Patty's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Patty
Patty was the first Roving Reporter for the ABC Radio in Brisbane. Live radio is risky business,with no 7-second delay, but Patty's daily adventures kept listeners enthralled as she and Peter Dick went to air to 250,000 listeners.
Sit back and listen how she captures the early mornings of Brisbane.
Wandering the supermarket, I stumble with an empty basket and list of half written poems, Through aisles and adjectives, Picking up a punnet of puns, A sonnet of strawberries, but not before kissing each one and biting the red flesh. I’m afraid the delicatessen isn’t looking very delicate at all today, My unmade bed of writing strewn along the counter like a cheap woman’s perfumed sheets, Hiding a badly written sentence. I catch a stray paragraph and beat it into submission, stuffing it into overflowing pockets of rhyme. Standing at the potatoes, I massage one in each hand, fondling the clinging red dirt until it digs under my nails, and the words waterfall out of my head, making damp the soil. Mute, I’m digging the grave, planting the tree, busy hands smoothing the fresh earth. I’m a farmer, mother, lover, a man with slicked back hair, who’s looking for his wife. I finally drop the yams, yarning to strangers as my hands wipe dusty memories on stoic thighs, I carry the weight of words to the next passage. Inspecting each stanza, I hold it up to the light and turn this way, and that, looking for a better way. I edit before I’ve even written: pre-empt poor structure, synapses birth synopsis, and synonyms. Phrases escape my lips, until I push them back with a muffled gasp, silently stuffed into each corner of my mouth. Sated, I burp my way past the coffee, cat food and cans, wondering where my next meal of words will take me. A recipe for perilous penchant. Patty Beecham ©
It's OK to be silly with your writing. This is best read aloud, to anyone under 98. Just for fun! A fairytale with a twist. (c) Patty Beecham
A poem by Patty Beecham.
…And I hug my son so deeply that I press him into my chest… Until his bones are squeezed in between my ribs… Until his skin and his pores become my flesh, and our bones calcify. I wrap both of my arms around him, and hold him, and breathe him in…
When your son leaves you, it’s like a part of your heart breaks off, And carves into the ocean, and you know you can never stick it back. He becomes an island, and your heart becomes a broken jigsaw of isthmuses And estuaries, and jaggedness
Where once was smooth.
When your parent dies, gravity ceases to exist, and you float, weightlessly without direction, like that party balloon drifting across the roofs and houses of strangers, No one to hold you: the weight of all those memories binding you together And ungrounded, your heart becomes a sinkhole, with
No one to pull you back to earth.
When you find that person who loves you, it crushes everything, like a thousand volcanoes erupting, to the point where you can’t breathe: to the point where you can’t think; You explore the broad brown paddocks and wild plains of his shoulders. His granite arms. His breath becomes your breath, his thoughts become your thoughts, and you both move like glaciers, as time stands still. The weight of mountainous love is too much to bear.
Such alps and valleys of life.
When you lose a child, you lose everything. You lose the future. You lose the life you would have had together. You lose hope. You lose love. There is only blackness and stillness and deep, dark waters that make you dog-paddle in oceans of grief; until your arms flail with tiredness, and your legs have no kick.
There is no other option but to sink to the bottom of the world without a sound.
When you lose a friend, you leave the door open for loneliness to come in and make itself at home. You lose your laugh, and it’s replaced by the sound of a wine bottle being twisted open and poured; and it’s a desert. It’s the Nullarbor of our lives; flat and featureless, without rhythm, or bumps. Every day is an effort to step one foot in front of the other, and walk that dryness and not fall over the cliffs, to find what’s around the corner, when there are no corners, just straight lines, leading to the dusty horizon.
That damn horizon, and the setting sun. (c)
Winner of The Professor Bruce Dawe, AO, Patronal Prize.
Prism43 #Iamwriting #Poetry
Jamie Dunn, well known broadcaster for 4BC Brisbane, had a breakdown near our dealership. Intrepid salesman Ron Jackson saved the day with this call.
So many books, so little time…
There’s such a bewildering array of business books out there, you don’t know where to start.
You have a pile of ‘to-read’ books cluttering up your office and never have time to read them.
Your work life is so busy that you rarely have time to read a newspaper, let alone a business book.
You know learning and keeping up to date is important, but you also need to spend time networking and making new business contacts.
You read business books but you don’t have anyone to discuss them with, to share ideas and work out practical ways to apply what you’ve learned.
You love to read but can’t remember the last time you finished a book.
