Moments

Tonight I had a lovely moment with my sister, Pat. We just looked at each other and instantly knew what the other was thinking. We’ve known each othervfor almost 60 years – she was there when I was born – and though we call each other sister and brother, we have an almost parent and child relationship. Maybe a bit of both? It was just a lovely feeling of being home. The knowing sparkle in each others eyes.

I arrived home in Lismore on Tuesday for a couple of weeks. I’m here for Easter and Anzac Day before heading back to Sydney.

While I was still in Sydney, my niece visited, which was great. We did some fun things, including seeing a comedy show at the Comedy Store in Moore Park as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival.

We had great seats with a food and wine package, and the comedy was a lot of fun. A particular highlight was Rebecca De Unamuno, who I’ve known through work for a few years. It was lovely when she saw me in the crowd and said hello.

She’s incredibly funny, especially her improvisation. She can take a few audience questions and build a whole story around them. Even though some of it is based on established routines and clever questioning, it still feels incredibly skillful. The other comedians were funny too, but I especially enjoyed seeing Rebecca.

While my niece was in town, we also had our regular “First Sunday Rose Club” get-together. It’s been going for almost a year now, where friends and I meet on the first Sunday of the month to go somewhere for roast lunch.

This time, we went to the Woolpack Hotel in Redfern. It was quite funny because my niece, who’s from the country, and her friends had some preconceived notions about Redfern. It’s really become quite a middle-class area now, and the roughness often associated with it, partly due to racism, has largely disappeared.

The pub itself was lovely. We sat outside in the sunshine and had great conversations. The roast wasn’t the best we’ve had, but the service was excellent, the location was great, and we had a lovely afternoon.

My niece also became quite obsessed with op shops, especially one near my place. She spent a lot of time there and bought quite a few things, some of which she left behind for when she comes back, and also to avoid having too much luggage.

While she was staying with me, I did a bit of work one afternoon. I teach radio students at the film, television, and radio school. I listen to their work, talk about the industry, and give them feedback. They’re currently involved with “Show Radio,” covering the Royal Easter Show with broadcasts and stories about the show and rural life. It’s really enjoyable to talk with them, especially with my own experience broadcasting from the Royal Easter Show and growing up in the country.

It’s a pleasure to connect with these young people – and not all of them are young; one student in her 70s was keen to learn more about radio as part of her journalism portfolio. She was very good. It’s also great to see the younger ones who are really excited about working in audio. For a while, it felt like some people went into radio because they couldn’t get into TV, which was a bit disappointing for me as I’ve always loved audio. I enjoy TV too, and I’ve done some presenting and producing, but I prefer the spontaneity of radio. TV can feel more rehearsed, and people might not let their guard down as much. However, TV can capture nuances like nods and eye contact better than radio.

I worked today from the ABC office in Lismore, and it was lovely to reconnect with some people I’ve known for up to a couple of decades. But with the upcoming public holidays, I’m hoping to get out and about in Lismore and relax.

Since my hip operation, life has been quite tough, and I’ve had some down moments. But I’m trying to focus on getting a little better each day. I’ve had some big naps this week, but today was good – a full day of work without feeling too tired. I did have a lie-down when I got home, which is why I have the energy to write this now.