Life FM Newsletter Archive for 2001

December 2001

Christmas Picnic Sucess

Members gathered at the Lake Glenmaggie Weir wall on Saturday December 8, to enjoy a picnic and BBQ lunch with Board Members and volunteers from Life FM.

As a feature during the day, Eric Vagg from Maffra was presented with his LIFE-time membership certificate, by the Board President, The Reverend David Jones.

Eric, a Maffra resident since 1940, recently received a dividend from an investment he had made in pine plantations and immediately felt that he should use the money to support Life FM by way of his LIFE-time membership, valued at $1100.
Having worked for many years at Nestles milk factory and Wilmour Motors in Maffra, Eric has a good feel for both the Gippsland area and its people, and is very keen to see Life FM ‘on-air’ and providing a positive influence in the region.
President Jones thanked Eric for his commitment to the vision of Life FM and presented him with a certificate and complimentary Life FM cap, in recognition of his generous contribution.

Eric, always thinking of others it seems, then proceeded to offer onions to those who wanted to add some flavour to the BBQ, whereupon the gathered throng enjoyed a hearty meal (augmented by Max Toms’ Chilli Sauce).

The Stevens’ kids, undaunted by the non-appearance of ‘Santa’, who they realise is quite busy at this time of year, provided some great encouragement for the adults to go exploring—even wanting to skip the ‘carols’, but the adults, being equally undaunted, provided the other people present at the picnic ground with amazing renditions of various Christmas Carols, led, of course, by our own Debbie Bye, in recognition of ‘the reason for the season’.

The carols were finally followed by keen exploration of the weir wall and its surrounds, with a rather informative commentary happily provided by Tim Stevens, who impressed fellow explorers with his intimate knowledge of the insides of ‘the wall’, gained from his duties as a CFA volunteer.

It was a good day !

Christian radio station ‘777’ FM

has just been given a Melbourne-wide Community Radio Licence — several other Christian stations having also vied for the licence on 89.9 FM
Check-out the ABA website at www.aba.gov.au

The ABA Plans for Radio in Australia

PRAY FOR OUR BOARD AS WE GEAR UP TO PRESENT AN APPLICATION TO THE AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING AUTHORITY FOR A FULL TIME LICENCE FOR LIFE FM GIPPSLAND.

The Australian Broadcasting Authority has completed the radio planning exercise it started nine years ago under the Broadcasting Services Act. With the objective of increasing the number and diversity of radio services available to Australians, the ABA's planning has resulted in nearly one
thousand new national, commercial, community and narrowcast services becoming available around Australia.

"Over nine years, the ABA has been engaged in a comprehensive program to completely re-plan radio broadcasting services throughout Australia", said Professor Flint, ABA Chairman. "Reports in the nineties of radio's impending demise are contradicted by the ABA's experience in responding to public and industry demand. This has resulted in a massive expansion of the radio sector, but also a greater choice of listening."

"The outcomes of the planning process can be measured in statistics, but a more meaningful way to evaluate the ABA's achievements is to consider the impact of our decisions on the quality and range of broadcasting services at a community level," said Professor Flint. "It has always been critical to achieve a sustainable balance at each location between the number and types of services available. The huge growth in the number of transmitters reflects the tremendous increase in coverage and availability of both new and existing services to Australians."

Radio audiences in regional and remote Australia have benefited most. The ABA has increased the number of radio transmitters serving Australian communities by 162 percent since October 1992, mainly in regional and rural areas. The number of radio transmitters in regional and remote areas has increased by 226.5 percent and 120.5 percent, respectively, compared with 83.3 percent in metropolitan areas.

Since October 1992, the ABA has planned a total of 1,468 new radio transmitters. This compares to the 908 transmitters operating up to that date. A similar number of low powered narrowcast services, such as for tourist radio, have also been made available.

With the recent finalisation of plans for services in Tasmania and Western Victoria, the ABA completed the licence area planning process, as identified in its Planning Priorities (1993). Together with plans for metropolitan Adelaide and Perth and radio markets in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, the ABA has planned 135 transmitters for 90 new services during 2001.

"When we started planning in 1992, there were only a handful of commercial FM radio services in Australia outside of the metropolitan markets. Now, all radio markets, except Launceston (where there is currently a lack of suitable FM frequencies) and some remote areas, have, or soon will have, at least one commercial FM radio service," said Professor Flint. " Community radio has also shown exceptional growth, with the number of transmitters having grown from 202 servicing 129 stations in 1992 to 532 transmitters planned for 304 stations. This clearly reflects the public's
increasing interest and involvement in the many radio formats available. There are now few communities in Australia which do not have their own community radio station."

