Programs were made with records on "turntables" and reel to reel tape recorders. There were no computers and no CDs.  I did a lot of research in Country Music Books and Newspapers as the internet was not known then.
I scripted every program I did, writing down what I wanted to say.  I found reading a script I could put "feeling" into it and didn't waste words. I also found I was more confident. It paid off and it wasn't long and listener feedback was encouraging.
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                                                   1984

I was also given a Saturday morning spot as well as the country music morning on Coffs Harbour Community Radio 2CHY. I also started a pioneer segment. I would talk to old Coffs residents and that brought lots of listeners. I sent a cassette to Nick Erby who was in charge of "Hoedown" at 2TM Tamworth. He wanted me to come over and see him. He gave me a job on Hoedown and I started on the early morning 12 to 6am shift. After six months I was still doing the midnight to dawn shift and was missing Coffs and my family and so I left Hoedown and returned to Coffs Harbour.
 
What happened next was a complete surprise. I had been back in Coffs Harbour just a few weeks when I received a phone call from Nick Weare. Nick was the manager of 2KPTR the ABC North Coast radio. He asked me if I would be interested in doing their Saturday Morning Show. I said I'd like to come and see him as this would be a big step for me. Saturday Morning would mean I would be on my own in the studio. After talking to Nick he showed me around the studio and I spent the rest of the day getting a feel of the desk. This was all so different. I had sports reports from reporters at Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour by phone links. There were weather Reports. He even had me reading the Local News. I dreaded doing that and I would mess it up most times. I would be stressed out at Local News time every Saturday Morning.  Nick employed an experienced news reader in Nick O'Callahan.  I could then put my effort into making Saturday Morning as entertaining as I could. It all went well from there and I was getting a good response. I was receiving 5 to 10 letters a week and Les Partell was looking after the phone calls. I would record my "special bits" in a production studio in  my shed at home in Coffs Harbour. 
 
​In those days voice segments we all recorded on Analogue  "Reel to Reel Tape Machines" and recorded outside interviews on "Cassette Tape Recorders". I bought a 16 track Otari Tape Machine to mix down and an Ampex Master Tape Machine which I bought from 2GB in Sydney. 
 
I was there about six months when Nick Ware said that Radio Australia wanted a new country music producer and would I be interested in doing the program. The program was made up of all Australian country artists. At that stage it was a 10 minute show that Eric Scott was producing in Tamworth. I had a listen to Eric and thought he had a great "radio" voice.  I started sending a ten minute program to Melbourne each week and after a couple of months Radio Australia said they wanted to make it a thirty minute program. That was the beginning of many years of "Australian Country Style" for Radio Australia. It wasn't long after that and I was asked to produce "The World of Country Music" as well which was a program Johnny Chester had been putting together. Johnny didn't want to continue. I produced that show as well and they were replayed on Radio Australia twice a week ABC Radio National and some ABC Regional stations.

Nick Weare, the manager of ABC 2KPTR was very good to me.  He would organize the ABC Outside Broadcast Van and I broadcast from Country Shows and the Main Street in Tamworth one Country Music Awards weekend.  I thank Nick for much of my success.