S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host, Sam Colley.
S2: Hello everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision.
S3: It wouldn't work without the volunteers. We've got, I suppose,
S3: about 15 to 20 regular volunteers. And then we've got
S3: a few others that we can call on at short notice.
S3: But anybody who is listening, please, if you want to
S3: be a reader, a volunteer, as a reader or a
S3: panel operator or both, please get in touch with us.
S2: Welcome to the program. In the lead up to World
S2: Radio Day on the 13th of February, we're chatting to
S2: a few people who've been heavily involved in the community
S2: radio sector, specifically radio for people with a print disability.
S2: This week we catch up with chairman of the Virgin
S2: Australia Radio service in Shepparton, Peter Simpson, who's been involved
S2: at the station for over six years now. You'll hear
S2: from Peter very shortly, so make sure to stick around.
S2: And then after you hear from Peter, I catch up
S2: with Jason Gibbs, who's been heavily involved in setting up
S2: the Midsummer Carnival Day broadcast, which will be taking place
S2: on the 21st of January on Virgin Australia Radio between
S2: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.. And finally on the program
S2: this week. Sam from the shop is back to tell
S2: us all about the latest from the vision store, and
S2: we finish with a little bit of news and information.
S2: I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision.
S2: I'm here with Peter Simpson today, one of the hard
S2: working volunteers at the Shepparton station of Vision Australia Radio. Peter,
S2: welcome to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for your time.
S3: Oh thank you, Sam, it's great to be with you.
S2: Now, Peter, firstly, let's go back a bit. How much
S2: can you tell us about the history of the service
S2: and the Shepparton station in particular?
S3: Well, the Shepparton service started in around about 2002 and
S3: it was set up in the building that was at
S3: that stage owned by Vision Australia and a lot of
S3: very keen volunteers and a couple of paid staff spent
S3: a lot of time setting up the nominated room in
S3: the building, which is just inside the front door. And
S3: of course, one of the big projects was to soundproof
S3: the room, put acoustic tiles up on the walls and
S3: also set up a mixer and all the appropriate equipment
S3: for a radio station. So that was around about 2002,
S3: and that's where we got our kickoff.
S2: And it's of course extremely important the work we do
S2: with providing access to local news and information, especially through
S2: local programs. So tell us a little bit about that
S2: and the importance of those programs for people from the
S2: print disabled community.
S3: Yeah, sure. Well, our number one priority is the Shepparton
S3: and District newspaper, which is called The Ship News. And
S3: we put that to air Monday to Friday between 1
S3: and 2:00. And that's our that's our main program that we,
S3: we try if we, if we have volunteers that can't
S3: make it, at the very least we try and get
S3: that paper to air every day because that's the news
S3: for all the people in this area. And on top
S3: of that, we do things like the newspapers from Benalla,
S3: from Kyabram, from Yarrawonga. So our mainstay is still the
S3: ship of the news, but we have at least 3
S3: or 4 other papers that we're putting to air regularly.
S2: And of course, this wouldn't be possible without the hard
S2: work and dedication of volunteers throughout the network, especially in
S2: regional areas where it is, as you've said, so crucially
S2: important to get that local news out to the community.
S2: So tell us a little bit about the input and
S2: the importance of volunteers in delivering the service.
S3: Well, you're 100% right. I mean, it wouldn't work without
S3: the volunteers. We've got, I suppose, about 15 to 20
S3: regular volunteers. And then we've got a few others that
S3: we can call on at short notice, but. We've got
S3: a corps of people who I almost don't need to
S3: put out a roster every week. They they sort of
S3: know when they're going to be on. They're committed to
S3: doing it. And a lot of them have been committed
S3: to doing it for well over ten years. I think
S3: our longest serving volunteer goes back about 18 years. So
S3: we've certainly got a great core of people. We're always
S3: looking for more people, but the ones that we do
S3: have are very, very reliable and they love doing the job.
S3: They love the fact that they can get on the air,
S3: read the papers and know that they're helping people in
S3: the local community. They're all people who are basically either
S3: retired or semi-retired and actually being on during the day.
S3: We we don't get many people who are full time employed, but, um, yeah,
S3: the volunteers are absolutely fantastic. They they all arrive early.
S3: They all do their own preparation work. They all create
S3: a run sheet. They've got very good at working out
S3: exactly how long an article is going to run for.
S3: And they've got it down to a fine art. And
S3: all I need to do is make sure that it
S3: all happens. And I do the presenting on a Friday
S3: and also do the panel operating on a Friday. And
S3: I'm also the go to when other shifts can't be filled.