"As an example, back in 1992 the Cairns radio market, which serves 150,000 people, had eight radio transmitters. The ABA planned 15 new transmitters for the Cairns market, comprising five new national radio transmitters, six new commercial radio transmitters (for three new
commercial services), two new community radio services and two new open narrowcasting radio services. Other markets have seen major improvements in diversity. The Lismore radio market now has six community services, where it had one. Mildura before 1992, had three national, a commercial and a community service, whereas there are now four national, three commercial and one narrowcast service and eight transmitters for its three community services."

"The ABA's planning activity will now focus on consolidating its work to date, addressing some unresolved service issues and evaluating its planning methods, to meet the demand for even more services across all types of radio broadcasting," said Professor Flint. "Notable, is the
Government's interest in funding improvements for commercial radio services in 'blackspot' areas of poor reception, which may follow on from its television blackspots program, and possibilities for digital radio in Australia. The ABA will continue to plan transmitters for the roll-out of ABC and SBS services and work with AM broadcasters to improve day-time coverage, as required, and we still have the large task of completing digital and analog planning for television."

During 2002, the ABA will continue its licensing task for the most recently planned new community services and supplementary commercial licences and re-commence the auction of high and medium power narrowcast services. A new commercial FM radio licence will be auctioned in Perth in early 2002, with new commercial FM licences also available in each of Gosford in 2002, Adelaide and Sydney in 2003 and in Brisbane and Melbourne in 2004.

Volunteers - God Bless 'em

This month it seems proper to feature two tireless volunteers from within our own ranks. As an example of their commitment; on Friday December 7th, the evening before the Christmas Picnic, Board Members Debbie Bye and Beth Harris attended the Church Street Fiesta in Morwell, as part of their ongoing efforts to promote Life FM.

Debbie is of course the visionary for Life FM, but what many people will not know, is that from the very beginning Beth Harris has been at her side offering support in whatever way she could, constantly surprising observers with her ability to learn new skills and further ease the load. As an aspirant Community Radio Station, Life FM relies on volunteers to function and those volunteers often need to be versatile as they juggle a multitude of sometimes very foreign tasks.

In two short years our volunteers have grappled with establishing an office, forming an Incorporated Association, creating computer databases for the numerous administration needs, submitting dozens of funding applications to a variety of philanthropic and government agencies, attending to complex licensing issues, undertaking numerous research tasks, writing hundreds of letters and yes, even producing the monthly newsletter which is already sent to over 180 recipients — and the list goes on !

Debbie and Beth have been the foundation of the Life FM team, which continues to grow, and their efforts have been truly awesome. Along with the initial Steering Committee and the current Life FM Board of Management, Debbie and Beth truly have been ‘making a difference’ - God bless ’em.

A Christmas Message from our President

When we think of Christmas, what images come to mind? The Christmas tree & Decorations; Santa; Christmas carols; Christmas parties; Presents; The traditional Christmas dinner; Holidays; hot weather and the beach? For many Australians this is all that Christmas is, but for Christians it is much much more, it is about the birth of Jesus, God's Son and Saviour of the world.

However, let us focus this year on the images of Christmas from Luke's account of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-20); Traveling on the rough roads from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Being registered with the Roman authorities. A baby wrapped in bands of cloth and laying in a manger, because there was no room in the inn. The shepherds in the fields, an angel of the Lord announcing the birth of Jesus. Angels praising God, peace on earth. The Shepherds traveling to Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus. Mary treasuring the words of the shepherds. And the shepherds praising God for all they had seen.

Here we have an image of the Saviour of the world coming in conditions of poverty. From the very beginning Jesus was connected with, and had concern for the poor and the outcast in society.

We should not see the birth of Jesus as the birth of just another baby, he was God's only Son, and had a mission to fulfill. It is clear that Jesus came into the world to bring salvation to sinners. Into a world of darkness the Son of God was born.

So this Christmas let us not forget the real meaning of Christmas and who Jesus is.
Let us remember to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still the reason for the season.

God loved the people of this world so much that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and never really die. (John 3:16 -CEV)

We at LIFE FM trust that you and your families will have a Wonderful, Holy and Joyous Christmas.

David Jones
President

November 2001

Vital board member returns

Debbie Bye has just returned from an overseas trip, and she files the following report

Well I'm back! After visiting Bangkok, London, Stratford-UK, Salzburg, Bavaria, Stratford-Prince Edward Island, Toronto, Stratford -Ontario and Hawaii - phew!

I was attending the Stratford Sister Cities World Reunion and along the way managed to be interviewed on radio in the UK on BBC2! and also in Canada on Prince Edward Island. I visited three commercial radio stations in one complex on PEI. This is pretty standard practice among networked commercial stations, and they do it in Australia too.

I tried to visit Life FM in Barrie, Ontario, but was not able to make a connection. I was VERY disappointed about that but learned a vital lesson for us; it& s very important to follow through on contacts made with the station - who knows; you could be entertaining an angel unawares!

