a shout.
S37 (08:17):
Vision Australia radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S38 (08:22):
You're listening to the Rabbit Hole on Vision Australia radio. Next,
an article from The New Yorker.
S39 (08:27):
We welcome you to Time of Your Life, a program
aimed at the retired sector of the community covering all
aspects of retirement and senior life.
S40 (08:35):
Today's topics include calling people numpties and effective ways to
improve intimacy for senior couples.
S15 (08:43):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 a m tune
in to News Magazine exclusively on Vision Australia Radio Perth
each weekday from 12 noon until 1:30 p.m..
S41 (08:57):
Welcome to this week's travel program.
S15 (08:59):
Our first article.
S42 (09:00):
Begins from the Weekend Australian in the travel section.
S43 (09:03):
Good morning. Welcome to TV today. My name is Phoebe Sinclair.
S16 (09:06):
Hi, I'm Judy Richards.
S33 (09:08):
And I'm Helen Yeager. Each week we bring you a
look at the Arts, a program dedicated to the thriving
arts and culture scene in Perth, as well as in
Australia and internationally.
S28 (09:18):
Hello and welcome to It's All About the Music, a
15 minute program on Vision Australia Radio. I'm Terry Plank
and I want to share with you some of the
most wonderful music and amazing sounds which surround us every day.
S44 (09:32):
Vision Australia Radio 990 Am now on digital as BA radio.
S29 (09:39):
Welcome to Literary Ear on Vision Australia Radio. I'm Kerry
Fasolo and reading with me today are Val O'Neil, Rosalie
Miles and Maureen Tavani.
S45 (09:49):
Being married to a Geordie and having my in-laws living
in Newcastle upon Tyne, we've spent many Christmases in England.
S46 (09:56):
Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, is a global icon
in the music industry.
S15 (10:02):
Hello, my name is Maureen Tiffany.
S20 (10:04):
I recently had the privilege.
S15 (10:06):
Of interviewing Professor Fiona Wood.
S20 (10:08):
Am world.
S15 (10:09):
Leading burns specialist and one of Australia's most innovative and
respected surgeons. Hello and welcome to the Law and You,
the program bringing you news and information on all things legal.
I'm Maureen Mortimer. Thanks, Maureen. Hi, I'm Carolyn, and I'll
be with you for the second half.
S11 (10:27):
Hour of.
S15 (10:27):
The law.
S29 (10:27):
Renew Vision Australia Radio 990 Am now on digital as
VA radio.
S33 (10:37):
On Vision Australia Radio.
S47 (10:39):
This is national magazine. Welcome to the show. Over the
next hour, we'll bring you some stories from some of
our favorite magazines and supplements.
S48 (10:47):
Wallabies set to shine Australian rugby gears up for the
Lions tour this June.
S20 (10:53):
Jane Goodall.
S23 (10:54):
World renowned primatologist, dies aged 91.
S15 (10:59):
Vision Australia radio in Perth on 990 a m and
on digital as VA radio.
S29 (11:05):
Hello from Perth and welcome to today's episode of our
Aussie Gardens.
S17 (11:13):
And I'm sure you will all have guessed what this
animal is this week in the backyard. It's the laughing kookaburra.
S20 (11:20):
This celebrity.
S39 (11:21):
Plant of the.
S20 (11:21):
Week is the Zygocactus.
S39 (11:23):
Hello and welcome to our Aussie Gardens. I'm Georgie Kelly
and with me in the studio is Trudy Hillston. Today
on our show, we focus on enjoying the garden. Is
your mind full or are you being mindful? What's the difference? Trudy? Hi.
Are you one of those people who are human doings
rather than human beings in the garden?
S49 (11:44):
I think the way that I combine the being and
the doing best in the garden is when I'm just
watering the pot plants with the hose.
S33 (11:52):
Vegetable.
S20 (11:53):
Year planner. Mid spring.
S33 (11:55):
October.
S50 (11:56):
Now they're back with a vengeance. Can you tell me
how to get rid of them and what to spray
them with? I would really appreciate it.
S9 (12:03):
Hello and welcome to Australia through Time on Vision Australia
990 Am in Perth. You read this today myself, Jack
Greenway and Wendy Charnell and we'll examine the year 1959.
S17 (12:18):
More than 30,000.
S15 (12:19):
People.
S17 (12:20):
Flocked to Melbourne's King's Domain to witness the official opening
of the Myer Music Bowl by the Prime Minister, Mr.
Robert Menzies, last night.
S9 (12:28):
And will examine the year 1916, when the population of
Australia was 4918003rd of March.
S30 (12:39):
Under wartime legislation, the price of flour and bread is
fixed in Australian metropolitan areas.
S9 (12:44):
And today we're recalling the year 1915 Yeah, and it's
over to you, Roden. Saturday, the 30th of October. The
laureate of the larrikin, C.J. Dennis, has this month released
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke and the hit song
of the year. Well, it was an old favourite. Well,
(13:08):
wasn't then, of course. Pack up your troubles in your
old kit bag. We haven't got a record of it anywhere.
We couldn't find one anywhere. We found a couple of
old troubadours out in the street. It went something like this.
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile,
(13:28):
smile while you've a Lucifer delight. Your fake smile, boys.
That's the style. Was the use of worrying. It never
was worthwhile. So pack up your troubles in your old
(13:49):
kit bag and smile, smile, smile.
S1 (14:00):
Thanks to Dale, we were able to recover some of
the very early recordings of our live broadcasts as Vision
Australia Radio Perth, dating back to October 2015.
S44 (14:14):
Initialize sequence now.
S16 (14:17):
You're listening to Vision Australia, Radio Perth, Western Australia via
990 Am.
S27 (14:23):
Okay, ready?
S19 (14:24):
You're now on the air with live local programming. Then
over the coming months, we'll be adding more and more
local programs for you to enjoy.
S16 (14:33):
Vision Australia radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S19 (14:38):
Good morning and welcome to Vision Australia Radio Perth, broadcasting
on 990 Am as part of the Vision Australia radio network.
The time is 7:01. This is a brand new station,
though you may recognize many of the voices at first.
Perth will broadcast mainly news programs live in the mornings,
(14:59):
then move on to include a number of locally recorded
magazine type programs. At other times, we will use material
provided by other radio stations and by Vision Australia and
the BBC. As time goes on, we will increase the
amount of locally produced programs. It's good to be with
you again this morning we'll be broadcasting the following programs
(15:22):
from Perth The West Australian from 7 to 8 a.m.
and your readers are Fran Rickson and Arnold Baldwin from
8 to 8:20 a.m.. This day to day read by me,
Giles Talbot, The Australian, from 820 to 930, when Fran
and Arnold return, and then from 930 to 10 a.m..
(15:44):
Letters to the editor with Helen Jager. And now to
the West Australian.
S12 (15:48):
And in local.
S17 (15:49):
And national news. The Perth grandfather, who survived six days
in the outback without food or water, has revealed he
wants to go back to find the camel hunting rifle
he hid in the scrub.
S19 (16:02):
New traffic lights software is being rolled out across Perth
after a year long trial. Reduced peak hour travel times
by up to one quarter on some key transport corridors.
S22 (16:15):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 Am and on
digital as VA radio.
S15 (16:21):
And welcome.
S19 (16:22):
To.
S30 (16:23):
990 Am with Vision Australia Radio Perth. This is a
brand new station and you'll recognise many of the voices,
but we hope in time we'll have more programs coming
to you from Perth. In the meantime, it's good to
be with you again. Good morning and welcome to the
news from the West Australian. I'm Michael Lee and reading
(16:46):
with me is Maureen Tavani. It's now over to Maureen
for further stories.
S15 (16:51):
Good morning. My first article appeared on page three of
today's West Freight Link. Savings could pay for tunnel. This
is an exclusive article written by Shane Wright, who is
the Economics editor.
S28 (17:03):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 Am and on
digital as VA radio.
S15 (17:09):
Hello and welcome to the news from The Australian for.
S12 (17:13):
Today.
S23 (17:13):
Thursday.
S15 (17:14):
The 5th of November.
S23 (17:16):
I'm Helen Cashmere and with me in the studio is
Giles Talbot.
S19 (17:20):
Principles failing on prayer group checks. An official audit of
prayer groups across the New South Wales education system has
found schools have routinely failed to comply with basic guidelines
that demand student led religious classes be fully supervised at
all times.
S26 (17:38):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 a m and
on digital as VA radio.
S29 (17:43):
Welcome now to news from The Australian for today, the
6th of November. I'm Gayle Phillips and with me in
the studio is Graham Sinclair.
S30 (17:52):
Right. And on page one, nothing fair.
S6 (17:54):
About.
S30 (17:54):
A change to the GST, as Gail just told us.
And this is an exclusive. It's by Syd Maher, the
national affairs editor.
S16 (18:03):
Keep in touch with Vision Australia radio in Perth on
990 Am.
S38 (18:10):
I'm Louise Hancock and I've got my story today is
award winning eatery to shut on page three. This is
an exclusive from Rod Broadfield.
