Your Lifestyle

Still Inspiring: December - Merle Scott

We're a narrowcast radio station in a cane farming area, an hour's drive south of Townsville. It's called Radio 97.1 Sweet FM and is run totally by volunteers. We have speakers playing us down the main street of Ayr and also at the comfort stop in Home Hill where travellers can stop off and enjoy a BBQ, toilets and a shower. Many southern tourists come north to enjoy our winter and make Groper Creek their ‘home' and we can be heard everywhere there (even in the toilet block).

We keep in touch with all the smaller communities in the Burdekin Shire and give them any information they need to know. We are always thinking of ways to encourage people to tune in.

I became involved about five years ago. I hadn't long moved from Charters Towers to Ayr and I had shoulder replacement surgery. I came home from hospital with a brace on my arm and looked like something from Mars, dressed in a maternity gown because I couldn't get in and out of normal clothes. I was sent to a physiotherapist who took one look at me (he was kindness personified) and said, “You can't come to see me looking like that. Tuesdays and Fridays…I'll come to you! ”

And this he did, until one day as he walked out the front door, he said, "You be ready at seven o'clock tonight, I'm taking you out!". And that was it. He was down the stairs, out the gate and gone. So all day long I was thinking, where on earth is this man taking me?

When he came to pick me up he called "Bring some CD's with you" so I grabbed a couple and asked "But where are we going?" – he replied "To the radio station”. So there we were with him presenting his programme and he said “Now we will play some of Merle's mature music” and to me “and you can back announce what it is". Well………

At the end of the programme he told me “You go home and do your exercises properly and when you can reach up and put a CD in that top CD player, you can come in here and do a programme” and I remember my reply was “OK and it will be for the older listeners”.

So Jim set up a pulley and some ropes for me in the car port and I'd sit and yank my arms up and down until I felt I was ready to tackle the challenge.

I went in and watched a couple of presenters and then I was thrown into the deep end so to speak. And that was it. Now you can't keep me away. As soon as I get up each morning I turn the computer on to check the emails – sometimes there can be as many as forty and mostly for the radio station. I do all the interviews with the Country artists, John Williamson, Tracey Coster, Melinda Schneider, the Wolverines, Lindsay Butler, Shaza Leigh – I talk to them before they come to visit Burdekin for a show. I enjoy any kind of music, but especially Country as it mainly tells a good story – I love to hear the words and can't handle someone singing with the microphone nearly down their throat.

If you ask me how much time I give the station I'll say, "Listen, I don't do the washing, the ironing or house cleaning: that's how much time I give it." Fortunately Jim, my husband, does all that. He's wonderful.

Last year a local young lady offered to help at the station and we started Burdekin Youth Radio. I told her "You go and find the students who are interested and I'll train them." They attend the local high schools and do their programmes after school. Two of the boys call themselves "Kyle and Ken the Radio Men." They do Thursday night and just love it.

Kalamia State Primary School has about 35 students and the two teachers bring the children (two at a time) each Monday and they present Kalamia Kapers ('Kalamia Kids' and Parents' Educational Radio sessions). I have also trained several of the parents who do Friday mornings.

On Sunday morning we have three ladies who present 'Burdekin Believes' knowing there are many elderly folk no longer able to attend church. I had to train them live to air which was a bit scary for all of us. It took many hours but has been well worth it. We received a grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund which has enabled us to replace old studio equipment and training can be done ‘off air'. I try to encourage as many different groups as possible to take advantage of the station – it is live and local and information can be broadcast quickly.

I'll keep doing this until I no longer can. If you don't keep your brain active you'll lose it. You must go out and engage in conversation. Jim will come home from work and I'll say "Well, what sort of a day have you had?" He works at the cinema and he'll tell me who he saw and what he did and I'll tell him of my exciting day.

We both love to talk….and I mean….if I sat at home all day, what would I have to say?