I did manage to visit KAIM in Hawaii - I'm told they are the oldest Christian station in the US, having been formed in the early war years as a service to the community. Just last year they were taken over by a group called Salem Media& which is a Christian based corporation that takes over little stations to form a network. They run like the commercial networks with three news journalists, four presenters and twelve sales staff. The benefit of being with a group such as Salem, is the big bucks available for state-of-the-art equipment. The draw-back is the loss of their autonomy.

It was very encouraging to see a station such as this operating along similar lines to what we have planned, that is; with a standard of excellence despite being a "community" station. Until last year Salem were using the same broadcasting computer program that we will be using, and they only changed over to a new system because they now run three stations together. This too wasencouraging because Salem had been very happy with Wave Station& and had not experienced any problems. I can't tell you how reassuring it was to be in America, after one of the most terrifying acts of hatred we have seen in the western world, and to be able to turn on a Christian radio station and hear encouraging words and music.

There is no doubt that we areliving in troubled times, and in the light of the Scriptures it is very comforting to know who the Victor is (indeed - to KNOW the Victor!). I guess what this brought home to me was that NOW more than ever we need to be able to broadcast that Good News to people in our own backyard. Please PRAY that we have the opportunity to do JUST THAT!
Blessings - Deb

Maintenance co-ordinator

A volunteer maintenance co-ordinator is needed for Life FM. This person will co-ordinate minor repairs, liase with tradespersons & co-ordinate station working-bee’s etc. Interested?? Give us a call at the office to talk it over.

Christmas Picnic

As mentioned in our last newsletter, Life FM members Janet and Tim Stevens wandered into the office for a chat recently and whilst speaking to some of the Board members present, they made the suggestion that we should have a Christmas Picnic for members and friends of Life FM and so we shall; on Saturday the 8th of December.

Not since the Annual General Meeting has there been an opportunity for members to meet together; have a chat; talk with Board members; learn more about the vision; and generally enjoy a time of fellowship together. That is all about to change.

This inspired suggestion from Tim and Janet was the only incentive needed to plan for what is certain to be a very enjoyable day. During the picnic we will take the opportunity to present our newest Life-time member with his Membership Certificate, to publicly acknowledge his generosity. It is also intended that Debbie Bye will lead us in some carol singing.

The weir wall at Lake Glenmaggie is the site for the Christmas Picnic and it is hoped that this will provide a picturesque and relaxed environment in which to enjoy each others company.

The day will be a BYO everything event (bring a seat) , and it is anticipated that someone will be on site to secure a good pozzie; mid-morning. This site will be clearly identifiable by the Life FM banner.

There are four electric BBQ& s; toilet facilities; and plenty of open space so; mark Saturday the 8th of December in your diary now and get set to bring the whole family for an afternoon of fun in the sun with the Son!

If you are unsure of how to get there, just head to Heyfield and it& s well signposted from there. We will also try and put up some Life FM signs to help you out along the way. If you get lost , call us on 0418 517 287 for help!

See you there!

Volunteers -- God Bless 'em
RSPCA

This month we feature a group of volunteers that are collectively called ~ RSPCA GIPPSLAND. In 1978 a group of people became interested in fostering animal welfare in Gippsland and from this initial interest came RSPCA Gippsland. In its early days this group also operated a dog obedience club which is now an entity in its own right.

RSPCA Gippsland then formed a partnership with the City of Sale to build and operate a pound, which also included an animal shelter. This shelter operated with about 20 volunteers and a paid manager, handling about 700 animals a year.

The income generated from the pound meant that little other income was required but some funds came from an op- shop which later converted into an up-market second hand ladies wear shop, also run by the branch volunteers.

Unfortunately the council amalgamations saw the sale of the land occupied by the shelter, and it was closed in May of 2000.

Determined to open a new shelter, the volunteers reorganised into a group of fundraisers, opened a new op-shop, revamped the ladies wear shop and took on a multitude of fundraising activities! The results speak for themselves. A block of land has been bought, serviced and building of the new shelter commenced.

There are currently about 35 active volunteers and if they have their way, it won't be long before the new shelter is open and animal welfare services are again available in the Sale area.

New President

At a recent meeting of the Board of Management of Gippsland Christian Broadcasters Inc, Brian Heath resigned as President for personal reasons. The new President is the Reverend David Jones, and Brian Heath was elected as Vice President.

In accepting the nomination as Life FM's new President, David said that Brian has done a great job and I am looking forward to the challenge of doing the same .

David is no stranger to the challenges of running people organisations, having worked in the Administration of Yarram Hospital and having also managed a busy Medical Centre for local GPs in Bairnsdale.

