What The Hills?!

Do you know what to do when you find a native animal in need of help?  It's something that we face often in our Adelaide Hills lifestyle, and many people don't know what to do or who to turn to for help.   Save Our Wildlife Foundation Inc, known as SOWFI, is here to help, anywhere in South Australia.  They will rescue an animal in need, and provide the care that will give that animal the best outcome possible.  But they can also train you as a wildlife carer, so that you can join the team and nurse animals back to health.   Join me as I chat with Marian MacLucas about SOWFI and their work with wildlife.   If you find an animal in need of assistance, call SOWFI at any time on 7120 6610

Ginger Rogers did it backwards and in high heels.  And the Woodchester Community Dance Club is now giving people the opportunity to learn to dance in a friendly, comfortable club.    Some listeners will remember the days of the regular community dance, or when dancing in the arms of your partner was a weekly occurrence.  The club wants to bring back those days, without the stress and expense of formal classes.   Daryl Owen joined me this week to talk about all the benefits of dance, and how you can get involved.

There's been a lot of talk over the past couple of years about the need for a commuter rail service between the Adelaide Hills and the metropolitan area. On the surface the idea sounds like a good one.  Get cars off the freeway, and give people a stress-free way to get to work on convenient public transport. But when you start to think about it, all sorts of problems arise, from where to put the track, to how we'll get from our homes to the closest railway station. One person who's thought a lot about these problems is Douglas McCarty.  His career has given him an unique insight into the issues and the solutions, and he thinks he has a plan that could see us all catching trains to town within five years.

So I was quietly minding my own business producing a weekly podcast and radio program, when the radio station was invaded by work experience students. Naturally they needed to make their own episode of What The Hills, and here it is. They're talking about how school can be improved, so listen in and get a student's take on the education system.

Does Mount Barker need a green grassy town square, a bustling commercial city centre, or something in between?  That's the question many of us have been discussing over the past couple of years as the future of a large block of vacant land in the centre of town was decided. Kym Burke of Burke Urban Investments has been central to the decision making process.  I met with him to ask some questions about the development and what we can expect. This is the second half of the interview.  To hear the entire conversation check out previous episodes of the What The Hills podcast.

In this month's catch up we find out what happened on the Mayor's trip last month.  We also cover some recent news items from Council including the Dynamic State Summit, the heritage smelting site at Callington, bushfire recovery, the draft annual business plan, Country Cabinet, and food mapping.

This week my guest is Kym Burke of Burke Urban Investments.  They're one of the major developers you'll see working around the district, and they have been chosen by Mount Barker District Council to develop that large vacant block in the middle of town into a huge Town Centre complex. We had such an in-depth talk that it's going to take two episodes to get through everything.  Here's the first half of our chat.

U3A, or the University of the Third Age, sounds like something mysterious when you first hear about it.  But it's really not that mysterious at all.  In fact, it's something that thousands of people do every week.  It's fun and social and a great way to learn and share skills for anyone over 50. I caught up with Geoff Edwards to hear all about what U3A is doing right here in the Adelaide Hills.

The Peramangk people have always been a people of fire.  We all know of their history of making and sharing fire with their neighbours.  After many long years since the disruption of European settlement the Peramangk are back, proud and strong, growing that fire of their culture and their language right here in the Adelaide Hills. This week I caught up with Courtney Hebberman, a Peramangk and Ngarrindjeri woman, who is doing everything she can to share and grow her culture in the community. Courtney is an amazing person, and we could have chatted for days about all of her interests and her activities to improve the lives of the people around her.  Here is just a bit of our conversation.  I think there will be many more to come.

This week's guest is United Australia Party candidate Samantha McGrail.   Samantha decided last year that the best thing she could do to stand up for what she believes in is to represent the party which most closely aligns to her views.  Having never been involved in politics before, it's been a very steep learning curve for her to get to this point.  Samantha is undeterred, however, and is looking toward the election with great determination.

