A second major radio award confirms that 2005 has been an outstanding year for ABC Radio National’s ground-breaking Street Stories program.
On Friday, Cath Dwyer’s “Locked in with Friends” won the 2005 Human Rights Radio Award announced by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and Liz Keen’s “Coming Home” was also Highly Commended at the awards.
This adds to Street Stories’ considerable tally in 2005: the program picked up a Gold World Medal at the New York Festivals awards for Kevin Klehr’s “Tears Before Bedtime”, whilst Anne Delaney’s “From Trauma To Tapreach” was a finalist in the UN Media Peace Prize.
The Human Rights Radio Award judges said “Locked in with Friends” is ‘an incredibly moving, challenging and brilliant piece of radio’. It tells the story of young lawyer Chris Nolan, who suffered a massive brain injury that left him unable to see and speak though still able to hear, understand and feel. Chris now lives in an aged care nursing home. We hear how, despite his profound disability, he maintains a wide circle of friends.
“Locked in with Friends” exemplifies the work of Street Stories in documenting the hidden stories of contemporary Australian life, often ignored by the commercial media. Since its inception in 2002, the program has consistently picked up awards and commendations at a variety of Australian and international radio awards.
Three of these award-winning programs will be repeated as part of the Radio National Summer season when the station showcases many of the best programs from the year.
• Saturday, 24 December, 5.30pm – Locked in with Friends
• Saturday, 31 December, 5.30pm – Coming Home
The stories of members of the Stolen Generation who made the brave decision to return to their Aboriginal communities in Central Australia after decades of separation.
• Saturday, 7 January, 5.30pm – Tears Before Bedtime
Enter the world of masters and mistresses, submissives and slaves…
In 2006 Street Stories moves to the new timeslot of Sunday at 1.30pm and 8pm.