S9 (18:20):
Vision Australia radio in Perth on 990 Am.
S37 (18:24):
Good morning, I'm John O'Connell and moving to page three
of the West Australian and the headlines. Seniors groups relieved
at pension age backflip. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision to
ditch plans to lift the pension age from 67 to 70,
has been cautiously welcomed by senior groups.
S1 (18:44):
We asked people what is your first memory or early
memory of Vision Australia radio in Perth? Here are the responses.
S16 (18:53):
I'm Judy Richards and I read with the lovely Fiona.
These days I've been involved with Vision Australia slash Information
radio for 15 years. I think the first memory of
radio was just a sense of relief that we could
get back on air again after kerfuffles that we had
with Information Radio in the end. No, it was just
a relief to get back on air and start broadcasting again.
S19 (19:16):
I'm Arnold Baldwin.
S9 (19:19):
That's Arnold.
S19 (19:21):
Schwarzenegger. Baldwin, like Alec and I have been volunteering for
Vision Australia Radio on the start when it set up
ten years ago in 2015 and East Perth. My first
memory of VA radio Started when I walked in the
door in Nash Street, up through the West Australian Deaf Society,
(19:44):
up the winding corridor into the back room where Vision
Australia Radio was going to be commenced operations. It must
have been October 2015 and it was still in a
process of getting organised and we had tradesmen coming in,
putting sinks and taps in. But there was a general
buzz of enthusiasm from all the volunteers who were there,
(20:06):
and there were quite a few of them there on
that day who are still with Vision Australia Radio.
S26 (20:13):
My fondest.
S6 (20:14):
Memory was.
S26 (20:15):
How we overcame the lockdown period to continue broadcasting. During
the Covid period, when lockdown was in place, no one
was able to do broadcasting from the studio and yet
there was still a demand for local content, so I
and a few select others were approached with the idea
of recording from home. We researched the local news articles record,
(20:37):
edit and upload the completed WAV file for subsequent broadcasting,
all before 630 in the morning. I recall waking up
initially at three in the morning to do this, and
then settled to waking up at 4 a.m.. Once I
established my own routine, I remember I had the privilege
of leading this initiative with the first episode of Home Recording.
(20:58):
Of course, we also had to ensure our own microphone
was of studio quality. We had the necessary knowledge, software
and the skill to do the recording and editing ourselves.
S1 (21:11):
So I have early memories of our very first location
as Vision Australia Radio. When we started out out the
back of the WA Deaf Society, I was interviewed by
Hans Reimer, who was our manager at the time, and
Giles Talbot, and we were surrounded by boxes of radio
equipment that had not yet been set up or built,
(21:32):
which Dale Simpson would come over shortly afterwards to spend
weeks doing spoiler alert. I got the job and I
started about a week after the first broadcasts commenced in
October 2015. I also enjoyed finding little random notes around
the place. A couple that stick in my mind that
I found in the studio was a hastily scrawled note
(21:56):
that says It's Brasserie, not brassiere. I didn't actually hear
that go live to air, but I can just imagine
how that went down. I also found one in the
kitchen once that said, don't forget to take your pills.
So I hope whoever's note that was they didn't forget.
S3 (22:16):
My fondest memory of VA radio was the first time
that I ever went to air. I did the National
News Hour on Tuesday the 26th of March, 2024, and
that was a very special moment because I spent 14
months trying to get into community radio and for it
to come to a beautiful start with wonderful people. Phoebe
(22:37):
and Ann, they were so nice to me and they
made me feel really welcome. And funnily enough, my, uh,
the first article that I read was about my dad's
former employer before we moved to Perth. So that was
like a weird circle of life moment. But I just
really enjoyed being with the studio, with Phoebe and Ann,
who ran everything so smoothly and professionally and made me
(23:00):
feel welcome.
S29 (23:03):
My first memories at Vision Australia Radio. I'd only been
with the former radio station six for eight weeks as
a researcher. When the station closed down, almost 12 months
of radio silence ensued until Vision Australia Radio took up
the licence. My first day ever of being on air
(23:26):
was the first day Vision Australia radio broadcast from the
studios at the Deaf Society. Now Deaf Connect on Monday,
October the 12th, 2015. To read letters to the editor
and the opinion pieces with the late Mike Lee. So
VAR and I share our 10th anniversary on air in Perth.
(23:51):
In the early days of West Coast news, I would
catch the train as there was little parking and every
morning Arnold was always waiting at the station to see
me safely into the building. Thanks, Arnold.
S15 (24:09):
Hello, I'm Fiona Noble, and today, as you know, we're
celebrating our 10th anniversary or birthday. Should I say for VAR?
But I think I might take you a little bit
back from that to when I first started. Um, and
then we were in Welshpool at the time, And we
were in information radio and John Lee and Mike Lee
(24:33):
were both there. Now, John. Well, Mike, you'll certainly remember
he was a wonderful man, such a gracious and kind person.
And I had the luck to be able to read
The Economist with him. And it was such a good experience,
and one that I look back with great pleasure. The
(24:55):
other thing that I also did was to read the
local newspapers. And because I used to go to sleep
a bit in the very small studio, I had to
cover up my my mistakes by saying, oh, the paper's
got a misprint here, or it's, you know, blaming the
newspaper rather than my own, uh, inabilities to get it straight.
(25:20):
So those are two early memories of Information Radio, which
eventually became Vision Australia Radio.
S49 (25:30):
This is Trudy Hillston, and my first memory of VA
radio was actually as a listener when I was driving
to work. This was before I retired and I listened
in and I thought that it all just sounded fantastic.
And it was a very worthwhile thing to do. And
I made a promise to myself that one day I
(25:50):
would sign up with VA radio and become a volunteer
as well.
S33 (25:56):
Hello, I'm Faye Blythe and these are my memories of 1990.
Approximately three decades ago, I was browsing our local newspaper,
The Post, and noticed a small advertisement for volunteer radio work.
Being a housewife with nothing to do, kids at school,
and no useful qualifications, I began my career with 990.
(26:19):
I began reading short articles from magazines for a year
or two, then switched to switch to reading early morning
news live from the Australian and the West Australian with
an exceptional gentleman, Michael Lee. Not an early riser by nature.
I jumped out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to be
at Sunbury Road, Victoria Park, by 6 a.m. to prepare
(26:40):
for live news, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.. Mike was
an exceptional person. We got on very well and not
once did I wake up wishing I didn't have to
read with him. I often did three early morning reads
a week plus filling in for others. The chairman at
the time was an ex-Navy captain who always wore his
navy captain's cap and dark jacket. He exuded an authoritative air,
(27:05):
and I was a bit in awe of him. One morning,
he burst into the studio during an ad break while
Mark and I were reading to say, I've been listening
to you two while I was driving here. Very well done.
And disappeared. Mike was a retired educationist with a PhD
and I felt like I was now almost his equivalent.
S15 (27:26):
Hi, I'm Maureen Tiffany and I've been with six for
Vision Australia radio for 13 years, thinking I was going
to become a tea lady at Royal Perth Hospital, or if.
S20 (27:38):
I.
S15 (27:38):
Rang the incorrect number and was greeted by a male
voice on the other end of the line, who told
me it was six pH reading for the print handicapped.
And would I like to come in for an audition?
And that was the beginning of my 12 year journey
with reading for the print handicapped. When I first started there,
I was mentored by Mike Leigh and Elizabeth Oates, who
(27:58):
guided me and taught me all the right lessons. Sadly,
six came to a close and uh, the team from
staff met regularly from that day until the day we
became Vision Australia Radio, and we held meetings at various places.
We became a very focused group and formed wonderful friendships.
S1 (28:21):
We also asked people to recall what their funniest or
scariest moments were on air. And here's what people shared.
S49 (28:32):
My scariest moment on air was around my very first
shift ever as a panacea, of which I was absolutely
terrified and I was getting set up, just ready to go.
And I didn't really know what was happening, but I
couldn't hear Melbourne. And the reason I couldn't hear Melbourne
(28:54):
is that there was a problem with the system and
that we weren't connected to Melbourne, and that caused me
a total, unmitigated meltdown. However, we survived.
S16 (29:07):
Two funny moments. We had a panel operator, Fiona and I,
who let's say was a free spirit. And that gap
in between where you finish reading the articles and before
you go into the ABC Overseas News, our panel operator
this particular day brought in a kazoo. She called it,
but I think it was just the old paper and comb.
And she played the lead into the ABC Overseas News
(29:31):
on this kazoo. We were in hysterics over this side
of the panel because it sounded hilarious. And another one
was when one of my reading colleagues, who is a
very proper, lovely English type sounding voice, when, you know,
when you get, um, swear words and what in the
paper you're supposed to say f ING or ING or whatever,
or dot dot dot. But unfortunately, this day that she
(29:53):
got so wound up what she was reading, she actually
read out the words. And so the erstwhile panel operator
and myself were in stitches over this because it just
sounded hilarious coming out of her mouth. We laughed.
S3 (30:07):
My funniest moment on air was when I had to
hold in my laughter for most of the national news hour.