Happy Mother's Day! We have a special Mother's Day guest for you this week.  I'm talking to Lisa Yates from the Mount Barker Mum's Group on Facebook.  We talk about the very beginning of the group, how it's grown over the years, and what it offers to the parents of the Mount Barker district - and much further afield.  The group has had a big impact on its members, with support and information being offered on all sorts of topics from nappy rash to surviving the teenage years.  So much of an impact that it was recognised in the 2022 Australia Day Awards. And I'd like to say Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums listening, including my own Mum.  Have a fantastic day.

A quick midweek episode all about Nairne's main street. Main Streets Week is coming up, and if you love Nairne's main street, this is your opportunity to show it by entering a photo competition. Listen in for details, and to hear all about why Eduardo thinks Nairne's main street is special.

Helen from St Andrew's church in Strathalbyn talks about upcoming events being run as part of the church's huge fundraising effort. Why do they need to raise funds?  What's happening?  Will we hear bagpipes? All this and more will be revealed!

This week's guest is current serving member and Centre Alliance candidate, Rebekha Sharkie. Rebekha has been serving the Mayo community for the past six years, and says it's a job she loves and wants to continue doing.  Given that she sees the election as a job performance review, I asked her all about how she thinks she's been doing so far. We covered topics from aged care and health to telecommunications and how she works with other members of parliament at both the state and federal levels.

This week on What The Hills we present a special Anzac program. For me as a kid growing up in a service family I've seen Anzac day dawn services all over the country.  At military bases, in major cities, in tiny country towns, and at the beach.  I've seen the popularity of attending the services swell leading up to the centenary of the 1915 landing at Gallipoli, and it's been heartening to see so many young people attending, either with their families or independently. This year, I have a story to share with you.  Over the past few years I've been slowly researching the history of my great great uncle Charlie:  Charles Roy Stanbridge.  Along the way I've learned about not only Charlie, but his group of mates, named in the newspapers of the time as the Gallipoli Die-Hards. We all have a story of a service person in the family.  Whether it's as old as that of Charlie and his mates, or it's someone serving today, all the stories deserve to be told, and to be heard.

This week's guest is Labor candidate for Mayo, Marisa Bell.   Marisa's long career in nursing and training has given her a strong background in advocacy.  It is that advocacy which she feels gives her the skills she needs to represent the people of Mayo at the federal level.  Marisa's compassion and desire to improve the safety and treatment of people a risk is evident when she speaks about the topics closest to her heart.   I caught up with Marisa to find out who she is and what her views are on the issues important to us.

This week's guest is Greens candidate for Mayo, Greg Elliott.    When Greg told the local Greens that he would do whatever he could for the cause, he didn't immediately realise that he would be the next candidate in the federal election.  He's taking it all in his stride, though, and doesn't seem to be at all overwhelmed by the situation.   I caught up with Greg to find out who he is and what his views are on the issues important to us.

This month we're talking about the Aquatics Centre, Climate Change, the Town Square plan and Live Streaming of Council meetings. Your monthly catch-up with Mayor Ann Ferguson of Mount Barker District Council.

With the South Australian state election out of the way, it's time to turn our thoughts to the Federal election, and another round of corflutes, promises, hand shaking and democracy sausages. What the Hills is working through another round of candidate interviews, catching up with as many as we possibly can before the big day. This week we meet Liberals candidate Allison Bluck.  Allison is reasonably new to the political scene, but she comes with a lot of enthusiasm and a drive to do the best she can for her party and for the Mayo community. I caught up with Allison recently to find out who she is and what her views are on the issues important to us.

Being involved in local community radio as I am, I get to meet a lot of local musicians.  What I most love is finding out about new artists who are at the start of their careers, and getting to know them at this most exciting time of their lives. This week I met the lovely Ella and Sienna.  They are launching their musical careers and already have an impressive number of performances to their name.  With the recent release of their new track and studio time booked later this year there's a lot to get exited about. I caught up with Ella & Sienna for a chat, but I also had the pleasure of featuring them as guests on my Sunday evening radio program, Say Hello, along with my co-hosts Bob and the Bus Man.  Today you get to hear both interviews, and if you're listening on the radio you'll hear two great tracks from Ella and Sienna.