Golden Girl No. 1

Claire Neumeyer came to Cooma in 1985 leaving Mount Isa to take up residence in the new home her husband, Hans had built as he had fond memories of working for the SMA as a painter, and of the magnificent Snowy-Monaro scenery. The house is also an art studio for Han’s Baroque style paintings.

 “We arrived to a bare garden with lot of weeds and rocks. Hans turned it into a lovely garden which we have opened up for many fundraising events,” Claire said.

 Claire’s mother was not keen for Claire to leave the family home in Brisbane until she was 21-years-old but once she turned 21 she found work in many areas around Australia. Claire has worked in Darwin, Perth, Sydney, Mt Isa, Port Moresby, and the Department of Defence in Canberra. Working for a company in Port Moresby which employed Indigenous girls in the typing pool, Claire helped the girls with their English. At one time when one of the young girls was called upon to present a bouquet of flowers to former prime minister, Sir Michael Somari, Claire helped the young girl learn how to present the flowers in the correct manner.

 Working as a secretary, hotel receptionist and occasionally a waitress in Mt Isa, Claire crossed paths with her future husband Hans at dances in Mt Isa where he worked for 13 years as a contract painter.

Claire said, “In Mt Isa I had a lovely home with a pool and all my friends treated my place like it was a club.”

It wasn’t until Claire returned to Mt Isa for reunion in the 1984, that she finally met Hans properly

 Working for Commonwealth Employment Service in Cooma as manager, Claire retired in 1998 when the CES was closed down. After the closure of CES, Claire did some work at Workability and Cooma Challenge where she became friends with David Price who is also a presenter on 2MNO.

On retirement Claire turned to fund raising for her hobby. Over the ensuring years Claire has organised, along with other Cooma ladies, many fund raising events to raise money for many local charities.

 “We raised money for the Monaro Early Intervention Service and many other worthy causes.

“We put on events such as ‘Wedding gowns around the World’, ‘Melbourne Cup luncheons’, ‘Welcome to Spring’, ‘Back to the 1920s’ and ‘Back to the 1960s’.

“We always gave prizes for the Best dressed or Best costumes depending on the event.

“For doing what I loved doing, in 2016 at the Cooma Australia Day ceremony, I was awarded an Achievement Award.

“I was also awarded a Paul Harris award from the Cooma Rotary Club, for fund raising.”

 

 Claire began as a volunteer presenter for Monaro Community Radio, 2MNO some 15-years-ago and took up the responsibility of securing community event notices which are read out by all presenters on Good Morning Monaro and other program slots.

 “I do my program, ‘Round and About’, three hours a week on Fridays between 12 noon and 3pm and I love playing semi classics, love songs and opera. I also announce community notices letting people know what is going on in our district.”

 She adds, “2MNO is an important part of my life and I enjoy the friendship of all the presenters. We are indeed a happy family.”

Golden Girl No. 2

Margaret Faulkner came to Cooma in 1993 because two of her children lived there. While settling into the Monaro, Margaret lived in Cooma, Jindabyne and Dalgety. While in Dalgety living out on a farming property with her daughter Carol, their home was filmed for the film ‘Jindabyne’.

 Excitement reigned as Margaret and Carol waiting anxiously for the film to be shown in picture theatres, thinking they may be in the film. Their excitement turned to disappointment when viewing the film they realised their moment of fame had hit the cutting room floor.

 “Our home swarmed with camera people, actors, production people and film directors, so we were sure at least our house would be in the film.

“We had a good laugh after we saw the film and realised we weren’t in it,” Margaret said.

 Growing up in Geelong, Victoria, the move to the Monaro must have been a shock with the weather being a little cooler than in Geelong.

 Margaret has settled in Cooma with her beautiful cat, Whisper. Listening to the radio over time she said to herself, “I can do that”, so in 2007 she joined Monaro Community Radio. Finding a slot on Thursdays between 10am and 1pm, she was tutored in the radio workings by David Miller, who told her when she said she was keen to become of presenter, “We’ll have to get you on air”.

 Staying in the studio to help her get used to all the levers and the microphone, Margaret said, “One day Dave said, see you later I’m off down the coast. He left me very scared I would make a mistake but I managed quite well.

 Margaret added, “However having Dave for my tutor I have been learning quite a bit of the technical side of the radio world.”

 Margaret calls her program, ‘Thank God for Country Radio’ a take on Alan Jackson’s song “Thank God for the Radio”. “I found country music and I love it,” she said. And incidentally so do her listeners.