S3: I usually nominate myself to go and make sure that
S3: it all happens.
S2: Tell us a little bit more about your role in
S2: supporting the local service. How long have you been involved
S2: with and what sort of shows have you been involved
S2: with over that time?
S3: Okay, well, I started six years ago and when I
S3: moved to Shepherd, I was involved with Vision Australia Radio
S3: back in the 80s, and because of employment and because
S3: I went and did some study, I got out for
S3: quite a few years. Then in 2017, my wife and
S3: I moved to Shepparton and I thought, yeah, I'm going
S3: to get involved with this again. So I went down
S3: and saw the local people. They said, we'd love to
S3: have you on board. So I took up a role
S3: as a panel operator and presenter, and I did that
S3: for about a year. And then our local volunteer coordinator,
S3: Pam Power, said to me one day, we've got no
S3: one to do the rosters. So I said, all right, well, look,
S3: I'll do the rosters, but only on a temporary basis.
S3: Five years later, I'm still doing the right thing. Okay.
S3: I've got very used to it. And every time I
S3: say to the other volunteers, does anybody want to take
S3: this over? I get a very blank look and they
S3: all say, thanks, but no thanks.
S2: So it looks.
S3: Like I'm going to be stuck with the rosters. And
S3: on top of that, on the on the chairman of
S3: the steering committee for the Vision Australia radio service. And
S3: all that means is that I'm the sort of the
S3: go between between, um, the volunteers and the people from
S3: Virgin Australia Radio who are full time employed, like, uh,
S3: Conrad Brown and Dale Simpson and Callum Padgett when he
S3: was with us. So I'm sort of the conduit between
S3: the volunteers and the official people of Vision Australia.
S2: Certainly a man of many talents, some great to have
S2: you on and, you know, really have a chat about
S2: all the wonderful things that you've been involved with. But
S2: just finally, Peter, I think, let's just have a chat
S2: about feedback on the service and the best way for
S2: people to provide feedback on the service from local listeners
S2: and I guess, um, promoting some volunteer opportunities as well.
S3: That's very true, Sam, because this is one of my
S3: pet things that I'm always pushing for. The volunteers say
S3: to me, how many people are actually listening? You know,
S3: we're happy to do the service. We want to know
S3: how many people are listening. So all I can say is,
S3: if you hear this interview and you're listening to Vision Australia,
S3: Radio Shepparton, please, please, please contact us at radio at
S3: Vision australia.org. Or you can call us on, uh, one
S3: 384 7466 and tell us what you think. We're happy
S3: to get positive feedback. We're happy to get negative feedback.
S3: We're happy if you just ring up and say, yes,
S3: we listen to the service. But at the moment, ratings
S3: are carried out in the Melbourne suburban areas, of course,
S3: because they do ratings surveys for the commercial stations as well.
S3: So it's easy for them to find out how many
S3: people are listening to community radio station. But in the
S3: country we don't have that luxury. So we really would
S3: love to know how many people are listening and how
S3: many people think that we're doing a good job or
S3: a bad job. And on top of that, what you
S3: would like to hear that we can improve. And I mean,
S3: we're happy to spend. More hours on air in in Shepparton.
S3: We're happy to run local stories. We're happy to read
S3: local books, we're happy to talk about local history, but
S3: we need to find out what it is that our
S3: listeners want to hear. That's really the important thing. As
S3: for volunteers, well, look, I've seen a lot of people
S3: come and go. Unfortunately, in six years some have retired. Sadly,
S3: a couple of them have passed away. As they've just
S3: moved on and decided to do other things. But it
S3: is a continual effort to try and find new people
S3: who are willing to come along, give it a go,
S3: and hopefully stay with us and enjoy reading on air
S3: like so many of us do. So all I can
S3: say to those people is, please, if you're interested, give
S3: us a call on those phone numbers that will repeat
S3: before we we go. Or you can contact our local
S3: regional coordinator, Pam Power, who'd be happy to talk to
S3: you about what it is we do and how you
S3: can get involved. I guess the important thing is that
S3: you're happy to read out loud, and you're happy to
S3: sit in front of a microphone and actually read local newspapers.
S3: The one thing, Sam, that I always struggle for is
S3: getting enough people to be panel operators. I don't know
S3: why they seem to shy away. As soon as you say, look,
S3: you're a fantastic reader, but how about you do some
S3: panel operating as well? Oh no, no, I'm not. I'm
S3: not technical savvy. You know, I really don't want to
S3: touch the panels, though, and I'd sooner or not. But
S3: in actual fact, as you know, and I know there's
S3: nothing frightening about it. It's only a bunch of faders
S3: and a few buttons. That's very true. Not really. It's
S3: not really that hard, though. Anybody who's listening, please, if
S3: you want to be a reader, a volunteer, as a
S3: reader or a panel operator or both, please get in
S3: touch with us.
