Issue 47 Aurora Magazine April 2022

spotlight
DENMARK FM
Community on the airwaves
STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTO SERENA KIRBY
What do you need to create a community radio station? You need an enthusiastic and
entrepreneurial tech geek and a radio whizz who knows about program scheduling, onair
training and how to mentor a team.
To that you need to add a range of worthwhile content, personable presenters, some
high tech audio equipment, a whole lot of cash and a large serving of support. You’ll
then need to add lashings of patience before mixing all the ingredients in a small studio
and testing before serving to hungry locals.
The end result is one of Australia’s newest community radio stations, Denmark FM and
it’s certainly not something created in a rush as the station has been more than ten
years in the making.
Station Manager, Matt Sivyer, said he first started looking into the idea in 2011 when he
moved to Denmark to take up a position at the local Community Resource Centre (CRC).
“The idea to start a radio station in Denmark had been around for a while but no one
had been able to make any progress with it,” Matt says. “I’m a bit of a nerd so I knew I
could handle a lot of the tech stuff and audio equipment. I also knew it was something
the local community really needed.”
But Matt had no experience in radio so he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it on
his own. As luck would have it there was one of Australia’s most experienced radio
directors right under his nose. Enter Sue Howard, ex national Director of Radio with
the ABC. Sue had moved to Denmark a few years before Matt and when she joined the
board of the CRC he couldn’t believe his luck. Sue had been with the ABC for nearly 30
years and to say she knows a lot about radio is an understatement.
“In 2018 things started in earnest. Sue and I began chipping away at the process of
applying for funding and a radio licence and the paperwork was intense. Things looked
good until our Lotterywest grant got knocked back. Thankfully the CRC really believed in
this project and wanted it to happen so they provided us with the money we needed. It
would never have happened without their support.”
Things started slotting into place and Matt set the launch date for late 2020 but due
to the pandemic things kept stalling. While hiccups when starting a new venture are
normal, what wasn’t normal was what happened to the station’s much needed antenna.
“The antenna was on a truck coming from over east. Trouble was that also on that
truck was $3.8 million dollars of drug money being smuggled across the border. A
police intercept led to the truck, and all its contents being impounded. When the truck
was finally released no one could find our antenna. It was weeks of waiting until it
eventually turned up but it meant we couldn’t meet our launch date.”
James Halliday 5 Red Star Winery
for 7 consecutive years
Rockcliffe cellar door is open every day and offers a selection of some
of the region’s best award-wining wines for tasting and available to
purchase. Customers are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy at our beautiful
vineyard and pair with their favourite Rockcliffe wine. Visitors also come from
near and far to taste our famous Rockcliffe gelatos and sorbets – all made on
the premises to traditional artisan Italian recipes. Our cellar door is regularly
voted by our customers as not only the best cellar door in Denmark, but the
best cellar door experience they have ever had!
Rockcliffe wines are also available at the best restaurants,
bars and liquor stores throughout the Great Southern.
www.rockcliffe.com.au
CELLAR DOOR 18 Hamilton Road, Denmark, WA, 6333 | PHONE: 0419 848 195
OPENING HOURS 11am to 5pm, 7 days a week. At all other times by appointment, please phone.
10 LOVE LOCAL