Fine Music 102.5 Recognised at Community Awards

St Leonards based community radio station Fine Music 102.5 has been awarded a Community Group of the Year Award at the 2017 North Sydney Community Awards.

The award, which recognises a local community group helping to make the local area a better place, is a first for Fine Music, Australia’s first FM radio station. It was ‘a pleasure to accept the Community Group of the Year Award on behalf of the over 300 volunteers and 4 staff of Fine Music 102.5’ said Janine Burrus, Fine Music Chair. In addition to broadcasting classical, jazz and other specialist music genres, Fine Music has for many years contributed to the development of emerging musical talent through various youth award and scholarship programs, assisting young musicians to develop careers in their chosen fields of music.

‘We value the support of our local community which enables us to share our love of Fine Music and providing opportunities for emerging artists" Janine said.

The community group award was one of two awards received by the station at the awards ceremony held on Friday, 15 September. Four Fine Music 102.5 volunteers received an award for their outstanding service to the community.

‘Fine Music volunteers, from the very birth of the station, have been unique, they are hardworking and dedicated in their contributions to making the station a success’ said David James, the radio station’s first Station Manager and current volunteer and committee member.

Maureen Meers, one of the four award recipients, began volunteering at Fine Music shortly after her retirement in 1994, volunteering in various positions including on-air presenter, presenter trainer, board member and committee member. Describing her last 23 years at Fine Music as ‘the best of her life’, Maureen said “I love the radio station and everything that I do there, the company of the many other volunteers also makes every day spent at the station a joy”. This sentiment is one echoed by fellow award recipient Sue Ping Kee, a Fine Music volunteer since 2012.

Sue, who organises CDs in the Fine Music library each Tuesday for use on-air the following week, said “the most enjoyable part is the stimulation and camaraderie of those around you, everyone knows more than me about music, and is happy to help in any way”.

Fine Music will be celebrating the year’s achievements including the opening of the Fine Music Centre and the appointment of Toby Thatcher as Patron of Emerging Artists at the Celebration of Fine Music fundraising event on Tuesday, 26 September. All funds raised will support the Fine Music Emerging Artists program. For further information visit www.finemusicfm.com/COFM