Putting up her hand to volunteer to carry out one of the station’s jobs, Margaret is the Program Manager. Not an easy job to do. When a presenter phones Margaret to say they cannot do their spot on the radio that week because of sickness or family visitors, etc., Margaret has to phone around and hope she can get a replacement for that spot. She understands that presenters have times when they just can’t do their spot sometimes for various reasons. The station has a back-up system if no presenter is available and the station’s listeners do not go without pleasant music to listen to.

Margaret is another one of the station’s long term women presenters. Her favourite music is also the favourite of many of the station’s listeners.

Golden Girl No. 3

Fay Freebody is a fair dinkum Cooma girl having been born and raised in Cooma. Fay spent her young years living on the Coolringdon property west of Cooma. Fay’s father worked for John and Betty Casey and Fay has nothing but lovely memories of growing up on the property.

 Fay was one of four kids. Bruce was the eldest, then Fay, Ned and Dell. Unfortunately Bruce and Dell both died in their 60s and that left Ned and Fay a very closeknit duo.

 One of Fay’s strong memories was about Betty Casey, the wife of John. “She was a lovely lady”, Fay said. “Whenever she went to Cooma she would always come home with lollies for the four of us. She spoilt us kids.

“She loved her horses and everyday she and my Dad would saddle up and ride around checking the stock.”

 After attending St Patrick’s Parish School for her schooling Fay worked at the Four Mile garage waiting on tables in the café. Later she worked for Neville Lockyer at the Pine Valley Museum. After marrying, Fay had three children, one boy and two girls.

 Fay is a volunteer for St John Ambulance and during the fires in early 2020, Fay was working at the Cooma evacuation centre caring for the elderly people who had to move from their homes. For another two weeks during the fires Fay was in Batemans Bay with St John caring for the elderly there. She has also been involved in setting up first aid tents at most of the local agriculture shows and as Fay said, St John also attends bike races and car races.

 Fay is not only a presenter on 2MNO but she also volunteers to work on the radio station’s fairy floss fundraising stall at the Adaminaby Races, the Bombala Show, the Dalgety Show and other events.. These fundraising days are long hard days often on very hot days.

But that is not all. Fay also volunteered to be the Librarian at the station, cataloguing and numbering the many CDs donated to the station and making sure they are returned after they have been borrowed by presenters.

 As Fay’s father was a country music fan and listened to ‘Boots’ Lansley on Canberra radio station 2CA a lot, it is no wonder that her favourite music is country music. One day talking to David Miller about music he asked her would she like to come and see the local community radio. One day she decided to go to the station’s studio and David told her he would train her to be a presenter. This happened when 2MNO was in the studio in Commissioner Street, Cooma, quite a few years ago.

 “I started presenting and one day when David was training me, his phone rang and he left me while he answered his phone. I was very nervous but when he came back he said he had been listening to me while on the phone and that I had done well”.

 Fay is on air every Sunday afternoon following her brother Ned’s Sunday morning program and naturally she plays country music. She and Ned both have a large following of listeners.

 

Golden Guy No. 1

Ned (Edwin) Freebody is a very busy 2MNO’s Gold Guy. Not only is Ned a presenter on 2MNO but he is also the Fund Raising co-ordinator.

 As Ned was born and has lived on the Monaro for all of his life, he knows his way around this area very well. When Ned left school and became a qualified welder by trade, he worked at Moore Engineering, situated at Four Mile, six and a half kilometres west of Cooma. The company was involved in making for the Snowy Hydro Scheme.

 After being asked by Edward Bruce Haslingdon who owned “Kelton Plains” to come and work on the property, Ned worked on the highly respected sheep and cattle Monaro property for the next forty-seven years, retiring in 2013.

 In 2007 Ned became a presenter with 2MNO, learning the ‘ropes’ in the Nimmitabel studio. He was taught by Rod Collman and Dieter Kurella. Ned proudly confesses he plays mostly Country music and from the comments of the station’s listeners, Ned’s program on Sunday mornings is a big favourite of many people.

 While being a presenter on the radio station, Ned’s voluntary work does not stop there. He describes his extra job, “As a Presenter there are other aspects in this role such as fundraising which is essential in order to keep 2MNO on the airwaves.

 “On behalf of 2MNO I attend all the agricultural shows in surrounding areas and assist in organising raffles.”

You can hear Ned on Sunday morning between 9am and 12noon with his program Ned’s Country.

 

Golden Guy No.2

Bill Steptoe was born in SE London in 1940 and came to Australia in 1958, aged seventeen.

“One reason I came here was because I was fed up with my parents saying we would be moving to Australia. They had bought tickets in 1948 and then changed their minds, so ten years later I came by myself,” Bill said.