In latter years David has entered the ordained Ministry as an Anglican Priest, and has now been involved in Parish Ministry at Bairnsdale, Paynesville and the Cathedral in Sale. David is currently the Chaplain with Gippsland Grammar School in Sale. Married with three children, David is well versed with the needs of youth, and has also proven himself to be most adaptable. Perhaps David's one character flaw, is his pre-occupation with Mac computers! But we will forgive him that.

We pray that David will be blessed and strengthened as he leads us into a vital period of lifeat Life FM !

Equipment List

With each passing month the members of Life FM are showing that they are keen to provide for the equipping of our studio, judging by the money that has been donated specifically for studio equipment. We are now able to purchase a considerable amount of much needed equipment, thanks to further members who responded to recent notices about what we need to equip the Life FM studio.

For those people who may be contemplating making a donation for these items, we would ask that you specify that your donation is for the ’development fund’, as all other donations, membership payments and sponsorships, are received into the general operating account.

Items still required include:

• Set of studio speakers @ $500
• A CD player @ $299
• A studio amplifier @ $499
• A monitor amplifier @ $499
• A mini disc @ $599
• A 12 channel mixer @ $1095
• and one more microphone valued at $169 .

Thank you to the members who have donated funds

October 2001

Letters Make a Difference

After twenty seven years of trying to obtain a licence, Family Radio has finally been granted a permanent licence—and Life FM offers its congratulations to everyone associated with the Brisbane based Christian radio station.

We at Life FM are truly blessed to be in a situation where we can realistically expect to be able to make a formal licence application after having been in existence for just two short years. But in one major respect this does put the pressure on us.

Family Radio’s experience tells us that letters do ‘make a difference’. In considering the applications from the various parties vying for the Brisbane broadcast licence, the Australian Broadcasting Authority chose not to hold a public hearing, because Family Radio had demonstrated significant public support.

Consider the following facts: Family Radio submitted a petition with 9379 signatures; they had almost 4000 letters from private individuals; 101 from businesses and organisations; 72 from various Churches; and an impressive 32 from Politicians. The next best supported applicant, had just 138 letters from private individuals. Clearly; letters do make a distinct difference!

It is imperative that all members of Life FM take the opportunity to write a letter of support for our proposal to provide a Community / Christian Radio Station in the Gippsland region.

Members are also encouraged to solicit letters of support from anyone else they believe may be likely to support our efforts.

To see some examples of letter we have already recieved click here.

Letters of support from businesses, Churches and other organisations are also desperately needed.

Writing a letter today is one way that you can be guaranteed of—“making a difference”.

Visit the Familiy Radio website

Christmas Picnic

During a recent visit to the Life FM office, two members from Heyfield suggested that Life FM should have a Christmas Picnic—the Board agrees.

Janet and Tim Stevens wandered in for a chat recently and whilst speaking to some of the Board members present, they made the spontaneous suggestion which immediately sparked an interest. A few quick emails to other Board members and the decision was made.

May 24th this year saw the first Annual General Meeting since incorporation, and that has been the only opportunity thus far for members to meet informally together; have a chat with each other; talk with Board members; learn more about the vision; and generally enjoy a time of fellowship.

This inspired suggestion from Tim and Janet has been the incentive needed to begin planning for what is certain to be a very enjoyable day.

The weir wall at Lake Glenmaggie has been chosen as the preferred site for the Christmas Picnic and it is hoped that this will provide a picturesque and relaxed environment in which to enjoy each others company. The event will be held 8th December 2001 - from mid morning onwards.

The day will be a BYO everything event, and it is anticipated that someone will be on site to secure a good pozzie; mid-morning. This site will be immediately identifiable by the in-situ Life FM banner.

There are four electric BBQ’s; toilet facilities; and plenty of open space—so; mark the date in your diary now and get set to bring the whole family for an afternoon of fun with the Son!

If you are unsure of how to get there, just head to Heyfield and—it’s well signposted from there.

And thanks again to Janet and Tim for a great idea!

See you there!

Volunteers -- God Bless 'em

This month we feature a group of volunteers, rather than just one individual; and it’s the crew from Fusion in Morwell.

Fusion Australia is a national Christian youth and community organisation that has been working with young Australians and their families for over 40 years. Fusion’s centre in Morwell is one of 25 centres around the country and has been serving the Gippsland community for 22 years.

Fusion is committed to the view that every person is made to reflect the moral nature of God and aims to identify and respond to the needs of young people in our community so that they can have the chance to attain their full potential in life. Fusion recognises that this cannot fully occur unless families and the broader community experience change as well. Wherever possible, Fusion is committed to assisting this process and to seeing the transformation of Australian culture and society.

Fusion is a non-profit community organisation and relies on the financial support of churches, businesses and individuals to operate. Fusion staff work as full-time volunteers and survive on donations, much like an overseas missionary would.
Fusion’s work in Gippsland includes:

Youth adventure day trips; High School Chaplaincy Program in Kurnai College; Values based education in schools; Lunchtime activity programs in schools; Alcohol free events for schools; Wombat Boutique Recycled Clothing Store; Preventative Youth & Community Work; Leadership Training; Facilitating links between churches and community; Community Awakening festivals and outreach.

