Congratulations to Conrad Browne, Dale Simpson and Melanie Robinson of Vision Australia Radio after each winning accolades at the 2021 Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) Community Radio Awards recently.
With more than 320 entries across 30 award categories and representing a diverse cross-section of the community radio sector, this year’s contest had some stiff competition.
Jon Bisset, CBAA’s CEO, said, “We congratulate this year’s winners. This year the entries were difficult to judge because the standard of work is always high and we congratulate everyone who participated. These awards are important for stations because they can help secure funding and sponsorship. We are very pleased for our winners.”
Station Leadership Award: Conrad Browne, Manager Vision Australia Radio and Audio Services
The Station Leadership award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated sustained exceptional leadership in their station and has displayed community radio virtues through a specific aspect of broadcasting – cultural, technical, or organisational – on air and/or behind the scenes.
Conrad has done just that over more than 25 years in the sector. Watch Conrad's interview here (CBAA Facebook video)
Excellence in Technical Services: Dale Simpson, Broadcast Systems Technician at Vision Australia Radio
Dale does brilliant work at the station, ensuring that people with low vision, blindness and a print disability can keep accessing the content they need.
Conrad Browne, Vision Australia Radio’s network manager said Dale was nominated because of his exceptional work ethic and dedication.
“The role requires someone to be available at all times and Dale goes above and beyond this. After years of service and dedication to community radio, it’s wonderful that he has had this acknowledgement.
The Excellence in Technical Services award recognises the contribution of an engineer improving and supporting a station’s technical facilities and engaging others in developing the stations technical facilities. Watch Dale's interview here (CBAA Facebook video)
National Features and Documentary Series: Melanie Robinson
Melanie received the award for the entry "Rideability", about the important role horses play in animal assisted therapies.
The concept came from Melanie's past experience with the organisation Riding for the Disabled Victoria. Watch Melanie's interview here (CBAA Facebook video)
Winners have been announced via the CBAA Facebook page from 6-17 December.
Winners for the Michael Law Award and Tony Staley Award will be presented at the CBAA Conference in March 2022
About Vision Australia Radio
The Vision Australia Radio Network operates to provide access to news, information and entertainment for people who are blind, have low vision or a print disability.
The service is delivered by an enthusiastic and passionate team of volunteers nationally with the support of a small team of dedicated staff. Website and Facebook.