S2: That's it. I remember I did have a bit of
S2: trepidation at first before I knew what it sort of entailed,
S2: but as soon as you get shown through the panel,
S2: you're like, wow, this is amazing. It's so user friendly
S2: and definitely encourage everybody out there to get behind the panel.
S2: And it's absolutely fantastic. And it does open up a
S2: lot of opportunities for being involved with some fantastic programs.
S2: So definitely for all people out there, give it a shot.
S2: You'll never know what could happen. Now those contact details again.
S2: So that email that paid as mentioned that's Radio Navigation Australia.
S2: Org Radio Navigation Australia. Org to get in touch. Or
S2: of course you can give us a ring on one
S2: 384 746. That's 1300 847 466. I've been speaking today with Peter
S2: Simpson from the Virgin Australia Radio service in Shepparton, catching
S2: up with me today to chat all about the service
S2: and the work that the volunteers in Shepparton have been
S2: doing for the past over, for over the past two decades.
S2: That's it, that's it. Thank you very much, Peter. It
S2: was an absolute pleasure to chat with you.
S3: Absolutely. You too. Can I just add one more thing?
S3: I thought earlier that if local people want to get involved, uh,
S3: you can also phone our local coordinate. And she's more
S3: than happy to talk to people. And her number is 0456 980 149.
S3: And she's the regional coordinator for volunteers and at Vision Australia.
S3: She handles radio and also the various other activities that
S3: regional Australia do in this area. So please get in touch.
S2: No worries. And that's some that's Pam there that you
S2: can get in touch with.
S3: So yeah Pam Pam Power.
S2: Absolutely get in touch with Pam. Peter, thank you very much.
S3: Okay then. Sam, it's a pleasure to talk with you
S3: and hope it all goes well.
S2: I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on
S2: Vision Australia. Radio associated stations of RPI and the Community
S2: Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with
S2: Peter Simpson from Shepparton. If you missed any part of
S2: that conversation with Peter or you'd love to listen to
S2: it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia
S2: Radio website at npr.org. That's via radio.org. You can also
S2: find the program on the podcast app of your choice
S2: or through the Vision Australia library. And now please enjoy
S2: my conversation with Jason. I'm here today with the lovely
S2: Jason Gibbs, who's here to chat all about the upcoming
S2: Midsummer Festival broadcast happening on Sunday the 21st of January. Jason,
S2: welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time. Thanks, Sam.
S4: I always love coming in to have a chat with you.
S2: Now, firstly, Jason, let's get to the heart of things.
S2: What is Midsummer Festival?
S4: Yeah, well, Midsummer Festival is described by many as Melbourne's
S4: premier queer arts and culture festival. It's been going for many,
S4: many years, over a few decades. And it's really the
S4: place that, uh, Australia's, um, well, mostly Melbourne and Victoria's
S4: lgbtiq+ community come together to celebrate community and have a
S4: great time. Cool.
S2: And how is Virgin Australia Radio getting involved? Jason.
S4: Very excited. Sam. This has been something about nine months
S4: in the making. We had an idea to support the
S4: festival as a Access and inclusion partner and thankfully Mid-Summer
S4: welcomed us with opening arms. So, uh, really the objective
S4: is to make the festival more accessible to our blind
S4: and low vision listeners and community, but also support the
S4: festival in being more accessible.
S2: Okay, now we've covered the how, Jason, but let's go
S2: into the why. Why is vision Australia Radio getting involved?
S4: Yeah, quite similar, I guess, Sam, to what I guess, uh, other, uh,
S4: not for profits and uh, and corporates are thinking it's
S4: really just a very good, uh, festival to support, um,
S4: people from a diversity and inclusion perspective. We want to
S4: make sure that we're supporting our listeners. Our listeners are
S4: a broad church. We are diverse. We are very, very
S4: different from one another. But we all are similar in
S4: other ways. Um, and, uh, and this festival is a
S4: great opportunity for people to come together to experience what
S4: the Lgbtq+ community is all about and just to have
S4: a great time. The other thing worth noting is we
S4: do get data on what our listeners are, um, who
S4: they are and what they do, how they identify. And
S4: quite interestingly, uh, our most recent data shared that around 27%
S4: of our audience, uh, identify as being part of this community. Okay.
S2: And tell us about the carnival day in particular. Jason.