Fusion’s Regional Co-ordinator
Thane Russell

Interest Starts Young at Life FM

In the past, the membership of Life FM has reflected interest from the ranks of the more mature members of the community, but this is all changing—welcome our youngest member— Christopher Morgan. He has this to say about Life FM—

“Hi I'm Christopher, I'm 9 yrs old and at Sale 545 I am in grade 5. I love playing chess and Lego, I live with 7 people in my family in a very big house.

I have been going to church most of my life and became a Christian when I was about 6 years old. I like listening to Christian music as well as pop music, I think it would be good to have a Christian radio station so people can have a choice of music to listen to, there isn't any Christian music on the radio stations now and I would love to listen to some.

I think it would be good for non Christians to hear some Christian music and realise that it is just as good as pop music and that Christians are not that different to everyone else”.

 - Well said Christopher!

Lifetime Member Visits

On Monday 1st of October the office of Life FM was graced with the presence of our 2nd Life-time member—Joyce Geddes; in company with her daughter.

A number of the Life FM Board attended for an informal ceremony where Board Member Tony Colley presented Joyce with a framed Life-time Membership Certificate. Joyce was given a tour of the office and proposed studio and she then joined Volunteers and Board members for afternoon tea.

East Gippsland Shire Councillor Mr. Keith Smyth also attended the presentation and then received a briefing on Life FM’s plans for Christian radio in Gippsland and the La Trobe Valley.

Equipment List

With each passing month the members of Life FM are showing that they are keen to provide for the equipping of our studio, judging by the money that has been donated for studio equipment.

We are now able to purchase a pair of monitor speakers for $150; two microphones for $169 each and three sets of headphones valued at $80 each, thanks to further members who responded to the recent notices about what we need to set up the Life FM studio.

Items still required include:

• Set of studio speakers @ $500
• A CD player @ $299
• A studio amplifier @ $499
• A monitor amplifier @ $499
• A mini disc @ $599
• A 12 channel mixer @ $1095
• and one more microphone valued at $169 .

Thank you to the members who have donated funds.

This is an opportunity for supporters of Life FM to provide something tangible for the studio operations and to feel, quite rightly, that they too have been— ‘Making a difference’.

September 2001

Tea Towel Tour Triumph!

On Saturday 15th of September the 'Around The World Tea-towel Tour' conducted at Stratford Uniting Church triumphed, raising $1500 for Life FM.

Organisers of the day notified members of Life FM and many others, from the contacts list at the Life FM office, of the coming event. Early on Saturday two of the handy menfolk arrived to set up lines to hang the Tea-towels from, and to attend to the numerous other preparatory chores. With great expectation the ladies arranged the Tea-towels and all present at the Stratford Uniting Church hall prepared to receive the rush of willing supporters. Also on the day was a display and sales table featuring exquisite handcrafted 'greeting cards' made by another of Life FM's trusty volunteers from Sale; so with all displays in place and the Tea-towels gently swinging in the breeze-all was set. Approximately 20 people from Bairnsdale, Sale, Stratford and Maffra areas attended, and from 2.30 to 4.00 pm those present enjoyed a time of fellowship and fun, all with the common desire to-do their bit for Life FM.

How then did such a humble crowd with such a simple plan reap such a reward for their efforts? $1500 ! Well; the entry donations on the day raised $150; a Stratford women donated $250 towards the purchase of studio equipment; and a Maffra man joined-up with a Life-time Membership worth $1100. It just goes to show that a little initiative and a splash of faith goes a long, long way!

Life FM's Secretary, Heather Toms says... "On behalf of the Life FM Board I would like to thank the Stratford Uniting Church folk and everyone who helped make this a wonderful afternoon.. this support is vital to Life FM's future...may God bless each of you abundantly".

Life FM Representatives are growing in number
In past newsletters, requests have been made for people to consider being Life FM representatives in their Church-and the ranks of the willing are growing bigger every week. Volunteers have been appearing from areas as diverse as Rawson, Bairnsdale and Maffra, and the signs are encouraging.

One of the most effective ways of gaining support in local communities is by local 'word of mouth'. If you are willing to put your voice to use encouraging members of your church and wider community to support Life FM in 'Making a difference' telephone the Life FM office, or e-mail us, and one of our volunteers will be in touch.

