A Sense of Place, and Being Part of the Community

Bucketts Radio in Gloucester is now in its ninth year of operation, and run by a small band of dedicated volunteers. Three of the volunteers are NDIS supported.

Becoming a radio DJ had always been a long term ambition for Daniel. One day in 2010, Daniel wandered into the station, and was soon asked if he wanted to be an announcer. After checking with his mum (who said ‘yes’), he was over the moon. Now a long-term volunteer, Daniel has two programs each week, where he plays country music, golden oldies and classic rock. Daniel shares a one-hour program with his grandmother on a Monday and flies solo on Thursdays. Daniel likes being able to tell the community about the local events that are coming up and is very passionate about the station that he feels has given him so much.

Jeanette, who is wheelchair bound, says since volunteering at the station she no longer feels depressed and really looks forward to her afternoon show that she does with her carer Belinda. 

“It brightens my life,” says Jeanette, “and I now feel part of the community much more…and my reading is getting better [too]!”

Jeanette and Belinda play music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Jeanette says it’s good to listen to music that she's not heard for years, and Belinda chimes in saying, “... people listen to us and then they come up to us in the street and say they liked the show, that's really good.” Jeanette suffers from arteriovenous malformation and is paralysed down the right side.

On Mondays, Cindy is trained by Bernie, an established DJ announcer at Bucketts Radio. Bernie has another program on Fridays where she has built up a listenership, not only in Gloucester, but also in Melbourne and Sydney via the station’s live online stream. Cindy enjoys helping Bernie and saying hello to the listeners up and down the east coast.

Bernie has also been explaining to Cindy how the office works, how to answer a telephone for a business and how to greet people who come into the studio. Then, on air, Cindy will repeat the names of songs after Bernie. She is gaining an understanding of what the controls do, like the volume levels, and how to stop and start the music. Cindy, who is vision-impaired and has an intellectual disability, also helps with the playlist selection.

Cindy says, “Mondays are the best thing in the whole week”.