It was, um, I was I was reading with Anne again,
and she mentioned in an article she mentioned the TV
show family Guy, and that brought back an Instagram reel
that I saw of Peter Griffin. So basically me and
(30:28):
my little immature brain had to keep that together. And
for the rest, you could hear for the rest of
the show. I had to hold in my laughter and
one time I nearly, I nearly burst. And then when
we got to half time, I just absolutely burst into laughter.
I had to I had to let it all out,
and then I had to. I explained at the end
the show to Damo and Anne what was so funny.
(30:51):
And they were like, oh, right. Yeah, you've got a
you've got a weird, twisted sense of humor.
S29 (30:57):
My funniest time once again, Arnold. Arnold Baldwin was the
panel operator for West Coast News, and I was a
very green reader. I was deep into reading an article
on air when he leapt up and raced towards me,
only stopped in his tracks when the cord on the
(31:19):
earphones reached their limit. It took all my self-control not
to laugh.
S33 (31:27):
My scary moment occurred when we were almost at the
end of a read one morning, and I suddenly felt
an urgent need to vomit. I gritted my teeth, literally
hoping I could hang out until Mike finished. Unfortunately, the
urge became too strong, so as Mike was closing out,
I slipped off my chair feeling giddy, and crawled out
the door down the hallway to the toilet. Within seconds,
(31:50):
Mike and Joy Howman, our volunteer supervisor, were with me
to see what was going on. I didn't throw up,
but Mike drove me home with an ice cream bucket
in the back seat of his car. An overnight stay
in emergency at Charlie's due to some ear problem, and
so far, not another episode. Funny moments happened when reading
(32:11):
live with Judy Richards and the one and only Kate Jennings.
What a hoot. Those sessions were sheer comedy. The legal
world missed out big time, not having due to keep
it on the straight and narrow. Kate dealt with the
technical side of things while Judy and I read live
to fill in time while we read. Kate attended to
Minor Housekeeping, eating breakfast, mending hems, making copious notes and lists,
(32:36):
reading for book club, and writing wacky poetry. On the
wall behind Kate was a large clock with its second
hand methodically eating our session time close to finish time,
Judy would either clock note Kate's bowed head, engrossed elsewhere,
then punched my shoulder or wave her hand to instruct
me to alert Kate to come on board. I leaned
(33:00):
towards Kate, waving hands, throwing pencil wads of scrunched paper
to get her attention while Judy kept reading perfectly at
the same time, her vibes letting me know I wasn't
doing much of a job wherever her attention had been.
Mare split seconds from Gong. Time Kate returned to tech
mode completely unfazed, sounding poised and friendly on air while
(33:24):
I chuckled quietly and Judy glared at both of us,
her face grim, her hair grayer, mouthing curses. Kate's poetry
while we read Kate, having honed in on a juicy
piece of news, would be scribbling down her thoughts, which
she would share with listeners at an appropriate moment. My
husband loved her musings much more interesting than our readings.
(33:47):
Kate is the most colorful, talented, kind, selfless person I've
ever known. Judy's okay, two words in any form have
always been my strength, but I have no ability whatsoever.
With numbers at Victoria Park, it was suggested I should
train for the technical side of radio. I knew I
would be hopeless, but to stop being badgered, I decided
(34:10):
to have a go. Wow. A very competent German volunteer
put me through the paces with another much younger lady
who had no problems whatsoever. It's easy, she said, when
she could see I was floundering. You just have to
work out the patterns and you're fine. Exactly what I
couldn't do. Volker very kindly told me at the end
(34:31):
that my reading voice would always be great on radio.
In other words, you've failed, sister. Subsequently, I discovered the
other trainee was a jumbo jet pilot.
S26 (34:43):
My funniest moment was sometime in 2016, when I was
the panel operator for a midday programme called Not the
Headline News in the studio. With me reading for this
programme were Val Marsden and John O'Connell. So Val and
I mostly did the research and we came across a
humorous article. Now I can't remember exactly what it was
(35:04):
about other than Val and looking at each other, and
we decided that John would read it. Of course, John
had no idea about this until it came time to
actually reading it live on air. So when he did
read it, you could see him squirm and try to
maintain a serious and straight face and remain composed while
(35:25):
reading it. As he did this, both Val and myself
were silently chuckling and trying not to burst out in
fits of laughter. Afterwards, John exclaimed to Val and myself,
all in good fun, that we had ambushed him to
read it.
S15 (35:41):
One of the funniest or scariest moments on air, and
there's been a few, was coming off air with Elizabeth
Oates after a midday program to find two security guards
waiting to escort us from the studio to our transport.
Another was an invitation from an early morning unwanted visitor
to the WA Deaf Society who said, hey old lady,
give me your bag. I said, don't call me old
(36:03):
and you're not getting my bag as I swiped my
card and got in the door. Another was having a
false fire alarm on air during West Coast news and
having to evacuate the premises. Emma was our hero that day.
The fire brigade never did turn up. Keith Faulkner had
recently had a hip replacement. He couldn't use the lift,
so he had to struggle down the stairs with his crutch.
(36:26):
Another one was at Vision Australia, where we had the
sound barrier tiles on the walls, supposedly to cut the noise,
and they would regularly fall off during our broadcasting to
a very loud clunk.
S19 (36:41):
The scariest moment, I suppose, was, um. At one stage
we had a new recruit come in wanting to learn
how to do panelling, and her name was Kate Jennings,
and we were going through the procedures where she'd sit
in with me in the studio, and we got the
team working that day, and the team was Judy Richards
and Faye Blythe from memory. And then we stepped back
(37:03):
out into the general area and I said to, um, Tate, look,
I've got to make a run for the toilet. She said, oh, good,
I'll come with you. And then I realized, what? Because
she had had some previous experience in theatricals and things anew.
When you had a break, you took advantage of it.
And so we came back and we were standing just
outside the studio door. We were just chatting about life
(37:25):
in general. I looked at my watch and said, oh,
we'll have to hurry back in. And she said, no,
we won't. We'll have to gallop. And with that, he
started slapping her thighs and making horse sounds, and she
galloped back into the studio, cocking her head, and to
my amazement, I was caught up in it and I
went back into duty. And I also got slapping the
(37:47):
thighs and popping the head and almost neighing.
S1 (37:50):
Finally, we also ask people, what do you love most
about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio Perth?
S29 (37:58):
Personally, I have learned many new skills with reading on
air paneling and a little ad libbing to fill dead air.
Editing for Literary Ear. Thanks to Sandra Martin and programming
the digest, along with mentoring new panel operators, I've enjoyed
(38:21):
working with many wonderful volunteers and count many as friends.
I am inspired by people like Emma, Kenneth and Simon
who embody Vision Australia Radio's ethos. I appreciate the willingness
of people who are flexible enough to help out when
(38:41):
another volunteer is ill or unavailable, or to help us
read stories for literary ear. Volunteering with Vision Australia Radio
has also allowed me the confidence to embark on the
path of audio description with theatre, opera and ballet groups
in Perth. Happy 10th birthday, Kerry Fasolo.
S3 (39:07):
What I love most about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio
is you're a part of something bigger than yourself. You're
helping people who are blind or have low vision, or
even just anyone for print disability access news and information.
And on a national scale as well. We're not just
restricted to Perth, we're across the whole country helping support
those who find it difficult to access printed information. And
(39:30):
the community that we have here is really nice. And
you'll find that the people who volunteer here are, you know,
generally very good people. It's a it's a great pleasure
to be a part of this organisation that helps contribute
to those with a print disability to lead more informed lives.
S15 (39:48):
What I enjoy most about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio,
without exception, the people I work with bringing print alive
for our listeners Research, production and recording. And learning something
new every day and working with technology.
S44 (40:06):
Hi, I'm Brianna Hicks. I enjoy volunteering with Vision Australia
Radio because the people that I work with are so
dedicated to this station and providing such a vital service.
S30 (40:18):
Vision Australia provides a valuable service and I like being
involved as a volunteer. It is particularly enjoyable to work
with staff and volunteers who are all bright and committed people.
Some of us are quite elderly and not as physically
active as we once were, but we can still enjoy reading.
S24 (40:39):
Well, what I enjoy about volunteering, especially in this role
here at Vision Australia Radio, is that I'm not compelled
to do it. Um, I was given an opportunity to
create this program when I sold the premise to the
people here at the station. I love giving back to
(41:00):
the community. Um, and I love being part of the
broader community. Um, both blindness and disability community. And I
also see it as an extension of my advocacy work,
in that I am helping promote advocacy for people with
disabilities in different formats, as well as like as we'll
(41:22):
see later on in our program, helping to promote people
who are have a disability or in this case, who
are blind and in the creative spaces as well. That's
why I came up with the title In Plain Sight,
to shine a light on those who would otherwise be
hidden in plain sight, to help promote people to the
(41:43):
broader community that might not know about what's happening in
the disability sector and the disability world. To highlight ordinary
people who are doing some extraordinary things in many cases,
and I love being part of a collaborative environment, and
I love being part of a creative environment. And I
really enjoy the teamwork and the support that we get
(42:05):
here at Vision Australia Radio.