ABA Is Community Minded

The Australian Broadcasting Authority is community minded; or so it seems from some of its recent licensing decisions. A quick check of the ABA's website at www.aba.gov.au/ will show that in a number of places the Authority has granted new Community Radio Licences, and in some cases has extended existing licences to encompass larger broadcast areas. This is a promising sign for Life FM. Five new Community Radio Licences are being allocated in Adelaide, "Two of the community radio licences are for Adelaide-wide services, while the other three are to serve the local communities in the Adelaide Foothills, Port Adelaide and the Barossa Valley. In addition, pioneer community radio station 5UV will convert to FM after 29 years on the AM band". In Tasmania the ABA has also been busy drafting Local Area Plans and "The Australian Broadcasting Authority is proposing ...new community radio services in George Town, the Northern Midlands, Scottsdale and Hobart and.. In addition, the ABA is proposing to extend the licence areas of community radio services 7HFC Hobart and 7RGY Geeveston". These decisions seem to be indicative of an unfolding pattern of attentiveness on the part of the ABA towards community needs. There is however no place for complacency-one long-term temporary broadcaster in the Geelong area has just been denied a permanent licence.

Meet our Volunteer Tony Colley

Well; here is the second of our feature articles on Volunteers and what makes them tick! Behind this cheesy grin resides the heart and soul of a true believer. Not only is this man a believer in everything that Jesus Christ proclaims, but he is also a true believer in the value and joy of being a volunteer. Tony [Chuckles] Colley, is already known to some of you as Wellington Shire Council's mild mannered Youth Development Officer, but we also know him as Board Member of Life FM and as 'Coach Colley' for a bunch of local youth who are gaining much from the wisdom and athletic prowess of this basket-baller of infamous renown. 'Chuckles'-er' sorry-Tony; Tony is not a native of these parts, but in the short time that he has been here he has developed a passion for the area; a passion for Christian Radio; a passion for working with the people of Wellington Shire Council and beyond; and yes, a passion for volunteering some of his very precious time to be a Basketball Coach. So what makes him do it? Well, it seems that for Tony, volunteer work isn't really work at all; its all a bit of a fun. Perhaps you might find something that you too can do, which 'makes a difference' in your local town. Volunteer's-God Bless 'em

Please contact us at Life FM if you know of someone that is volunteering their time to a community effort; so we can profile them in our next issue; and share a little more about- the joys of being a volunteer

Ritchies ~ Make your shopping go further for Life ~

2% of your Grocery Total can go to Life FM during September

In the last newsletter readers were advised of a funding scheme which involves supporters shopping at Ritchies Supermarkets and requesting the store to allocate a percentage of the sale to Life FM. To take advantage of the system, customers need to quote the Life FM reference number 94637, to obtain a "community benefit card" from the store enabling the percentage of your shopping total to go to Life FM. At the 'checkout' the card is 'swiped' and at the end of each month Life FM will be given the funds that customers have nominated for "community benefit". For this month, Ritchies has increased the percentage payment to the amount of two percent, because it's their birthday. Happy Birthday Ritchies! We now need to encourage as many of our supporters as possible to utilise this system, by shopping at Ritchies in Sale, Maffra or where-ever there is a Ritchies store. With Ritchies also set to open stores elsewhere in Gippsland shortly, supporters everywhere will soon be able to make their shopping dollar go further - for Life.

Studio Equipment Update

Well the shopping list is growing by the minute and the Treasurer is getting itchy fingers as she looks forward to making some purchases with the money that has been donated for studio equipment. We are now able to purchase a pair of monitor speakers for $150; one microphone for $169 and one set of headphones valued at $80, thanks to a number of members who responded to recent notices about what we need to set up the Life FM studio. We still need the items listed below:

• Studio speakers $500 pr
  
• CD player $299
  
• Studio amp $499
  
• Monitor amp $499
  
• Mini Disc $599
  
• 12 channel mixer $1095
  
• 2 microphones $169 each
  
• 2 headphones $80

This is an opportunity for supporters of Life FM to provide something tangible for the studio operations and to feel, quite rightly, that they too have been- 'Making a difference' Donate Online

August 2001

Life FM's Vice President attends Licence Hearing

On Tuesday 14th of August the Australian Broadcasting Authority conducted hearings at the Melbourne Town Hall as part of the process to determine suitable applicants for Community Radio Licences in the Metropolitan area . Life FM's Vice President, the Reverend David Jones, attended the hearing in company with Life FM's Assistant Administration Manager, Allen Moore to observe the process in case it becomes a neccesary part of Life FM's Community Broacast License application. Four Community Radio Broadcasting Licences have been made available in the Melbourne licence area and of these, one will be issued to a Christian Radio Station. There were three applicants for the one Christian Community Radio Licence and these were Melbourne Gospel Radio Inc., Triple Seven Communications Inc. and Catholic Broadcasting Ltd.

