Sarah Warry is the sales and station manager for Coast FM 963, a community radio station on the Central Coast of NSW. She contacted me this week about the achievements of some of her volunteers, which I’ll come back to, but before I do I also wanted to celebrate Sarah who has created an environment that gives every possible opportunity for people involved to thrive.
At the start of 2023 Coast resident and former owner of 2CH and 2GB John Singleton was invited to the station to record an interview with journalist, Skaie Hull. He was so impressed with the enthusiasm, positivity and spirit of the volunteers and staff that he volunteered himself to come onboard as a patron.
Two years before that Sarah approached a young man called Angus Hamill to see if he might be interested in hosting a show called ROAR! Youth Disability Radio. The remit of the show was to ‘welcome guests from all over the world, including disability advocates, athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs, who share their unique experiences, challenges, and triumphs. Whether it’s discussing the latest trends in pop culture or exploring opportunities for youth with disabilities, our show aims to empower and inspire our listeners to reach for their dreams, no matter what obstacles they may face.’
Angus lives with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD and initially turned the opportunity down because the show was scheduled for a Monday night, this would mean he was unable to go to schnitzel night at the bowling club which would change his very important weekly routine. His mother and Sarah were able to change his mind, and even better, schnitzel night was moved to Tuesdays.
That first year ROAR! was nominated for a CBAA Award for Best New Program.
Earlier this year Sarah read about an experimental Macquarie University journalism foundations course opportunity for students living with autism. She messaged Angus and encouraged him to apply noting that the classes would be filmed to be part of a documentary series.
Angus was accepted. The resulting ABC show was called The Assembly, which I’ve written about before, and is still available to watch on ABC iview. It is the most wonderful example of what can happen when public media supports diversity and inclusion and if honest and open conversations occur in safe spaces.
After The Assembly wrapped Angus got an eight-week internship at triple j. He said:
“What I love about radio is it gives you creative freedom and the ability to authentically be completely yourself. The beauty of radio broadcasting is nobody can see you, so you don’t have to worry about your appearance or mannerisms being judged. Coast FM 963 has given me the chance to meet some of the most amazing people, from Yellow Wiggle Greg Page to superstar performer Elly-May Barnes, and if it wasn’t for radio and the confidence it has given me, I wouldn’t have been on the cast of The Assembly either.”
All reasons that I share with Angus.
Sarah said:
Pictured L-R: Steve Wheatley, James O’Brien, Vanessa Mbeve, Angus Hamill and Sarah Warry
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo.