Radio news

Across May, Vision Australia Radio (VAR) is celebrating the great work that our volunteers put in across the country. The VAR network operates to address the information needs of people who are blind, have low vision or a print disability. The service would not be possible without our enthusiastic and passionate team of volunteers nationwide, who are supported by a small team of dedicated staff.

Cloudstreet is back! It’s been twenty years since the old Playbox Theatre gave us one of the most extraordinary theatrical events of the 1990s. Playbox is now Malthouse and they’ve brought back Nick Enright and Justin Monju’s adaptation of Tim Winton’s classic novel. Chris catches up with the director and producer of the stage production, before touring the galleries of Victoria and sitting down for a movie chat with film critic Marc Gracie.

With a lived experience of retinitis pigmentosa since her teens, author and educator Maribel Steel has released a paperback catered towards newcomers diagnosed with loss of sight. Aptly called ‘Blindness for Beginners - a renewed vision of the possible’, her book is self-help based and a unique blend of part-guide and part-memoir.

This week on Behind the Scenes, Chris Thompson chats with Simone Schinkel from Theatre Network Australia, checks out the latest happenings at the Art + Climate = Change Festival, and talks to Bhuto cabaret creator Yumi Umumare, among so much more. Be sure to tune in this Monday night to hear about all things creative, with Chris Thompson on Behind the Scenes.

Vision Australia Radio has teamed up with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to create a three-part podcast series about bushfire safety and home fire safety.

If elected, Paul Larcombe will be the first Australian Senator to be blind. And it’s a prospect he relishes. Having worked in federal, state and local government for almost 25 years, Paul decided 2019 was the time to run as an independent QLD candidate in this year’s federal election.

When thinking of boots-on-the-ground journalism and reporting from a war-torn and brutal country, you don’t usually also think This Is Spinal Tap. RocKabul (2018) is just that; a documentary filmed over the course of 5-6 years, chronicling the journey of Afghanistan's first metal band, District Unknown.

Showcasing the diversity that exists within Australia’s community radio sector, Broadcast Australia is a brand new Channel 31 series. Diverse and creative, inclusive and important, Broadcast Australia tells the stories of Australia’s community broadcasting sector and highlights the diverse, creative and important services it provides. For episode seven of Broadcast Australia, the C31 Production Team focused on the Vision Australia Radio (VAR) network.

1969 must’ve been a bit special because there’s a lot of 50th anniversaries in 2019, Woodstock, the moon landing and even the opening of a certain bookstore in Lygon Street, Carlton. That’s right, Readings is 50! We’ll catch up with managing director Mark Rubbo to talk about its significance in our culture and their ongoing participation at Clunes Booktown Festival.

As Australia stops to reflect on April 25, Vision Australia Radio will be paying tribute to veterans past and present with a series of special programs to commemorate Anzac Day for 2019 across our three major stations in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.