S34 (42:08):
Hi, my name is Hannah. I love volunteering at Vision
Australia Radio because it's a way for me to give
back to my community while learning professional skills.
S49 (42:17):
What do I love most about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio?
I think the very first thing I have to say
is that the people who I work with, because I
just love coming in for my shift and catching up
with everybody, it's a really, really great team. And the
other thing is, is that as an ex-nurse, there's been
(42:37):
a lot of challenges and lots of new stuff to learn,
and I've learned all sorts of things that I would
never have had the opportunity to learn in the past.
So they're the things that I love most about volunteering.
S20 (42:51):
My name is Linda.
S23 (42:52):
And I love.
S20 (42:53):
To volunteer.
S23 (42:54):
At Vision Australia Radio because I want to contribute something
beneficial to people's life. And besides, I have such a
lot of fun participating in the program myself.
S16 (43:05):
It's the people that are just brilliant. We've had some
wonderful people over the years. Fiona mentioned Mike, but there
were many who were no longer a physically no longer
with us, but b have gone on to other things. Um, and,
but they are just the most wonderful people giving of
themselves and very generous and some who have no longer read,
(43:26):
but we still keep in touch with them. We're still friends.
It's just been a wonderful experience.
S23 (43:32):
Hello, my name's Leslie. I volunteer with Vision Australia Radio.
I do this because I enjoy reading aloud and think
I'm quite good at it. I have also learnt some
interesting and enjoyable skills in working at Vision Australia Radio.
S26 (43:50):
So what is the thing I love most about volunteering
with Vision Australia Radio? Well, I love the flexibility in
being able to record my current programs at home and
when the opportunity permits to mix with a bunch of
like minded people who share the same enthusiasm in volunteering
to give something back to our community. It feels like
(44:12):
I'm doing something worthwhile. Not for myself, not for profit
or gain, but doing something selfless for the greater good.
S9 (44:20):
Hello, my name is Jack and I've been a volunteer
with Vision Australia Radio for some years now. Research has
shown that we do provide a welcome service for those
people with a print handicap, and that gives me a
certain amount of satisfaction, and I hope to continue doing
it for some time yet.
S19 (44:41):
First of all, having a sense of satisfaction about being
able to use the skills I had to bring the
news and information to our listeners who had no other
way of getting it. And that's very satisfying to know
you can do something like that, because I remember reading
once about rebuilding London after the Blitz. The builder said,
normally we'd be fighting and we'd have the union in
(45:02):
and we'd have disputes, but because we were doing it
for other people who had a need, we worked in
a very harmonious way that I wish we could have
kept going for the rest of my career. So that
sort of describes what it was like at Vision Australia Radio,
that we were doing it for other people, and also
because of Vision Australia calling, gathering some of our social functions.
(45:24):
I'd get to meet some of the listeners too, and
talk to them one on one and get their feedback
as well. But I can't end this answer without saying
it was the quality of the other volunteers, who were
all driven by the same spirit of helpfulness. We had
school teachers, we had psychiatrists, we had psychologists. We had
(45:45):
all sorts of people contributing their skills and bringing knowledge
that wouldn't otherwise be available through the way they just
read those words to where it's a load of fun
being a reader. As I said, you know, helping to
turn print into sound for people who couldn't otherwise have
access to it. But it's like a jet airliner. Up
(46:10):
in the cockpit is the bloke with the headphones on,
and that's the panel operator. And the radio always needs
people who are prepared to volunteer. How to learn the
technical side of it. It was told to me when
I first had doubts, I said, can you be a
panel operator? I said, well, they said, if you can
work a hi fi radio set, you can be a
(46:30):
panel operator. And I remember saying that to Helen Cashmere,
and the smile that crossed her face was just amazing
to behold. So yes, great to be a reader. Very
important and it never can be enough of them. Remember,
sometimes you want to go on holiday or you can't
get in for whatever reason at all, but also to
have someone there pressing the switches.
S33 (46:52):
Volunteering with 990 is personal because my husband was born
with severe short sightedness, myopic atrophy for which nothing can
be done. He is now almost totally blind, and I
try to be a helpful dog as he refuses to
have a real one. Volunteering is a wonderful privilege, no
(47:12):
matter the differences between individuals. In so many ways, people
who volunteer share a core attitude towards our world and
its peoples that keeps the wheels on the community bus.
The people I've met during my years with 990 have
enriched my life beyond measure. Meeting volunteers from younger generations
(47:32):
gives me hope for the future of our wonderful world.
S1 (47:38):
For this 10th anniversary special for Vision Australia Radio Perth,
it wasn't possible to capture all of the voices, or
all of the memories of those who've been involved with
the station over the years. I'd really like for this
to be a living document that we add to over time.
So please, if you have an excerpt of audio or
(47:59):
a memory or something you would like to contribute to
this audio reel, please do let us know. Thank you
for listening to this audio reel. And once again happy
birthday to Vision Australia Radio Perth ten years. We started
out in October 2015 and now of course are in 2025.
(48:22):
And there's that pesky outro again. Um, yep. So thank
you for listening.
S8 (48:28):
Hasta luego. Sayonara. Sy Chen Chao at the end. Goodbye.
S1 (48:35):
Ah. Um. I'll try and do better next time. We'll
be here on Vision Australia radio. You can count on it.
Is this thing on? Oh, yeah. Oh, we're we're rolling.
You can cuddle that, right? Okay, great. Greetings and welcome
to this Vision Australia Radio Perth 10th anniversary special. I'm
(00:38):
your host, for want of a better word. Gemma Sydney,
program coordinator at Vision Australia Radio in Perth. So first
things first. Happy birthday to us. Happy 10th birthday. In
this audio reel, I'll do my very best to showcase
at least some of the very diverse voices we've heard
from over the years, as well as collate some of
(01:01):
the memories that have been shared with us recently and
in previous years about people's time at this station. So
let's hear from some of those voices now.
S2 (01:13):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 a m.
S3 (01:17):
Yes. Hello and welcome back to your favourite radio show.
Reading the play All Things Footy, recorded in the studios
of Vision Australia, Radio Perth. It's great to have you
with us for the first week of AFL finals, and
we're more pumped than a Sherrin match ball. My name
is Cal Krzyzanowski and today I'm joined by Vars resident
footy newfies Emma Ross and Rob Nauseda.
S4 (01:38):
AFL Grand final to stay at Icon Park despite Marvel
Stadium push.
S5 (01:43):
West Coast Eagles champion Jeremy McGovern reveals messages of support
from Melbourne forward Jake Melksham.
S6 (01:49):
Kane Cornes slams Clayton Oliver for incredibly stupid social media
post attacking the media.
S7 (01:55):
Best feeling in the world the footy carnival opening up
the game for all players.
S8 (02:00):
Hello and welcome to sights, sounds and songs. I'm Peter
Stotz from our Perth studios and in episodes on this
program we zig zag around the globe. In just 30
minutes We visit continents, countries, regions, islands, beaches, mountains, lakes, rivers, desert,
cities and more. I take you to places where you
have been, to locations you dream of going to, and
(02:22):
to spots you will never, ever go to except on
this program. Sights, sounds and songs right here on the
Vision Australia radio network.
S9 (02:29):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 Am.
S10 (02:34):
Seeing Without Eyes is a program that looks at different
aspects of life, but with a difference from a perspective
of a blind person.
S11 (02:41):
Thanks for your company on talking law today. On today's show,
we'll read articles concerning the impacts of a rise in
pseudo law, which is where people use arguments that they
are their own sovereign and therefore above the need to
comply with Australian laws.
S12 (02:59):
How do polar bears stay warm? Is stroking good for pets?
Are bats really blind? For the latest news stories and
interesting facts about animals. Join me, Elizabeth Oates for Animal Focus.
S13 (03:14):
Vision Australia Radio is your news and information service on air,
online and on podcast.
S14 (03:19):
You're listening to Vision Australia Radio, cats Reads cats Kat
Jennings reading the columns of Danni Cats.
S15 (03:27):
Vision Australia Radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S16 (03:32):
Hello and welcome to Community News, the program bringing you
up to date with what's happening in your local community.
S17 (03:37):
Now turning to the Fremantle Gazette, page two. Australia Day overhaul.
S18 (03:43):
Hello and welcome to Community News, the program we bring you,
which is news in your local area from the various
community newspapers and a segment on sport. My name is
Kevin McLaughlin.
S19 (03:56):
Hello, my name is Juliet Walker, and I'm bringing you
this article from the Southern Gazette.
S15 (04:01):
Hello and welcome to Community News, the program bringing you
up to date with what's happening in your local community?
My name is Maureen Mortimer. Hello and welcome to Community News,
the program bringing you up to date with what's happening
in your local community. My name is Val Marsden.
S20 (04:18):
Starting with this first news article from the Mandurah Coastal Times,
page five. All eyes on camera rollout. Hello.
