2DRY FM listeners would be familiar with the voice of DJ Dave Piper – the host of Super Sundays on the community radio station.
This month, he’s been an integral part of the 2DRY FM Radiothon raising money to help plan and cover operational budgets at the station.
Mr Piper has lived in Broken Hill for 23 years and said “the town is now and will always be home”.
Broken Hill is a far cry from Paramatta in Sydney’s west, where he had a mortgage on a one-bedroom unit.
“I was able to sell the unit, and buy a house straight out here, a lovely three-bedroom place,” said Mr Piper.
He joked that he initially joined 2DRY FM by accident in 2006, when friend gave him the name DJ Dave at the South Mine.
It wasn’t long before the radio station encouraged Mr Piper to start an hour-long show, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing – in his inaugural show, he forgot to turn the microphone on.
Notwithstanding that early stumble, his show has morphed over the years to include music from the 1960s to the 1990s.
“The management is now first class, everybody involved in the station is great, especially because back in the day, nobody knew much about us,” Mr Piper said.
A highlight of his time at 2DRY FM was when the station’s Out in the Outback show won Best New Program at the 2002 Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Awards.
A lover of singing, music, and all things theatre, Mr Piper starred as Bob the Swaggie in Australian bush musical Reedy River. During the last six years, Mr Piper has also been writing a screenplay named The Mystery of Brown Shaft.
Looking forward, Mr Piper said he is optimistic about the station’s future.
“I can only see the station getting better, I think we will get a lot more people involved, what we’ve been doing over the last couple of years has been first class,” he said.
At 75, Mr Piper has no plans to slow down, in fact, he told the Barrier Truth that “it’s full steam ahead for me”.
To get involved, to donate, or for more information relating to the Radiothon, head to this link: https://chuffed.org/project/2dryradiothon
