{"id":9219,"date":"2025-11-01T02:51:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bardonnews.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/11\/01\/the-oct-26-show\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T18:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T08:26:52","slug":"the-oct-26-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bardonnews.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/11\/01\/the-oct-26-show\/","title":{"rendered":"The Oct 26 Show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It was the kind of Sunday that only Macca could conjure \u2014 a cross-country chorus of voices stitched together by warmth, wit and the occasional weather report. From the Hay Plain to the Swan Valley, from Eden\u2019s rain-washed shore to a humming beehive in Camberwell, the calls rolled in like postcards from every corner of the continent. What unfolded was a chatty, generous conversation about the roads we travel, the work we love and the country we share.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Bundaberg to Bunbury \u2014 Jason\u2019s Long Drive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Somewhere along the wide hush of the Hay Plain, Jason rang in from the cab of his ute. He and his wife were driving from Bundaberg all the way to Bunbury, chasing down an old F-Series Ford. He laughed that he could never afford a new one, so he buys \u201ca cheap old one and brings it back to life \u2014 no black boxes or sensors, just a 351 Clevo and call it good.\u201d Macca pictured the long haul across Balranald and Iron Knob, warning about roos on dusk, while Jason talked about the pleasure of doing something with your own hands. \u201cYou can see what you\u2019ve built,\u201d he said, \u201cand it\u2019ll probably outlast the new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David from Cropper Creek \u2014 Harvest Season<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Up on the border between Moree and Goondiwindi, David was on the header cutting barley when he took a quick call. He reckoned they were \u201cgetting sevens a hectare\u201d \u2014 a good year \u2014 and told Macca he\u2019d just traded up to a 2005 Kenworth SAR. Back home in Rochester, he said, things were drier and windswept. \u201cIt\u2019s patchy, mate. One side of the fence looks alright; the other\u2019s burnt off.\u201d Macca chuckled, \u201cThat\u2019s Australia for you,\u201d and David agreed, the hum of the harvester steady in the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelley at Marom Creek \u2014 Accidental Brahmans and a Lost Wetland<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Near Lismore, Shelley and her husband were living proof that sometimes the land has plans of its own. When they bought a run-down 50-acre block at Marom Creek, they inherited a few straggly cattle from a deceased estate. \u201cTurns out they were pure-bred Brahmans,\u201d she told Macca, amused. \u201cWe\u2019d become stud owners without even knowing it.\u201d What started as a fluke turned into a passion for soil health and regeneration. She wished more city folk understood what life on the land demands. \u201cEveryone should spend a year or two out here \u2014 then they\u2019d get it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: Ozfish Unlimited<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The chat turned to Tuckean Swamp, once a world-class wetland now drained away. \u201cIt\u2019s tragic,\u201d Shelley sighed. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to restore it before we expire.\u201d Macca promised to look it up; you could hear the admiration in his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandra in Eden \u2014 CWA Gardens and Grateful Rain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the far south coast, Sandra called from Eden, rain pattering on her jacket as she threw a ball for her kelpie. \u201cHaven\u2019t had rain for months,\u201d she said, delighted. Between throws she mentioned the CWA Open Garden day coming up on 2 November \u2014 six gardens, ten bucks entry and, of course, scones and tea at the hall. \u201cSmall communities are incredible,\u201d she said. \u201cWe all pull together \u2014 that\u2019s what it\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dez from Panania \u2014 Punting, Phone Boxes and the Old Days<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From Panania, Dez rang in full of mischief. The chat turned to betting, sparked by The Punt Song<\/em>, and he remembered his dad phoning in wagers from the red phone boxes of the sixties. \u201cHe\u2019d push the A-button and say the code word \u2014 Lucky \u2014 before the operator cut him off,\u201d he laughed. These days he\u2019s part of Ciaron Maher Racing, but the romance of the old days sticks. \u201cIt was community, really,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd Macca, your show\u2019s the only one left that feels like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim on the Bourke Road \u2014 McDonald\u2019s and Memories<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Half an hour out of Bourke, Tim was trying to pick up the ABC while harvesting wheat and chickpeas. \u201cReception\u2019s dodgy,\u201d he grinned, \u201cbut I bribe the kids. They could have McDonald\u2019s if I got to listen to you.\u201d The kids are grown now, but he reckons they still tune in. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the weekend.\u201d Macca laughed \u2014 he\u2019s heard that deal before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith the Beeman \u2014 Where Have All the Bees Gone?