ABC series Fires pays tribute to community radio

In case you missed it, the sixth episode in the ABC’s Fires series highlights community radio and the role it played during the 2019-20 Summer bushfires.

Set in a seaside community, the episode,which ran on Sunday, 31 October, focuses on a community radio broadcaster (played by Noni Hazlehurst) who stayed on air for two days as bushfires closed in and the smoke from the bushfires block out the sun, turning day into night.

As was the case in so many community radio stations, presenters stayed on air during the worst conditions to give updates in order to help get updates out and to keep her community safe. Noni’s character is a widow who is still coming to terms with the death of her husband but who wants to turn her energy into positive.

The episode was based on events portrayed in the CBAA’s From the Embers radio short series and podcast, which won two Bronze at the New York Radio Awards earlier in October.

Each episode of Fires credits the CBAA in the end titles for its assistance in the making of the series, and especially in this specific episode as it is very much based on From the Embers.

The From the Embers documentary series takes listeners to the very heart of nine communities affected by the bushfire crisis. The communities of the Adelaide Hills, Bairnsdale, Braidwood, Cooma, Kangaroo Island, Mallacoota, Mongarlowe, Moruya and Omeo all share their stories in the 9 podcast episodes. 

You can find the ABC episode here and see the full series on ABC iView here. Click here to access the entire From the Embers podcast series.