Each applicant was given ten minutes to make a presentation to the hearing, focusing on matters and information not previously provided to the ABA, in the formal Licence Application. Having made their presentations those appearing before the hearing were questioned by Counsel assisting the Authority, Ms Adamson. Each of the three applicants were asked a variety of questions that proved to be very probing and wide ranging. The hearings commenced on Monday 13th of August and concluded on the 17th of August,the Authority having heard submissions from twenty aspirant radio stations. Each applicant will now have two weeks to submit a written closing submission to the ABA before the final decision is made and licences allocated. Reverend Jones and Allen Moore both returned home from the hearing far better informed about the process that the Board may yet face, as part of their endeavours to achieve a Broadcasters Licence for Life FM

Board responds to draft LAP

(where we're at in applying for a Broadcast License)
On Thursday August 9th Life FM's Board formally responded to the Australian Broadcasting Authority's (ABA) Draft Licence Area Plans (LAP) for both Sale and Warrugul broadcast areas. The responses, under the name of President Brian Heath and Secretary Heather Toms, were both couched in positive terms, whilst seeking to reaffirm Life FM's vision for a Christian Community Radio Station in the greater Gippsland area. Following the submission of these responses a further period of waiting commences until the Licence Area Plans are finalized. At this time the ABA will then most probably call for formal licence applications from interested parties.

Special points of interest

The International Year of Volunteers $3000 grant has helped pay for one of the production computers at Life FM's studio

Volunteers-God bless 'em

Stratford re-visited

Deb (Life's visionary) is off to Stratford - no - not Stratford just out of Sale - Stratford overseas, or more correctly, many of the Stratford's overseas. Yep, she's on a Stratford Crawl. As part of her many interests, Deb Bye is involved in the Stratford Sister Cities project and every two years the Stratford's of the world unite for a reunion. This year it is at Stratford, Prince Edward Island, Canada, from September 12th to 16th. Full details are available on the Stratford website and you can see some local details in Wellington Shire Council's website. Debbie will be there with another Life FM member, Hillary Rash, and in all six women from Victoria will be a part of the activities in Stratford, Canada. Deb will also take this opportunity to visit Christian radio stations in Canada, the US and New Zealand to expand her knowledge base and seek out great ideas for Life FM.

Local Supermarket aids in funding Life FM

Ritchies Supermarket in Sale, previously known as the IGA Supermarket, donates money from purchases to non-profit community organisations each month. This is a system that has been in operation for some time, but can now have benefits for Life FM. To take advantage of the system, customers need to obtain a "community benefit card" from the store and then nominate Life FM as their preferred recipient of the collected funds, which is a percentage of the value of goods purchased. At the 'checkout' the card is 'swiped' and then at the end of each month Life FM will be given the funds that customers have nominated for "community benefit". We now need to encourage as many of our members as possible to utilise this system, by shopping at Ritchies in Sale. Ritchies is also set to open stores in both Maffra and Traralgon in the near future. Members in those areas will also be able to make their shopping dollar go further - for Life.

LaTrobe Valley combined churches presentation

The vision for Christian Radio in Gippsland has attracted interest in the La Trobe Valley. On Saturday the 11th of August several members of the Board attended a Combined Churches Presentation for Life FM, at Monash Gippsland. Board Member and Life FM visionary Debbie Bye gave two presentations, one at 4.30 pm and then another at 7.30 pm. The Monash University facility was particularly impressive and it gave board members an opportunity to view the full 'power-point' presentation that Debbie has developed. During the interval the opportunity arose for discussion amongst board members about future presentations in the Latrobe Valley and the best way in which the vision of those associated with Life FM can be explained to both Church and secular groups in the area. In the week prior to the presentations, Life FM was also contacted by the Pastor of Morwell Community Church who showed great interest in the possibility of Life FM broadcasting into the Valley. It appears that the Morwell Community Church has long been wanting a dedicated Christian radio service in the area and the prospects of Life FM fulfilling that vision are apparently very exciting to them. A number of similar presentations will be planned for the La Trobe Valley in the future.

June 2001

Faith in Community Christian Radio

Wellington Shire Council and the Dept of Family and Community Services have contributed $8,000 (eight thousand dollars) to Life FM Gippsland

Mayor Keith Boyd announced $5000 start up funding from Wellington Shire Council as part of their recent budget allocations and $3000 was received from the Dept of Family and Community Services, International Year of Volunteers 2001 small grants program.

A morning tea was held on Wednesday 27th June at the Life FM studio and office in Raymond Street and Mayor Keith Boyd, and Councilors Gordon Cameron and Malcolm Hole were official guests. Cr. Boyd made the presentation to Life FM Board Secretary, Heather Toms.

We Need Support Letters

As we get closer still to our licence application, we need to show the licencing authority that we have lots of support. We already have a few letters BUT WE NEED MORE! All you need to do is state how much you are looking forward to the benefits of our new community radio station. If you would like to see examples of letters we have already received simply click here. Send your letter to us at Life FM, PO Box 1378, Sale 3850, or use our email form.