S4: Carnival is such a fun day, Sam. Um, it's usually
S4: the first day on the midsummer festival calendar, and you can, uh,
S4: be as adventurous or as conservative as you want from
S4: that day. Some people go along just to put the
S4: picnic blanket down and bring some cheese and drinks with
S4: their friends. Other people just take full advantage of what's
S4: happening on the various stages where there's, um, arts, cabaret music, music, uh,
S4: musical performances, uh, comedy. Sometimes just it's it's such a
S4: great event. There's also a community stall around about 100 organizations,
S4: corporates services come together to showcase the supports that they
S4: have for the Lgbtq+ community, their friends and their allies.
S2: And just, um, finally, Jason, let's, um, tell our listeners about, um,
S2: what we've got in store for people out there on
S2: the 21st of January on the day.
S4: I keep saying, we're excited about this. We're excited about that.
S4: But this is the thing we're most excited about. We
S4: will be broadcasting live from the community space. So if
S4: you do come along to Midsummer Carnival Day on the
S4: 21st of January from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., uh,
S4: we will be broadcasting live for the first time from
S4: the space, interviewing a range of people within the community, um,
S4: supporters of the community, and learning about the great services
S4: that are out there for folk. But the main objective
S4: for our broadcast is really to focus the attention on
S4: the intersection of queerness and disability. We know a lot
S4: of people who live with disability, who do identify as
S4: being part of the queer community, are often seen in
S4: one box, you know, put in one box or the other,
S4: and vice versa. So it's really a celebration of that
S4: connection where people are, they identify as living with disability
S4: and a part of the LGBTQ plus community. And this
S4: is really a day to celebrate these people and, and,
S4: you know, share, share stories, uh, share experiences, uh, across
S4: that three hours and, and celebrate who these people are
S4: and how we can support them.
S2: And how can people enjoy the midsummer broadcast? Both, um,
S2: people hearing this this way. In the lead up, but
S2: also for people who might be hearing this after Sunday.
S4: Yeah. So if you do have a chance to tune in,
S4: are Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time from 10 a.m. to
S4: 1 p.m. this Sunday, January 21st. You can listen across
S4: Virgin Australia Radio Services Victoria wide in Melbourne on VA digital.
S4: Now that's not to be confused with V Iris, who is, uh,
S4: where we're simulcasting the Australian Open. Uh, so very busy
S4: time for Virgin Australia Radio. Or you can listen to
S4: our Melbourne stream at VA radio. Org. If you do
S4: miss that broadcast or you're hearing this a little bit later,
S4: because the program does go into repeat, you'll be able
S4: to follow us on Facebook. Just look for VA Radio Network,
S4: and we'll have all the details there about how you
S4: can listen to the podcast and Sam Collins recap show
S4: next week.
S2: That's absolutely right. Okay, so a lot of things for
S2: you to look forward to out there. And, Jason, what
S2: else will be, um, happening at the Virgin Australia stall
S2: on the day for people to look forward to?
S4: Yeah. Well, of course, during the broadcast, uh, you can
S4: come along and watch what we do. Might even get
S4: you on the mic and share your thoughts about why
S4: you're there for the day. And a couple shout outs, maybe. Yes.
S4: After our broadcast at 1:00, we'll have, uh, most notably
S4: the retail team featuring at our stall, sharing a bunch
S4: of assistive technology. And the thing I really like about this, Sam, is, um,
S4: for people that aren't connected to the blind and low
S4: vision community, it's really often the assistive technology that gets
S4: people thinking about the needs of the community that we represent.
S4: So it'll be an opportunity for people to come down,
S4: have a look at this technology, talk to our team,
S4: learn a little bit about our services and a little
S4: bit more about Vision Australia Radio. Whether you might like
S4: to volunteer, sponsored, donate. Uh, we might even have some
S4: giveaways and some, uh, and a raffle too. Oh, okay.
S2: Lots to look forward to. And that's right.
S4: Through till 5:00. Yep.
S2: So make sure to head down. I've been speaking today
S2: with Jason Gipps, one of the chief organisers of this
S2: fantastic midsummer Festival show, which will be happening on the
S2: 21st of January. Jason, thank you very much for your
S2: time today and looking forward to getting involved.
S4: Thank you Sam.
S2: I'm here today with Sam from the shop, who's here
S2: to tell us all about some exciting new deals at
S2: the Vision Australia store. Sam, welcome back to Talking Vision.
S2: Happy new year.
S5: Happy New Year to you as well, Sam. Thank you
S5: for having me.
S2: Now, firstly, Sam, there's a clearance sale, as I understand
S2: it going on at the shop. Tell us a bit
S2: about that.
