Newsletter February 2003 page 1

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

The new year has started with several program changes, and some more to come in the next few weeks.

We say farewell and thank you to several programs, including "Pizza Soup" and "In the Dog House", and we welcome aboard the Croatian program, soon to be followed by possibly the Russian and the Korean presenters. Please help them where you can, and of course make them feel very welcome to join our good spirited team of volunteer workers.

The new electronic access system has been installed and is working well. It is proving itself to be a very worthwhile investment, allowing the card holders to get access to the station premises whenever they want.

The Management Committee will be making available, or sending out, a copy of the 'statement of Commitment" and a copy of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) "Code of Practice", to every station presenter, in the coming few weeks. Please make the time to read through both of the documents carefully. Then also please sign, and return to the station's Management Committee, the attached form stating that you have read and understood both forms.

Please keep up all the good work, and let the Management Committee know if there is anything that the station could acquire or change, to make your life at the station more comfortable, more interesting and to allow you to improve your programs.

We look forward to another successful year.
Niels Briët
President

ARE YOU A SURVIVOR?

If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's, looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seatbelts or airbags. Riding in the back of a ute was a special treat.Our cots were covered with bright-coloured lead based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, no childproof doors or cupboards, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors.

We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps, and then ride down the hill, only to find out that we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No mobile phones. Unthinkable.

We listened to radio, mostly, and it appealed to us because it allowed our mind to explore the 'realism' of the spoken word. Movies were a treat, and we tried to see them all, when finances permitted.

We saved to buy the things we wanted from the money we earned. Not like today, where we spend before we have even earned it.
Yes, times have changed. But is it for the better? Our generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We've had freedom, success, and responsibility. And we learned how to deal with it all - And, maybe, you're one of them. Congratulations.

Rod Coutts

SNIPPETS

• Holiday season is over. The start of a new year.
• Gill's new interest - English.
• New and changed programs.
• Cairns FM upbeat. It's Drivetime.
• RPH hour
• Bookings for the Production Studio.
• This is Community

The year 2003 is well under way, and the holiday season is over. Kids are back at school, and practically all presenters are back on deck, hale and hearty.

Some did take a break because of unforeseen circumstances. All the best to you, and come back soon. Gill took 4 weeks off to pursue a new interest: English as a foreign language. It really is! By the time you try to teach it to a foreigner, all kinds of strange rules turn up. Interesting.

Programs have changed, again, and new ones have started. Check the schedule.

Bel Canto and opera are well received, providing for a long-felt need.

Some of Cairns FM's up-beat sound is produced by our keen Drivetime presenters. They often broadcast new releases. Some keep trying to find permanent positions either in media or anywhere else.

RPH hour. We're 6 months down the track, and getting more professional.

A meeting with the community is in the pipeline. Working together will create a better program.

Bookings for the Production Studio: please pre-book, and also jot down your name and time after use of the studio. A diary, clearly marked for this purpose, is in Rod's tray. This record gives us some idea of how this facility is utilized.

Articles for our newsletter: please deposit them in the "Newsletter" tray by the 20th of every odd-numbered month, for possible publication in the next issue.

Running of the studio goes pretty smoothly. No hiccups that linger, or problems unsolved. A good beginning for 2003!

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