Board Office Bearers Appointed

PRESIDENT: Pastor Brian Heath
VICE PRES: Rev. David Jones
SECRETARY: Heather Toms
TREASURER: Alison Clarke

BOARD MEMBERS:
Elizabeth Harris
Deb Bye
Tony Colley
Maria Haggett
Trish Broadbear

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR BOARD AS THEY MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF LIFE FM AND AS THEY PREPARE OUR LICENCE APPLICATION.

Musician's Breakfast

On Sat 11th August The Australian Christian Artists Network is hosting the Musician's Breakfast 2001 in Melbourne at 12:30pm ('cause that's standard brekky time for musos!) Life FM plans to take a bus to the event.

This is for artists, media (that's us!), distributors, marketing, management and production = a great networking opportunity. It's $25 for the brekky + $5 for the bus - please let us know by Wed 11th July if you'd like to join us.

You can send a cheque to Life FM for $30 and we'll book all the tickets together.

Can You Help?

We've got some "ball park" prices for equipment so if you would like to donate towards any of this gear - this is what we're needing to start a studio. Donate Online.

• Studio speakers $500 pr
  Monitor speakers $ 149pr
  CD player $299
  Studio amp $499
  Monitor amp $499
  Mini Disc $599
  12 channel mixer $1095
  3 microphones $169 each
  3 headphones $80

We need Life FM Church reps!

Someone to be the contact person in your church so you can keep your congregation up-to-date with prayer points and other news as it comes to hand. This will save massive mailouts and will help us get the info out faster. Please contact us if YOU can be involved or if you know someone else who might be interested.

May 2001

First Annual General Meeting scheduled for 24th May 2001. More details to come

It's Time

It's time for us to stand up and be counted.
It's time for us to rejoice.
It's time for us to PRAISE THE LORD.

Are we so complacent that we're content to let the secular media and people who don't know God, who is in all and through all and the creator of our Universe, dictate how we should think, feel and respond to the hurt and degradation of our society?

I don't know about you but sometimes when I hear the news and the "experts" deciding our future, I just want to scream "the answer is Jesus". We are being given a UNIQUE opportunity to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. The wheels are turning faster than ever and as we spin into this next turn we need to be armed and ready for battle. And it will be a BATTLE! Satan does not want us working together as a Christian community. Satan does not want us praying against the powers of darkness and for the light of Jesus to break through. The attacks will come in many different disguises so we need to:

" Be self controlled and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion waiting for someone to devour" 1 Peter 5:8

We Need Your Support

The Australian Broadcasting Authority will soon be calling for licence applications for Gippsland. We have already had preliminary phone calls asking if we're still interested. We need to make a stand - show the ABA we mean business. There will be other groups that will apply for the licence that will be made available here - so we need to make sure that we present a strong case for what we believe God is leading us to do. We need to show the ABA that we will represent our community in a positive, supportive and constructive manner. That we will seek to build up and not break down with negativity and despair. In this International Year of the Volunteer ~ it's our time to shine for Jesus, with confidence.

Please Pray

Remember the lesson from Nehemiah? God made the way clear for Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. Nehemiah prayed and God answered his prayer (and then some!) King Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah leave of absence from his position as royal cupbearer. Nehemiah called the people together to each take a part - he told them " the God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will rise and build." Neh:1:20. They were criticised, they were attacked but in the end God saw them through and the wall was completed. "and it came about when all the enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognised that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God." Neh 6:16 (read the whole story it's great!)

What can you do? PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! Please view our updated prayer points page to pray specifically.

Blessings

We have been informed that we are to receive a $3,000 grant from the International Year of Volunteers 2001 program. This is a HUGE step forward and recognition of our volunteer status and an endorsement of our ability to make a difference!

Progress

Basil (our on air computer) has arrived and Manuel (our scheduling computer) is also now in residence at 240 Raymond Street. That means all we need now is a mixer, some microphones, a couple of CD and mini disc units and a transmitter (oh yes and also a LICENCE!) But we are well on the way and now we can refine how we will operate locally.

We now have carpet in the studio and the toilets are habitable (and there was great rejoicing in the land!)

April 2001

We're Moving In

The Life FM office is now operational at our city centre office of 240 Raymond Street (above Nu Scene). We are not yet open to the public because there is still a bit of cleaning up to do, but as soon as that is completed (hopefully this month) we will be holding prayer meetings on a weekly basis.

The team from BACE (Bairnsdale Adult Community Education) has done a wonderful job and they have worked very hard. There will still be a bit a painting and finishing off to do after the team goes on to other projects so we'll be looking for volunteers!

Membership

We need LOTS of members to show the ABA that we mean business about Christian Radio for Gippsland. Please do not use old membership forms. New forms can be printed from our website or you can request forms to be sent to you by contacting us. We have had to change the cost of membership in line with GST. If you use the old forms WE have to pay the difference