S21 (04:26):
I'm Dorothy and this report comes from the Wanneroo Times.
S15 (04:32):
Vision Australia radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S22 (04:37):
Vision Australia is our nation's leading provider of blindness and
low vision services, supporting more than 27,000 people of all
ages and circumstances.
S15 (04:47):
Welcome to the AFL record.
S16 (04:49):
2021 finals.
S15 (04:50):
Week two. Coming to you from Perth, Western Australia, home
of the 2021 Grand Final. I'm Zoe Warwick and next
to me is sports fan and journalist Danny Gibson. So
what are your thoughts and feelings? Commiserations. Comments from last week.
S23 (05:06):
Wow, what a final series we have underway already.
S15 (05:13):
Hi I'm Abby.
S24 (05:15):
I'm Simon, and welcome to In Plain Sight.
S25 (05:17):
A programme where we highlight people who are making a
positive impact in the community and disability sector.
S24 (05:23):
Shining a light on those who would be otherwise hidden
in plain sight.
S26 (05:29):
Every Thursday from 10 a.m., we bring you all the
latest health related stories and articles on your health. Whether
it's the latest in dietary information or the newest medical breakthroughs,
you'll find everything you need and more on your health.
S27 (05:42):
It's good news.
S28 (05:43):
Hi, I'm Terry.
S15 (05:44):
And I'm Michele.
S28 (05:45):
Each week on Vision Australia Radio 990 Am, we feature
plenty of items of interest to baby boomers and seniors
sourced from the have a go news, the senior, the
West Australian and others.
S15 (05:56):
Join us on Baby Boomers and Seniors half hour for
articles about well-known personalities. Travel. finance, health, entertainment and more.
S29 (06:06):
On Vision Australia Radio. Welcome to one hour of selected
readings from the February 2023 edition of Reader's Digest Australia
and the Reader's Digest website, researched and compiled by Kerry Fasolo.
S5 (06:22):
I'm Bert.
S30 (06:23):
Goldsmith and reading with me today are Dorothy and Faye.
S15 (06:26):
On Vision Australia.
S23 (06:27):
Radio. This is the digest. Over the next hour, we'll
bring you readings from the Reader's Digest, Mindfood magazine and
other sources.
S31 (06:37):
The Making of Downton Abbey.
S32 (06:39):
How dare you is the title. It's from Australia's most
bizarre crimes.
S33 (06:45):
Vision Australia radio in Perth on 990 Am.
S29 (06:50):
It's time for women to step into their big girl
panties and be educated to celebrate all of who they
are and demand respect. That's the message Kath Mozilla wants
to bring to all women and society as a whole
about their approach to women's health.
S34 (07:05):
One. Two. Three. It's happy pants.
S15 (07:21):
G'day, and welcome.
S20 (07:23):
To Happy Pants, a show specially for kids and especially
for you. My name is Geraldine.
S35 (07:29):
And my name is Rebecca. And my name is Kate.
And together we're your happy pants team for today.
S36 (07:37):
My happy pants feel soft and silky like the fur
on my cat. Her name is marmalade because mum says
she is striped orange and yellow with a little bit
of white like marmalade jam.
S15 (07:50):
Have you checked your pockets yet, Geraldine?
S20 (07:53):
Um. Not yet. It's more fun when we take turns.
You go first, Joe. Okay.
S15 (07:59):
In the left hand one there is a little box.
Just a tick. Will I get the lid off?
S35 (08:07):
What's the matter?
S20 (08:08):
Well, the rhyming bug escaped. I thought I had locked
it up tight in my pocket, but the rhyming bug
is out. That's why I gave a shout.
S37 (08:17):
Vision Australia radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S38 (08:22):
You're listening to the Rabbit Hole on Vision Australia radio. Next,
an article from The New Yorker.
S39 (08:27):
We welcome you to Time of Your Life, a program
aimed at the retired sector of the community covering all
aspects of retirement and senior life.
S40 (08:35):
Today's topics include calling people numpties and effective ways to
improve intimacy for senior couples.
S15 (08:43):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 a m tune
in to News Magazine exclusively on Vision Australia Radio Perth
each weekday from 12 noon until 1:30 p.m..
S41 (08:57):
Welcome to this week's travel program.
S15 (08:59):
Our first article.
S42 (09:00):
Begins from the Weekend Australian in the travel section.
S43 (09:03):
Good morning. Welcome to TV today. My name is Phoebe Sinclair.
S16 (09:06):
Hi, I'm Judy Richards.
S33 (09:08):
And I'm Helen Yeager. Each week we bring you a
look at the Arts, a program dedicated to the thriving
arts and culture scene in Perth, as well as in
Australia and internationally.
S28 (09:18):
Hello and welcome to It's All About the Music, a
15 minute program on Vision Australia Radio. I'm Terry Plank
and I want to share with you some of the
most wonderful music and amazing sounds which surround us every day.
S44 (09:32):
Vision Australia Radio 990 Am now on digital as BA radio.
S29 (09:39):
Welcome to Literary Ear on Vision Australia Radio. I'm Kerry
Fasolo and reading with me today are Val O'Neil, Rosalie
Miles and Maureen Tavani.
S45 (09:49):
Being married to a Geordie and having my in-laws living
in Newcastle upon Tyne, we've spent many Christmases in England.
S46 (09:56):
Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, is a global icon
in the music industry.
S15 (10:02):
Hello, my name is Maureen Tiffany.
S20 (10:04):
I recently had the privilege.
S15 (10:06):
Of interviewing Professor Fiona Wood.
S20 (10:08):
Am world.
S15 (10:09):
Leading burns specialist and one of Australia's most innovative and
respected surgeons. Hello and welcome to the Law and You,
the program bringing you news and information on all things legal.
I'm Maureen Mortimer. Thanks, Maureen. Hi, I'm Carolyn, and I'll
be with you for the second half.
S11 (10:27):
Hour of.
S15 (10:27):
The law.
S29 (10:27):
Renew Vision Australia Radio 990 Am now on digital as
VA radio.
S33 (10:37):
On Vision Australia Radio.
S47 (10:39):
This is national magazine. Welcome to the show. Over the
next hour, we'll bring you some stories from some of
our favorite magazines and supplements.
S48 (10:47):
Wallabies set to shine Australian rugby gears up for the
Lions tour this June.
S20 (10:53):
Jane Goodall.
S23 (10:54):
World renowned primatologist, dies aged 91.
S15 (10:59):
Vision Australia radio in Perth on 990 a m and
on digital as VA radio.
S29 (11:05):
Hello from Perth and welcome to today's episode of our
Aussie Gardens.
S17 (11:13):
And I'm sure you will all have guessed what this
animal is this week in the backyard. It's the laughing kookaburra.
S20 (11:20):
This celebrity.
S39 (11:21):
Plant of the.
S20 (11:21):
Week is the Zygocactus.
S39 (11:23):
Hello and welcome to our Aussie Gardens. I'm Georgie Kelly
and with me in the studio is Trudy Hillston. Today
on our show, we focus on enjoying the garden. Is
your mind full or are you being mindful? What's the difference? Trudy? Hi.
Are you one of those people who are human doings
rather than human beings in the garden?
S49 (11:44):
I think the way that I combine the being and
the doing best in the garden is when I'm just
watering the pot plants with the hose.
S33 (11:52):
Vegetable.
S20 (11:53):
Year planner. Mid spring.
S33 (11:55):
October.
S50 (11:56):
Now they're back with a vengeance. Can you tell me
how to get rid of them and what to spray
them with? I would really appreciate it.
S9 (12:03):
Hello and welcome to Australia through Time on Vision Australia
990 Am in Perth. You read this today myself, Jack
Greenway and Wendy Charnell and we'll examine the year 1959.
S17 (12:18):
More than 30,000.
S15 (12:19):
People.
S17 (12:20):
Flocked to Melbourne's King's Domain to witness the official opening
of the Myer Music Bowl by the Prime Minister, Mr.
Robert Menzies, last night.
S9 (12:28):
And will examine the year 1916, when the population of
Australia was 4918003rd of March.
S30 (12:39):
Under wartime legislation, the price of flour and bread is
fixed in Australian metropolitan areas.
S9 (12:44):
And today we're recalling the year 1915 Yeah, and it's
over to you, Roden. Saturday, the 30th of October. The
laureate of the larrikin, C.J. Dennis, has this month released
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke and the hit song
of the year. Well, it was an old favourite. Well,
(13:08):
wasn't then, of course. Pack up your troubles in your
old kit bag. We haven't got a record of it anywhere.
We couldn't find one anywhere. We found a couple of
old troubadours out in the street. It went something like this.
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile,
(13:28):
smile while you've a Lucifer delight. Your fake smile, boys.
That's the style. Was the use of worrying. It never
was worthwhile. So pack up your troubles in your old
(13:49):
kit bag and smile, smile, smile.
S1 (14:00):
Thanks to Dale, we were able to recover some of
the very early recordings of our live broadcasts as Vision
Australia Radio Perth, dating back to October 2015.
