Community
4 May, 2025
His 40 years behind the mic
IN over four years of producing the weekly Gazza’s Goss column, I’ve managed to avoid writing about myself.
That is quite an achievement for a radio jock, as we are generally renowned for having loud voices and large egos.
One radio station manager in New Zealand actually described my ego as “large enough to stroke”.
On this occasion, however, I am going to allow myself a little leeway, as Monday, May 5, is the 40th anniversary of my very first radio show back in 1985. This by no means compares with the longevity of, say John Laws, but it is a decent effort.
It is also quite a relevant story after being on air for the last six years in the Douglas Shire and, prior to this, having enjoyed a few years broadcasting to the Cassowary Coast on both 4KZ and Kool FM. These are both areas covered by Cairns Local News.
Like many budding radio presenters in the UK, before the days of Walkmans and iPods, the journey began for me on hospital radio.
With few other options of entertainment, while lying in bed getting well, listening to the hospital radio station through some small plastic headphones was extremely popular. My station, Radio St Helier in South London, actually broadcast to three hospitals which meant a possible listenership of around 3000 people. Around this time in the 1980s, the UK saw its second wave of pirate radio stations, but this time on FM as opposed to the AM pirate ships of the 1960s. This was a great chance to break out and get heard right across London.
After many adventures working in dubious tower blocks in Central London and stations occasionally getting raided, the authorities saw the people’s desire to have alternative radio options, different to the likes of the BBC.
As a result, a small number of new legal stations hit the airwaves, so my radio career headed in a more legitimate direction on stations like WNK 103.3FM in North London.
Fast forwarding to the mid 2000s, I took on a breakfast show in Christchurch, NZ, surviving earthquakes to entertain folk across Canterbury.
Keen to enjoy a warmer climate, however, the next destination was Mount Isa with Hot FM. Hot it certainly was.
Life in the Outback was a sudden shock to the system, but the mining town became the birth place of the ‘Gazza Challenge’ which was ultimately even more popular than I ever imagined, especially after then moving east, heading to Innisfail with 4KZ and Kool FM.
This is where the story becomes more relevant to readers of Cairns Local News and eventually the Douglas Gazette.
With the ‘KZ Connection’ on air during the afternoons on 4KZ and the Gazza Challenge broadcast during the breakfast shows on both 4KZ and Kool FM, it wasn’t long before locals along the Cassowary Coast acclimatised to the cockney accent on their wireless.
Features like the Googly and the Gadget attracted many callers every weekday afternoon, but it was the Gazza Challenge that really caught people’s imagination.
Each morning, listeners on the street would be encouraged to dress up and take on some tasks, with a prize to be won if completed successfully. Every Friday, the ‘Reverse Challenge’ involved me donning some weird outfit.
After four years of broadcasting along the Great Green Way, the opportunity came to move a little further north to Fab FM, transmitting across the Douglas Shire. With a show initially on in the afternoons, this allowed the Douglas locals to have a taste of the Gazza Challenge as well as the Googlies and Gadgets. This station eventually became Douglas FM, which, after 40 years, takes me up to where the story currently sits, with Breakfast Gazzamataz, on weekdays from 6 am to 9am.
I’m off to get ready for another 40 years, so for now it’s Gazza signing out.
Send your stories to gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