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Regular caller Keith had bee news from Bilpin, saying the poor apple crops weren\u2019t from Varroa mite at all. \u201cThe bees are busy in the gums,\u201d he said, \u201cwhy bother with a few apple trees when there\u2019s thousands of blossoms next door?\u201d He suggested backyarders keep native stingless bees, which stay put and \u201cdon\u2019t sting the neighbours.\u201d Macca loved it \u2014 practical and poetic, like most of Keith\u2019s calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helen Jane in Camberwell \u2014 Backyard Honey and Blue-banded Bees<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Camberwell, Helen Jane reminisced about the hives she once kept in her city backyard. \u201cTen kilos of honey a year and the garden looked incredible,\u201d she said. Downsized now, she plans to try native bees. Before hanging up she mentioned she\u2019s off to Kangaroo Island soon \u2014 \u201cto swim with wild dolphins.\u201d Macca wished her good weather for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruce Rocks Out \u2014 Suzi Quatro at Rooty Hill RSL<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Bruce, also 75, was still buzzing from Suzi Quatro\u2019s concert at Rooty Hill RSL. \u201cShe\u2019s seventy-five too,\u201d he told Macca, \u201cand still rocks like she\u2019s thirty.\u201d They laughed about how many times she\u2019s toured here \u2014 more than forty visits \u2014 and agreed that Australia must feel like her second home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie Orr \u2014 Winchelsea\u2019s Home-Grown Village<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From Winchelsea, Charlie Orr told one of those stories that makes you proud to live in a small town. Locals wanted older residents to stay close, so they built ten independent-living units themselves, with help from the Surf Coast Shire, Lions Club, Hesse Rural Health and the local Community Bank. \u201cA retired architect designed them,\u201d Charlie said, \u201cnine-star energy rating and everything.\u201d The project frees up family homes and keeps the town\u2019s heart beating. \u201cWe just got on with it,\u201d he added. Macca called it a blueprint for everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wren in Townsville \u2014 Heavy Lifts and Light Skies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Far north in Townsville, Wren was on the docks unloading a heavy-lift ship. \u201cBit of everything,\u201d he said. \u201cWind-farm gear, ADF stuff, sometimes aid shipments.\u201d He also runs a crane business, a children\u2019s brain-cancer charity and somehow finds time to fly planes. \u201cIt\u2019s about pride in the job,\u201d he told Macca. \u201cYou finish the day and know you\u2019ve done something solid.\u201d He\u2019s even catching Suzi Quatro when she hits town next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raoul at the Perth Show \u2014 Seeing Australia Through the Radio<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the Perth Royal Show, Macca met Raoul, a support worker originally from India, accompanying his vision-impaired client. \u201cEvery Sunday we drive through the Swan Valley with you on the radio,\u201d he said. \u201cYou take us around the country.\u201d He spoke fondly of Perth, where \u201cyou can live in the bush and still be twenty minutes from the city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Greaves \u2014 Across the Desert in a Land Cruiser<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chris Greaves was mid-journey in his classic FJ45 Land Cruiser, driving from Perth to Caboolture for a vintage meet. He\u2019d dropped by Macca\u2019s Noosa broadcast earlier in the year and was now looping back via Canberra to collect his wife, who\u2019d just medalled at the Masters Games. \u201cWe\u2019ll probably swing by the Gunbarrel Highway and the Lambert Centre on the way home,\u201d he said. He works with Chevron on Barrow Island, where, as he put it, \u201cit\u2019s barren, hot and full of snakes \u2014 but beautiful in its own way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angus Gill \u2014 From Nashville with Heart<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Angus Gill stepped into the studio with his mum Tanya, Macca grinned like he was greeting family. The singer-songwriter had just returned from Nashville, where he\u2019d been recording with Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers. He\u2019s also written a novella, Departure and Arrival<\/em>, drawn from his grandmother\u2019s Alzheimer\u2019s journey. \u201cDementia Australia helps over four hundred thousand people,\u201d he said, giving out their helpline \u2014 1800 100 500 \u2014 before playing a re-imagined version of his song Freckles<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jock Schmishen \u2014 From the Poles to Outer Space<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From Adelaide, explorer Jock Schmishen had an extraordinary yarn about Eric Phillips, the polar adventurer who\u2019s now been to space. Phillips joined crypto-entrepreneur Chung Wa\u2019s private SpaceX Dragon flight, orbiting over both poles \u2014 making him the first person to have reached the North Pole, South Pole and space under the Australian flag. Jock\u2019s next expedition will lead the Royal Geographical Society through the Flinders Ranges and Lake Eyre. \u201cJust keeping my boots dusty,\u201d he joked, and Macca roared with laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n