S44 (14:14):
Initialize sequence now.
S16 (14:17):
You're listening to Vision Australia, Radio Perth, Western Australia via
990 Am.
S27 (14:23):
Okay, ready?
S19 (14:24):
You're now on the air with live local programming. Then
over the coming months, we'll be adding more and more
local programs for you to enjoy.
S16 (14:33):
Vision Australia radio bringing print back to life in Perth.
S19 (14:38):
Good morning and welcome to Vision Australia Radio Perth, broadcasting
on 990 Am as part of the Vision Australia radio network.
The time is 7:01. This is a brand new station,
though you may recognize many of the voices at first.
Perth will broadcast mainly news programs live in the mornings,
(14:59):
then move on to include a number of locally recorded
magazine type programs. At other times, we will use material
provided by other radio stations and by Vision Australia and
the BBC. As time goes on, we will increase the
amount of locally produced programs. It's good to be with
you again this morning we'll be broadcasting the following programs
(15:22):
from Perth The West Australian from 7 to 8 a.m.
and your readers are Fran Rickson and Arnold Baldwin from
8 to 8:20 a.m.. This day to day read by me,
Giles Talbot, The Australian, from 820 to 930, when Fran
and Arnold return, and then from 930 to 10 a.m..
(15:44):
Letters to the editor with Helen Jager. And now to
the West Australian.
S12 (15:48):
And in local.
S17 (15:49):
And national news. The Perth grandfather, who survived six days
in the outback without food or water, has revealed he
wants to go back to find the camel hunting rifle
he hid in the scrub.
S19 (16:02):
New traffic lights software is being rolled out across Perth
after a year long trial. Reduced peak hour travel times
by up to one quarter on some key transport corridors.
S22 (16:15):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 Am and on
digital as VA radio.
S15 (16:21):
And welcome.
S19 (16:22):
To.
S30 (16:23):
990 Am with Vision Australia Radio Perth. This is a
brand new station and you'll recognise many of the voices,
but we hope in time we'll have more programs coming
to you from Perth. In the meantime, it's good to
be with you again. Good morning and welcome to the
news from the West Australian. I'm Michael Lee and reading
(16:46):
with me is Maureen Tavani. It's now over to Maureen
for further stories.
S15 (16:51):
Good morning. My first article appeared on page three of
today's West Freight Link. Savings could pay for tunnel. This
is an exclusive article written by Shane Wright, who is
the Economics editor.
S28 (17:03):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 Am and on
digital as VA radio.
S15 (17:09):
Hello and welcome to the news from The Australian for.
S12 (17:13):
Today.
S23 (17:13):
Thursday.
S15 (17:14):
The 5th of November.
S23 (17:16):
I'm Helen Cashmere and with me in the studio is
Giles Talbot.
S19 (17:20):
Principles failing on prayer group checks. An official audit of
prayer groups across the New South Wales education system has
found schools have routinely failed to comply with basic guidelines
that demand student led religious classes be fully supervised at
all times.
S26 (17:38):
Vision Australia Radio in Perth on 990 a m and
on digital as VA radio.
S29 (17:43):
Welcome now to news from The Australian for today, the
6th of November. I'm Gayle Phillips and with me in
the studio is Graham Sinclair.
S30 (17:52):
Right. And on page one, nothing fair.
S6 (17:54):
About.
S30 (17:54):
A change to the GST, as Gail just told us.
And this is an exclusive. It's by Syd Maher, the
national affairs editor.
S16 (18:03):
Keep in touch with Vision Australia radio in Perth on
990 Am.
S38 (18:10):
I'm Louise Hancock and I've got my story today is
award winning eatery to shut on page three. This is
an exclusive from Rod Broadfield.
S9 (18:20):
Vision Australia radio in Perth on 990 Am.
S37 (18:24):
Good morning, I'm John O'Connell and moving to page three
of the West Australian and the headlines. Seniors groups relieved
at pension age backflip. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision to
ditch plans to lift the pension age from 67 to 70,
has been cautiously welcomed by senior groups.
S1 (18:44):
We asked people what is your first memory or early
memory of Vision Australia radio in Perth? Here are the responses.
S16 (18:53):
I'm Judy Richards and I read with the lovely Fiona.
These days I've been involved with Vision Australia slash Information
radio for 15 years. I think the first memory of
radio was just a sense of relief that we could
get back on air again after kerfuffles that we had
with Information Radio in the end. No, it was just
a relief to get back on air and start broadcasting again.
S19 (19:16):
I'm Arnold Baldwin.
S9 (19:19):
That's Arnold.
S19 (19:21):
Schwarzenegger. Baldwin, like Alec and I have been volunteering for
Vision Australia Radio on the start when it set up
ten years ago in 2015 and East Perth. My first
memory of VA radio Started when I walked in the
door in Nash Street, up through the West Australian Deaf Society,
(19:44):
up the winding corridor into the back room where Vision
Australia Radio was going to be commenced operations. It must
have been October 2015 and it was still in a
process of getting organised and we had tradesmen coming in,
putting sinks and taps in. But there was a general
buzz of enthusiasm from all the volunteers who were there,
(20:06):
and there were quite a few of them there on
that day who are still with Vision Australia Radio.
S26 (20:13):
My fondest.
S6 (20:14):
Memory was.
S26 (20:15):
How we overcame the lockdown period to continue broadcasting. During
the Covid period, when lockdown was in place, no one
was able to do broadcasting from the studio and yet
there was still a demand for local content, so I
and a few select others were approached with the idea
of recording from home. We researched the local news articles record,
(20:37):
edit and upload the completed WAV file for subsequent broadcasting,
all before 630 in the morning. I recall waking up
initially at three in the morning to do this, and
then settled to waking up at 4 a.m.. Once I
established my own routine, I remember I had the privilege
of leading this initiative with the first episode of Home Recording.
(20:58):
Of course, we also had to ensure our own microphone
was of studio quality. We had the necessary knowledge, software
and the skill to do the recording and editing ourselves.
S1 (21:11):
So I have early memories of our very first location
as Vision Australia Radio. When we started out out the
back of the WA Deaf Society, I was interviewed by
Hans Reimer, who was our manager at the time, and
Giles Talbot, and we were surrounded by boxes of radio
equipment that had not yet been set up or built,
(21:32):
which Dale Simpson would come over shortly afterwards to spend
weeks doing spoiler alert. I got the job and I
started about a week after the first broadcasts commenced in
October 2015. I also enjoyed finding little random notes around
the place. A couple that stick in my mind that
I found in the studio was a hastily scrawled note
(21:56):
that says It's Brasserie, not brassiere. I didn't actually hear
that go live to air, but I can just imagine
how that went down. I also found one in the
kitchen once that said, don't forget to take your pills.
So I hope whoever's note that was they didn't forget.
S3 (22:16):
My fondest memory of VA radio was the first time
that I ever went to air. I did the National
News Hour on Tuesday the 26th of March, 2024, and
that was a very special moment because I spent 14
months trying to get into community radio and for it
to come to a beautiful start with wonderful people. Phoebe
(22:37):
and Ann, they were so nice to me and they
made me feel really welcome. And funnily enough, my, uh,
the first article that I read was about my dad's
former employer before we moved to Perth. So that was
like a weird circle of life moment. But I just
really enjoyed being with the studio, with Phoebe and Ann,
who ran everything so smoothly and professionally and made me
(23:00):
feel welcome.
S29 (23:03):
My first memories at Vision Australia Radio. I'd only been
with the former radio station six for eight weeks as
a researcher. When the station closed down, almost 12 months
of radio silence ensued until Vision Australia Radio took up
the licence. My first day ever of being on air
(23:26):
was the first day Vision Australia radio broadcast from the
studios at the Deaf Society. Now Deaf Connect on Monday,
October the 12th, 2015. To read letters to the editor
and the opinion pieces with the late Mike Lee. So
VAR and I share our 10th anniversary on air in Perth.
(23:51):
In the early days of West Coast news, I would
catch the train as there was little parking and every
morning Arnold was always waiting at the station to see
me safely into the building. Thanks, Arnold.
S15 (24:09):
Hello, I'm Fiona Noble, and today, as you know, we're
celebrating our 10th anniversary or birthday. Should I say for VAR?
But I think I might take you a little bit
back from that to when I first started. Um, and
then we were in Welshpool at the time, And we
were in information radio and John Lee and Mike Lee
(24:33):
were both there. Now, John. Well, Mike, you'll certainly remember
he was a wonderful man, such a gracious and kind person.
And I had the luck to be able to read
The Economist with him. And it was such a good experience,
and one that I look back with great pleasure. The
(24:55):
other thing that I also did was to read the
local newspapers. And because I used to go to sleep
a bit in the very small studio, I had to
cover up my my mistakes by saying, oh, the paper's
got a misprint here, or it's, you know, blaming the
newspaper rather than my own, uh, inabilities to get it straight.
(25:20):
So those are two early memories of Information Radio, which
eventually became Vision Australia Radio.