 His parents weren’t the only reason Bill migrated to Australia. He was also keen to join the Australian Air Force. However, he didn’t get to join the Air Force, instead he became a trainee lab technician.

 In 1959 Bill joined the ABC in Brisbane working as a trainee technician and worked at the ABC until 1964. “I have been involved in television and radio broadcasting ever since,” Bill said.

 Going back to England in 1964, Bill worked for Thames Television as a cameraman, but came back to Australia in 1969 and rejoined the ABC, Sydney where he worked on a range of productions, including drama, music shows, outside broadcasts, news and current affairs, also gaining experience in production, TV lighting and administration work.

 After ten years with the ABC, Bill explained his next work life. “I left to work for myself as a publican and at the same time started a closed circuit TV business covering local sport all over the Monaro, trotting, horse racing, rodeos and rugby league.”

 Later in 1987, Bill took a job for fifteen years with TAFE teaching television production techniques and the technical, operational, creative and theoretical background to television program making which included electronics and physics. In 2002 Bill retired.

 Moving to the Monaro and living in Berridale, Bill was coerced in 2002 into joining 2MNO as a presenter by Phil Daley, who Bill said, “Showed me the ropes.” Then added, “Community radio became a new career, to which my background in broadcasting fitted well. Working with 2MNO was almost a continuation of a life in show biz.”

 Anyone who listens to Bill’s program would know he plays a wide range of music, including popular, jazz and the classics. He calls his program appropriately, “Mood Swings

Bill enjoys being a presenter saying, “It is great therapy, it is good to be giving something to others that I enjoy myself. You come to appreciate the music as you sit in the studio playing it. I occasionally get phone calls from listeners which is very nice.”

“One of the best things about being a presenter is my partner Patricia’s approval as she says it keeps me going. She understands radio is a big part of my life. I do hope I am contributing something to our Monaro community. This is important, and I enjoy working with a great bunch of people, the 2MNO presenters and members.”

 

Golden Guy No. 3

Dieter Kurella was born in Germany in 1939. With some unrest in countries near Germany in the 1950s and 1960s, after meeting and marrying Marlene in 1961, the couple decided to be a bit adventurous and immigrate to another country. They contacted Canada and Brazil only to be told those countries did not take immigrants.

 So they tried Australia. The Australian Government had rules which included immigrants had to hold trade experience before they would be given the all–clear. Fortunately for Dieter and his wife Marlene they both had trade qualifications. Dieter was a Fitter and Turner by trade and Marlene was a Men’s Tailor making suits for men.

 Within three days Dieter secured a job with Tubemakers of Australia, riding a bicycle to work at Woodville Road, Western Sydney, working as a Fitter and Turner.

 Dieter was 22-years-old when he arrived in Australia. Marlene was three years younger. They could speak some English when they arrived in Australia having learned school English in Germany. “Our English became better and better through watching cartoons on television,” Marlene said with a laugh

 Dieter revealed that the plane trip to Australia in the 1960s took four days with nine stopovers.

“We left Frankfurt when it was minus18⁰C and arrived in Sydney four days later to a temperature at 45⁰C.”

 However it was love at first sight of Australia for the couple. After two years in Australia they were granted citizenship passing the test with the answer, “Yes we are both very happy living in Australia.”

 After living in Sydney for a few months they bought five acres at Camden and proceeded to take eight years to build a house for themselves.

“Whenever we went on a holiday we always travelled south,” Dieter said. “That is how we came to live in Bemboka on five acres with an old farmhouse which we did-up.”

After some years the couple bought half an acre at Delegate and settled down. Dieter branched out into plumbing and gas fitting.

 Next move was to Bombala where Dieter secured a position for ten years at the Bombala Timber Mill as the maintenance man. Marlene worked at Currawarna, Bombala Residential Aged Care.

 In 2011 the Kurella’s moved to Cooma as it proved more convenient to live in a larger town. They have one son, Michael who lives in Melbourne and another son, Richard who lives in Cooma.

 Thinking of becoming a presenter on 2MNO in 2008 Dieter was trained by Rod Collman in the Nimmitabel Studio. Dieter said, “Rod stayed with me in the studio of about ten minutes then left me on my own to learn the ropes. Which I did.

 “Over the past years I have been training new presenters in the Cooma studio.” Dieter has now been presenting for twelve years and he plays Easy to Country music on Monday between 10am and 1pm.

“I do enjoy being a presenter. It is nice to get a few phone calls while you on air, especially if they say they like your program.

“I’m lucky, Marlene is pleased I do presenting on the radio. As she says we all need something else in our lives and I guess being on 2MNO’s airwaves is one of mine.”