Jane Mitchell, Volunteer
I was surfing through the radio dial and came across 3MBS and Bruce Johnstone came on and played a beautiful piece of music. I thought that sounds alright and they were asking people to come in and work there. I didn’t really have the time, but I thought I would come in and help with packing Libretto [station’s subscriber magazine for a time] to send out once every couple of months.
Down the track, someone said 'Why don’t you go on air?' I said I would be happy to program but I didn’t want to go on air. John Barns said 'You have to go on air as well if you want to program' which was a lie.
I was mentored by John Barns, and I said, ‘I can’t stand opera—I love the music, but I can’t stand the singing,’ and he said ‘Neither can I.’ I said ‘I can’t stand Puccini,’ and he said ‘Neither can I’ and he said ‘We’ll get on fine.’ He was a great mentor.
Author: Nick Sharman: How is 3MBS different from other organisations you have volunteered at?
Well, I have not really volunteered at other organisations much though I was an undercover agent for the Australian government, so it is a bit different from that. I’m not spying at 3MBS though...or am I?
I do the Sunday afternoon show now, and I get a few strange phone calls. I have a man who rings me quite often to tell me that his wife is breastfeeding upstairs, and she enjoys my music while she is doing it.
One funny experience I had was in the middle of a program when I had a crossline. I was playing Vaughan Williams’s Tuba Concerto and then suddenly all you could hear was Elvis singing Blue Suede Shoes. I let it run and then explained at the end that Vaughan Williams’s tastes had changed at the end of his life.
I like coming into 3MBS on Wednesday mornings, there are a few people I like to insult, and they will happily insult me back.