S49 (25:30):
This is Trudy Hillston, and my first memory of VA
radio was actually as a listener when I was driving
to work. This was before I retired and I listened
in and I thought that it all just sounded fantastic.
And it was a very worthwhile thing to do. And
I made a promise to myself that one day I
(25:50):
would sign up with VA radio and become a volunteer
as well.
S33 (25:56):
Hello, I'm Faye Blythe and these are my memories of 1990.
Approximately three decades ago, I was browsing our local newspaper,
The Post, and noticed a small advertisement for volunteer radio work.
Being a housewife with nothing to do, kids at school,
and no useful qualifications, I began my career with 990.
(26:19):
I began reading short articles from magazines for a year
or two, then switched to switch to reading early morning
news live from the Australian and the West Australian with
an exceptional gentleman, Michael Lee. Not an early riser by nature.
I jumped out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to be
at Sunbury Road, Victoria Park, by 6 a.m. to prepare
(26:40):
for live news, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.. Mike was
an exceptional person. We got on very well and not
once did I wake up wishing I didn't have to
read with him. I often did three early morning reads
a week plus filling in for others. The chairman at
the time was an ex-Navy captain who always wore his
navy captain's cap and dark jacket. He exuded an authoritative air,
(27:05):
and I was a bit in awe of him. One morning,
he burst into the studio during an ad break while
Mark and I were reading to say, I've been listening
to you two while I was driving here. Very well done.
And disappeared. Mike was a retired educationist with a PhD
and I felt like I was now almost his equivalent.
S15 (27:26):
Hi, I'm Maureen Tiffany and I've been with six for
Vision Australia radio for 13 years, thinking I was going
to become a tea lady at Royal Perth Hospital, or if.
S20 (27:38):
I.
S15 (27:38):
Rang the incorrect number and was greeted by a male
voice on the other end of the line, who told
me it was six pH reading for the print handicapped.
And would I like to come in for an audition?
And that was the beginning of my 12 year journey
with reading for the print handicapped. When I first started there,
I was mentored by Mike Leigh and Elizabeth Oates, who
(27:58):
guided me and taught me all the right lessons. Sadly,
six came to a close and uh, the team from
staff met regularly from that day until the day we
became Vision Australia Radio, and we held meetings at various places.
We became a very focused group and formed wonderful friendships.
S1 (28:21):
We also asked people to recall what their funniest or
scariest moments were on air. And here's what people shared.
S49 (28:32):
My scariest moment on air was around my very first
shift ever as a panacea, of which I was absolutely
terrified and I was getting set up, just ready to go.
And I didn't really know what was happening, but I
couldn't hear Melbourne. And the reason I couldn't hear Melbourne
(28:54):
is that there was a problem with the system and
that we weren't connected to Melbourne, and that caused me
a total, unmitigated meltdown. However, we survived.
S16 (29:07):
Two funny moments. We had a panel operator, Fiona and I,
who let's say was a free spirit. And that gap
in between where you finish reading the articles and before
you go into the ABC Overseas News, our panel operator
this particular day brought in a kazoo. She called it,
but I think it was just the old paper and comb.
And she played the lead into the ABC Overseas News
(29:31):
on this kazoo. We were in hysterics over this side
of the panel because it sounded hilarious. And another one
was when one of my reading colleagues, who is a
very proper, lovely English type sounding voice, when, you know,
when you get, um, swear words and what in the
paper you're supposed to say f ING or ING or whatever,
or dot dot dot. But unfortunately, this day that she
(29:53):
got so wound up what she was reading, she actually
read out the words. And so the erstwhile panel operator
and myself were in stitches over this because it just
sounded hilarious coming out of her mouth. We laughed.
S3 (30:07):
My funniest moment on air was when I had to
hold in my laughter for most of the national news hour.
It was, um, I was I was reading with Anne again,
and she mentioned in an article she mentioned the TV
show family Guy, and that brought back an Instagram reel
that I saw of Peter Griffin. So basically me and
(30:28):
my little immature brain had to keep that together. And
for the rest, you could hear for the rest of
the show. I had to hold in my laughter and
one time I nearly, I nearly burst. And then when
we got to half time, I just absolutely burst into laughter.
I had to I had to let it all out,
and then I had to. I explained at the end
the show to Damo and Anne what was so funny.
(30:51):
And they were like, oh, right. Yeah, you've got a
you've got a weird, twisted sense of humor.
S29 (30:57):
My funniest time once again, Arnold. Arnold Baldwin was the
panel operator for West Coast News, and I was a
very green reader. I was deep into reading an article
on air when he leapt up and raced towards me,
only stopped in his tracks when the cord on the
(31:19):
earphones reached their limit. It took all my self-control not
to laugh.
S33 (31:27):
My scary moment occurred when we were almost at the
end of a read one morning, and I suddenly felt
an urgent need to vomit. I gritted my teeth, literally
hoping I could hang out until Mike finished. Unfortunately, the
urge became too strong, so as Mike was closing out,
I slipped off my chair feeling giddy, and crawled out
the door down the hallway to the toilet. Within seconds,
(31:50):
Mike and Joy Howman, our volunteer supervisor, were with me
to see what was going on. I didn't throw up,
but Mike drove me home with an ice cream bucket
in the back seat of his car. An overnight stay
in emergency at Charlie's due to some ear problem, and
so far, not another episode. Funny moments happened when reading
(32:11):
live with Judy Richards and the one and only Kate Jennings.
What a hoot. Those sessions were sheer comedy. The legal
world missed out big time, not having due to keep
it on the straight and narrow. Kate dealt with the
technical side of things while Judy and I read live
to fill in time while we read. Kate attended to
Minor Housekeeping, eating breakfast, mending hems, making copious notes and lists,
(32:36):
reading for book club, and writing wacky poetry. On the
wall behind Kate was a large clock with its second
hand methodically eating our session time close to finish time,
Judy would either clock note Kate's bowed head, engrossed elsewhere,
then punched my shoulder or wave her hand to instruct
me to alert Kate to come on board. I leaned
(33:00):
towards Kate, waving hands, throwing pencil wads of scrunched paper
to get her attention while Judy kept reading perfectly at
the same time, her vibes letting me know I wasn't
doing much of a job wherever her attention had been.
Mare split seconds from Gong. Time Kate returned to tech
mode completely unfazed, sounding poised and friendly on air while
(33:24):
I chuckled quietly and Judy glared at both of us,
her face grim, her hair grayer, mouthing curses. Kate's poetry
while we read Kate, having honed in on a juicy
piece of news, would be scribbling down her thoughts, which
she would share with listeners at an appropriate moment. My
husband loved her musings much more interesting than our readings.
(33:47):
Kate is the most colorful, talented, kind, selfless person I've
ever known. Judy's okay, two words in any form have
always been my strength, but I have no ability whatsoever.
With numbers at Victoria Park, it was suggested I should
train for the technical side of radio. I knew I
would be hopeless, but to stop being badgered, I decided
(34:10):
to have a go. Wow. A very competent German volunteer
put me through the paces with another much younger lady
who had no problems whatsoever. It's easy, she said, when
she could see I was floundering. You just have to
work out the patterns and you're fine. Exactly what I
couldn't do. Volker very kindly told me at the end
(34:31):
that my reading voice would always be great on radio.
In other words, you've failed, sister. Subsequently, I discovered the
other trainee was a jumbo jet pilot.
S26 (34:43):
My funniest moment was sometime in 2016, when I was
the panel operator for a midday programme called Not the
Headline News in the studio. With me reading for this
programme were Val Marsden and John O'Connell. So Val and
I mostly did the research and we came across a
humorous article. Now I can't remember exactly what it was
(35:04):
about other than Val and looking at each other, and
we decided that John would read it. Of course, John
had no idea about this until it came time to
actually reading it live on air. So when he did
read it, you could see him squirm and try to
maintain a serious and straight face and remain composed while
(35:25):
reading it. As he did this, both Val and myself
were silently chuckling and trying not to burst out in
fits of laughter. Afterwards, John exclaimed to Val and myself,
all in good fun, that we had ambushed him to
read it.
S15 (35:41):
One of the funniest or scariest moments on air, and
there's been a few, was coming off air with Elizabeth
Oates after a midday program to find two security guards
waiting to escort us from the studio to our transport.
Another was an invitation from an early morning unwanted visitor
to the WA Deaf Society who said, hey old lady,
give me your bag. I said, don't call me old
(36:03):
and you're not getting my bag as I swiped my
card and got in the door. Another was having a
false fire alarm on air during West Coast news and
having to evacuate the premises. Emma was our hero that day.
The fire brigade never did turn up. Keith Faulkner had
recently had a hip replacement. He couldn't use the lift,
so he had to struggle down the stairs with his crutch.
(36:26):
Another one was at Vision Australia, where we had the
sound barrier tiles on the walls, supposedly to cut the noise,
and they would regularly fall off during our broadcasting to
a very loud clunk.
