Journalist Jane Moore enjoyed a short-lived stint in Australia to take part in I’m a Celebrity … but I’m here to tell you today that there are easier ways to get a taste of life Down Under that eating spiders and roughing it in the jungle, writes Lucy Stephens.
I consider myself a reasonably well travelled person but I’ve never made it as far as Australia.
That hasn’t stopped me from doing something pretty unexpected in recent months and taking a regular turn on Australian radio!
Yes, if you’d been tuning in to Sammy J’s Breakfast Show on ABC Radio of a Tuesday morning every couple of weeks – around 6am, their time, mind – you’d have on occasion heard the dulcet tones of yours truly.
How did it all come about?
In a stroke of what I consider to be genius, the producers of Sammy J’s Breakfast Show decided as they are based in Melbourne, Australia, it might be fun to tune into the world’s other Melbournes on a regular basis.
One being, as you may or may not be aware, in the US, and other being right here in Derbyshire.
Not just that, but it’s also been my home town for the past 17 years.
And, as I’ve been at pains to point out to Sammy J and his audience, it’s the original Melbourne. The mothership. The one of which every other town with the same name is but a pale imitation. (If, as I have had to admit, a slightly bigger one. Melbourne in Australia has five million inhabitants – meh, whatevs).
The producers of ABC Australian Radio contacted me as I’m involved in running a small newspaper in Melbourne called The Village Voice. They offered me the opportunity to chat to them about what is happening in Melbourne this side of the equator and hear about what’s in the news their end.
Well, from my point of view it’s worked a treat!
As the co-owner of a newspaper covering South Derbyshire villages I’m fairly clued up as to what’s happening in our Melbourne. From planning issues to dwindling space in the cemetery – which, it turns out, is a pressing issue over there too – it’s a topic I feel on top of.
We’ve tried to keep it light. I told them about a man dressed up as a baked bean tin in Melbourne who was trying to get donations for food banks – of which, you won’t be surprised to learn, there are also plenty over there.
We’ve covered the Melbourne Produce Show in our parish church, a venerable building which is about to celebrate its 900th birthday. They seemed to enjoy going into detail as to what exactly is involved in the ‘most amusingly shaped vegetable’ class.
We’ve talked about our carnival and everyone dressing up for the parade. And the year-long issue regarding Melbourne’s lost (and now replaced) bollards.
Over there in Australia they had some issues with statues – as we have had – and they’ve also been visiting a very rare corpse flower that’s just been flowering and apparently smells like death – hence the name.
I like to think I’ve made some excellent suggestions after hearing about the various civic debates over there.
In an early interview they were telling me about disquiet amongst Australian Melbourne’s shopkeepers over the proposal to create cycle lanes – which, it was felt, would diminish people’s ability to park their cars and therefore use the shops.
I suggested the shops could pivot and only sell small goods that could be carried on cycle panniers.
I know, right? What a great idea. Looking forward to seeing that one implemented.
One aspect I particularly enjoy is hearing the phone ins that are going on before it’s my turn to offer my two pence worth.
It’s clear (and of course obvious) that it’s a much more outdoors style of life over there with talk about trailers on cars and weekends camping.
Some things that we’re debating in the UK – the proposed ban on smoking in outdoor spaces in pubs and restaurants, for example – have already been put into effect in their country.
Another thing I enjoy is being on the receiving end of questions for a change.
As a journalist who’s moved into PR, it’s my job to ask questions and I enjoy the opportunity to be, let’s face it, really quite nosy.
Giving answers, though, is a different skill. It’s been fun to have some practice at that, so when I’m creating opportunities for clients to talk on radio or TV, I’ve got experience to back up the advice I’m giving.
Listen, chatting to Sammy J in Melbourne Australia about life over here has been a pleasure and at no point have I been asked anything remotely taxing.
But it still helps to be prepared before I tune into that WhatsApp audio call which – miraculously – gets me heard thousands of miles away across the world.
I always have a good re-read of the Melbourne Village Voice (my own paper!) before I take that call. If we’re going to be chatting about any Government legislation I make sure I check any facts first.
It’s easy to be unseated by a curveball question that reveals you haven’t as full a grasp of a topic as you would have liked.
My advice would always be to be honest. Don’t make claims you aren’t sure about. Stick to what you know. Listen to the question and try to answer it. When you know the subject that’s going to be discussed, take time to do some research and clarify your thoughts in your head beforehand. If it’s going to be a tough interview, remember the key messages you need to get across and don’t be afraid to say: ‘Before I answer that question, I would like to say … ’ so you don’t lose the chance to convey what’s important to you before the conversation moves on.
Saying that, we also have a laugh – those Australian broadcasters and I – as we discuss our two Melbournes. Putting some research in beforehand, even on a topic you think you know well, helps you to relax and enjoy a bit of freewheeling banter, too.
So thank you, ABC Radio Australia, for reaching out. It’s been a blast.
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