Picture: Sherene (right) with Amalie O’Hara, aka team Queer and Now
I joined in 2018 after the first Castlemaine Pride Picnic. MainFM did a live broadcast from the picnic and Suzanne Donisthorpe interviewed me and asked if I knew anyone that might like to do a regular Queer radio show and I said I certainly do know someone – ME!
Before I joined MainFM, I was doing advocacy for LGBTIQA+ folk off the back of the Marriage Equality Plebiscite.
Our show is called Queer and Now Radio and it has been running for over 5 years. We started with 3 presenters Jim Hyde, Max Primmer and myself in a 1 hour timeslot on Wednesdays. Jim insisted we needed two hours, so the show got bumped out to 2 hours, right before Jim unexpectedly passed away. Max and I did it for the next 3 years, and he taught me heaps – I have really learnt on the job about not just radio, but also about the LGBTIQA+ community through our guests and advocacy more broadly. The last 2 years I have been joined by Amalie O’Hara and I think she has helped it really level up.
I have learnt that guests make the show tick as they bring lived experience which makes the program more interesting and meaningful. I have also learnt that Castlemaine is a wonderful glitch in the system where many incredible movers and shakers live. People are not afraid to get creative and problem solve when they see others facing adversity. This community gives me hope that we can make change and improve things by sticking together and speaking up for each other. I love that!
My new favourite MainFM show is Ramjet Radio, as Rosie’s music is banging. She has a great array of new music, multicultural music mixed with older stuff that I haven’t heard for eons. Plus – Doggo of the week, is THE BEST segment – I had to get my dog nominated!
I think in an era where media is misrepresented by vested interests, community radio cuts straight through. If offers everyday folks to speak about their passions and share that with other locals.
My highlights have been getting to know my co-hosts live on air. When I started working with Max, Jim and Amalie I didn’t know any of them and week by week I got to know and love them all. Amalie is one of my dearest friends now and I feel so privileged and lucky to have a dedicated 2 hour catch up with her each week and for her to be such a powerful creative force behind the content and feel of the show. Her support and work on it and Pride Across the Ages has seen it go to a higher level.
We try to promote our show each week on Instagram and Facebook. Amalie is definitely better at this than I am. We are pushing 600 followers on Facebook, which is pretty cool, as I remember when Max and I were desperate to reach 100 and we worked really hard to spread the word and get there. We know doing LIVES on social media reach people better but don’t often remember to do that.
Thanks MainFM for giving me the opportunity to do the show. It is always a highlight of my week.
Great stuff, Sherene. And congrats on the CBAA award!