S19 (36:41):
The scariest moment, I suppose, was, um. At one stage
we had a new recruit come in wanting to learn
how to do panelling, and her name was Kate Jennings,
and we were going through the procedures where she'd sit
in with me in the studio, and we got the
team working that day, and the team was Judy Richards
and Faye Blythe from memory. And then we stepped back
(37:03):
out into the general area and I said to, um, Tate, look,
I've got to make a run for the toilet. She said, oh, good,
I'll come with you. And then I realized, what? Because
she had had some previous experience in theatricals and things anew.
When you had a break, you took advantage of it.
And so we came back and we were standing just
outside the studio door. We were just chatting about life
(37:25):
in general. I looked at my watch and said, oh,
we'll have to hurry back in. And she said, no,
we won't. We'll have to gallop. And with that, he
started slapping her thighs and making horse sounds, and she
galloped back into the studio, cocking her head, and to
my amazement, I was caught up in it and I
went back into duty. And I also got slapping the
(37:47):
thighs and popping the head and almost neighing.
S1 (37:50):
Finally, we also ask people, what do you love most
about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio Perth?
S29 (37:58):
Personally, I have learned many new skills with reading on
air paneling and a little ad libbing to fill dead air.
Editing for Literary Ear. Thanks to Sandra Martin and programming
the digest, along with mentoring new panel operators, I've enjoyed
(38:21):
working with many wonderful volunteers and count many as friends.
I am inspired by people like Emma, Kenneth and Simon
who embody Vision Australia Radio's ethos. I appreciate the willingness
of people who are flexible enough to help out when
(38:41):
another volunteer is ill or unavailable, or to help us
read stories for literary ear. Volunteering with Vision Australia Radio
has also allowed me the confidence to embark on the
path of audio description with theatre, opera and ballet groups
in Perth. Happy 10th birthday, Kerry Fasolo.
S3 (39:07):
What I love most about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio
is you're a part of something bigger than yourself. You're
helping people who are blind or have low vision, or
even just anyone for print disability access news and information.
And on a national scale as well. We're not just
restricted to Perth, we're across the whole country helping support
those who find it difficult to access printed information. And
(39:30):
the community that we have here is really nice. And
you'll find that the people who volunteer here are, you know,
generally very good people. It's a it's a great pleasure
to be a part of this organisation that helps contribute
to those with a print disability to lead more informed lives.
S15 (39:48):
What I enjoy most about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio,
without exception, the people I work with bringing print alive
for our listeners Research, production and recording. And learning something
new every day and working with technology.
S44 (40:06):
Hi, I'm Brianna Hicks. I enjoy volunteering with Vision Australia
Radio because the people that I work with are so
dedicated to this station and providing such a vital service.
S30 (40:18):
Vision Australia provides a valuable service and I like being
involved as a volunteer. It is particularly enjoyable to work
with staff and volunteers who are all bright and committed people.
Some of us are quite elderly and not as physically
active as we once were, but we can still enjoy reading.
S24 (40:39):
Well, what I enjoy about volunteering, especially in this role
here at Vision Australia Radio, is that I'm not compelled
to do it. Um, I was given an opportunity to
create this program when I sold the premise to the
people here at the station. I love giving back to
(41:00):
the community. Um, and I love being part of the
broader community. Um, both blindness and disability community. And I
also see it as an extension of my advocacy work,
in that I am helping promote advocacy for people with
disabilities in different formats, as well as like as we'll
(41:22):
see later on in our program, helping to promote people
who are have a disability or in this case, who
are blind and in the creative spaces as well. That's
why I came up with the title In Plain Sight,
to shine a light on those who would otherwise be
hidden in plain sight, to help promote people to the
(41:43):
broader community that might not know about what's happening in
the disability sector and the disability world. To highlight ordinary
people who are doing some extraordinary things in many cases,
and I love being part of a collaborative environment, and
I love being part of a creative environment. And I
really enjoy the teamwork and the support that we get
(42:05):
here at Vision Australia Radio.
S34 (42:08):
Hi, my name is Hannah. I love volunteering at Vision
Australia Radio because it's a way for me to give
back to my community while learning professional skills.
S49 (42:17):
What do I love most about volunteering with Vision Australia Radio?
I think the very first thing I have to say
is that the people who I work with, because I
just love coming in for my shift and catching up
with everybody, it's a really, really great team. And the
other thing is, is that as an ex-nurse, there's been
(42:37):
a lot of challenges and lots of new stuff to learn,
and I've learned all sorts of things that I would
never have had the opportunity to learn in the past.
So they're the things that I love most about volunteering.
S20 (42:51):
My name is Linda.
S23 (42:52):
And I love.
S20 (42:53):
To volunteer.
S23 (42:54):
At Vision Australia Radio because I want to contribute something
beneficial to people's life. And besides, I have such a
lot of fun participating in the program myself.
S16 (43:05):
It's the people that are just brilliant. We've had some
wonderful people over the years. Fiona mentioned Mike, but there
were many who were no longer a physically no longer
with us, but b have gone on to other things. Um, and,
but they are just the most wonderful people giving of
themselves and very generous and some who have no longer read,
(43:26):
but we still keep in touch with them. We're still friends.
It's just been a wonderful experience.
S23 (43:32):
Hello, my name's Leslie. I volunteer with Vision Australia Radio.
I do this because I enjoy reading aloud and think
I'm quite good at it. I have also learnt some
interesting and enjoyable skills in working at Vision Australia Radio.
S26 (43:50):
So what is the thing I love most about volunteering
with Vision Australia Radio? Well, I love the flexibility in
being able to record my current programs at home and
when the opportunity permits to mix with a bunch of
like minded people who share the same enthusiasm in volunteering
to give something back to our community. It feels like
(44:12):
I'm doing something worthwhile. Not for myself, not for profit
or gain, but doing something selfless for the greater good.
S9 (44:20):
Hello, my name is Jack and I've been a volunteer
with Vision Australia Radio for some years now. Research has
shown that we do provide a welcome service for those
people with a print handicap, and that gives me a
certain amount of satisfaction, and I hope to continue doing
it for some time yet.
S19 (44:41):
First of all, having a sense of satisfaction about being
able to use the skills I had to bring the
news and information to our listeners who had no other
way of getting it. And that's very satisfying to know
you can do something like that, because I remember reading
once about rebuilding London after the Blitz. The builder said,
normally we'd be fighting and we'd have the union in
(45:02):
and we'd have disputes, but because we were doing it
for other people who had a need, we worked in
a very harmonious way that I wish we could have
kept going for the rest of my career. So that
sort of describes what it was like at Vision Australia Radio,
that we were doing it for other people, and also
because of Vision Australia calling, gathering some of our social functions.
(45:24):
I'd get to meet some of the listeners too, and
talk to them one on one and get their feedback
as well. But I can't end this answer without saying
it was the quality of the other volunteers, who were
all driven by the same spirit of helpfulness. We had
school teachers, we had psychiatrists, we had psychologists. We had
(45:45):
all sorts of people contributing their skills and bringing knowledge
that wouldn't otherwise be available through the way they just
read those words to where it's a load of fun
being a reader. As I said, you know, helping to
turn print into sound for people who couldn't otherwise have
access to it. But it's like a jet airliner. Up
(46:10):
in the cockpit is the bloke with the headphones on,
and that's the panel operator. And the radio always needs
people who are prepared to volunteer. How to learn the
technical side of it. It was told to me when
I first had doubts, I said, can you be a
panel operator? I said, well, they said, if you can
work a hi fi radio set, you can be a
(46:30):
panel operator. And I remember saying that to Helen Cashmere,
and the smile that crossed her face was just amazing
to behold. So yes, great to be a reader. Very
important and it never can be enough of them. Remember,
sometimes you want to go on holiday or you can't
get in for whatever reason at all, but also to
have someone there pressing the switches.
S33 (46:52):
Volunteering with 990 is personal because my husband was born
with severe short sightedness, myopic atrophy for which nothing can
be done. He is now almost totally blind, and I
try to be a helpful dog as he refuses to
have a real one. Volunteering is a wonderful privilege, no
(47:12):
matter the differences between individuals. In so many ways, people
who volunteer share a core attitude towards our world and
its peoples that keeps the wheels on the community bus.
The people I've met during my years with 990 have
enriched my life beyond measure. Meeting volunteers from younger generations
(47:32):
gives me hope for the future of our wonderful world.
S1 (47:38):
For this 10th anniversary special for Vision Australia Radio Perth,
it wasn't possible to capture all of the voices, or
all of the memories of those who've been involved with
the station over the years. I'd really like for this
to be a living document that we add to over time.
So please, if you have an excerpt of audio or
(47:59):
a memory or something you would like to contribute to
this audio reel, please do let us know. Thank you
for listening to this audio reel. And once again happy
birthday to Vision Australia Radio Perth ten years. We started
out in October 2015 and now of course are in 2025.
(48:22):
And there's that pesky outro again. Um, yep. So thank
you for listening.
S8 (48:28):
Hasta luego. Sayonara. Sy Chen Chao at the end. Goodbye.
S1 (48:35):
Ah. Um. I'll try and do better next time. We'll
be here on Vision Australia radio. You can count on it.
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