S5: That's correct. So for our end of life products, we
S5: are running a clearance sale which has started from the
S5: new year. It will last until basically stocks last. Um,
S5: some products are up to 70% off. So make sure
S5: you get in quick because it's things like magnifiers and
S5: other daily living aids.
S2: Okay. And um, we're going with a bit of a
S2: phone related theme today in regards to things that are
S2: out now but also upcoming. So tell us about that.
S5: Yeah. So I thought today I could talk about some
S5: phones that we currently sell and then something that's coming
S5: out maybe later in the year. So at the moment
S5: we have a phone called the Oli Tech. Easy flip.
S5: Now it's an easy to use mobile phone with large
S5: buttons and voice guidance. So it's perfect for an elderly
S5: relative who may be struggles with knowing which buttons are where. Um,
S5: some of the features it has include a photo dial
S5: option so you can save the picture of a family
S5: member to a certain number, and then have them just
S5: press that number and it would call them straight away.
S5: And another great feature it has is flip to answer,
S5: which is essentially when somebody rings the phone without pressing
S5: any buttons. As you flip it, it will answer the call.
S5: And then as you close the lid, it hangs up.
S5: So it makes it a lot easier for people, rather
S5: than navigating buttons to just simply flip the phone open.
S2: Okay, those are certainly some cool little features for sure.
S2: But Sam, what's upcoming for people to look forward to
S2: later in the year?
S5: Yeah, so we've got a big button phone with a
S5: cordless handset. So this is essentially a hybrid phone where
S5: you have two units. One is the actual landline phone,
S5: which is a corded phone, and the other part is
S5: the cordless phone. So the benefit of this is that
S5: you have the sort of traditional style phone with large
S5: buttons for a person to use as the main station.
S5: They can keep this maybe in the kitchen or the
S5: lounge room, and it has an additional station which you
S5: can keep in maybe a bedroom. The side unit is
S5: a cordless phone with large buttons, meaning that you don't
S5: have to sort of stay in the one spot you
S5: can move around while you you're on the phone.
S2: Okay, a lot of options there for both mobile and
S2: landline based and all those sort of things with the
S2: large buttons and large print for people who have very
S2: low vision to be able to use. And those also
S2: come with um, Braille on the, um, the tactile buttons,
S2: is that right?
S5: Yeah. So most of the buttons will have some form of, um,
S5: braille or something to acknowledge which button is where.
S2: Oh, perfect. Okay. And for people who are interested in
S2: having a look at what the store is offering right now,
S2: what's the best way for them to get in contact
S2: and have a look on the website?
S5: Of course. So as you open our website, the first
S5: link you should see is the clearance sale. So it's
S5: it pops right up when you're on the home page.
S5: And we also in the actual store itself, have a
S5: nice table set up with all the clearance sale items
S5: so you can come down and check it out.
S2: Okay. Perfect. And that website Shopper Vision australia.org that's shop
S2: Vision australia.org. And does the shop have a number in
S2: particular Sam that people can ring.
S5: I would say the best way to get in contact
S5: with us would be to ring the General Vision Australia number,
S5: and then be asked to put through to a specific shop.
S2: Perfect. So that's 1300 847 461 308 47466. And ask all about
S2: the shop. I've been speaking today with Sam Dry, otherwise
S2: known as Sam from the shop, all about the latest
S2: offerings and upcoming offers from the Virgin Australia store. Sam,
S2: thanks so much for your time today. It was a
S2: pleasure to catch up with you again.
S5: Thanks so much for having me, Sam.
S2: And now, before we wrap up a little bit of
S2: news and information. Monash University is seeking people aged between
S2: 18 and 30 with low vision or blindness who are
S2: interested in learning dance, to join a research workshop. The
S2: research will involve brainstorming technology driven ideas with the guidance
S2: of dance teachers to improve accessible education, and will be
S2: conducted in Melbourne. All participants will receive an electronic gift
S2: card valued at $50 per hour spent on the workshop,
S2: and a $50 gift card for any optional interviews afterwards.
S2: Travel costs for the designated workshop location will also be reimbursed.
S2: For more information and to access the explanatory statement, contact
S2: student researcher Maduka DaSilva by email at Madhukar da Silva
S2: at Monash Edu. That's mid air UK. Dot da silva@monash.edu
S2: or call 0452 373 585. That's 0452 373 585. And that's all we have
S2: time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking
S2: vision is a production of Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to
S2: all involved with putting the show together. And remember we
S2: love your feedback and comments. So please do get in
S2: touch on Talking Vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all.
S2: One word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's
S2: Sam Culley saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Virgin Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 384 746
S1: or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision Australia call.