If these situations sound familiar, then the Teak Yew Business Book Workshops are for you.
Run by Dr Monique Beedles, an experienced business consultant and adviser, the Teak Yew Business Book Workshops offer an opportunity for in-depth facilitated discussion of specially chosen business books. As a business owner or manager, each book offers you both theoretical insights and practical applications of new ideas for your business.
Each month Monique prepares detailed reading notes, which assist you to identify the key concepts from the book and reflect on how the ideas presented could be applied to your own situation. Monique also provides a range of related resources if you’d like to investigate topics in more detail.
Participants read the book and the reading notes prior to coming along to the workshop. Details of how to obtain a 15% discount on the book's recommended retail price from Management Books are provided after registration.
The 2 hour workshop provides an opportunity to meet with like-minded business people who are keen to explore ideas and engage in lively discussion. Monique’s extensive facilitation and consulting experience ensures that the workshop has a practical focus and that you will come away with actions you can implement.
Workshop includes:
Reading notes prepared by Dr Monique Beedles & emailed to you on registration 2 hours facilitated discussion on the book of the month Access to related resources Networking with like-minded business people An opportunity to explore ideas in a lively environment Practical learning that you can apply in your business life Delicious refreshments 15% discount on the recommended retail price of the book of the month when ordering from Management Books (details on registration) This session's book:
Book: 'Small Giants'
Author: Bo Burlingham
Remember when Peter Dick gave me free tickets to the Black Tie Opening Night of the Brisbane International Film Festival? No, me either, but he took them back with only 30 minutes to go. Listen now..
I wrote a quick jingle to the tune of The Wheels of the Bus, and this is the result. ha.
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Call the Feedback line to record your comments for on air replay. The feedback line can be heard weekdays on 612 ABC Brisbane, at 5.50am 6.50am 1.25pm and 4.20pm.
So now my Watchers are also Stars, that's wonderful. Eamonn also got a mention on air, woot!
My old radio station finally began online streaming and Katy was the first person to ring and say gday. *NB:The picture is of a "Spencil".
What are Lori's Top Ten ideas for immigrants, to make their stay more enjoyable in Australia? Find out, listen now.
Can you believe it's a year since Lori and her family came frm America to stay here. Here's the wrapup!
NOTE: This broadcast is very quiet, sorry, turn up your speakers.
I stumbled across this interview with Denise Hagen, and it's great to hear about the postive changes at Lockhart....
My brother John is in Bowen, as a movie guide. Listen to the second installment of how Baz Luhman's newest movie epic is going. Did a backpacker really leave his car parked as they were trying to shoot a cattle drive in the main street? Find out!
My brother John being interviewed as a Movie Guide, helping Bowen create Baz Lurhmann's newest movie epic.
The end of the year, and what was the highlight radio-wise for me? The Chooks, at the Ekka, of course!
Sitting on a pole, watching the dawn come up, all in the name of a good cause....the things I do!
It's now 6 months since American Lori moved with her family to Australia. How has she coped?
Another update for Lori from America, how is she coping with life Down Under, and how is hubbys chillli sauce cravings?
Live report from outside Australia Zoo, the day after Steve Irwins (Crocodile Hunter) shocking, untimely death.
The first interview of Lori with Spencer Howson, as she prepares to arrive in Brisbane for a 2-year stay with her family.
How do they change the light bulbs at the Gabba? Very carefully! I was there to see.....
I took a small group of Salvation Army collectors to form a cheer squad for poor Jim Paxton to come out of retirment. (He used to ring our station each and every day and tell us what we had done wrong)
One of our listeners used to ring every day and tell us what we did wrong, and what he didn't like. He became a reluctant fan of ours. But then he decided to retire! Oh no!!
So what's on sale at the school fete, trying to find out is like pulling teeth, and that's the adults!
Monty was a special dog, so special the local Council built a bronze statue to honour him, woof!
Interviewing two runners for the annual Great Court Race, held at Qld Uni. Think Chariots of Fire, and then some.
(My phone in those days was a huge and heavy beast, and it clunked and bashed against my poor derriere for the whole race. Talk about bruising!)
I called in to see how the first family in Brisbane found their Cable TV . Was it worth watching?
Does a mobile phone really work under water? Are waterslides scarey? Come with me on my morning adventure and find out....
The Troop Train was re-enacting a long trip to Townsville, and I was there to capture the farewells and memories....
One morning the phone rang at 4.30am. "Patty! Can you come in straight away, the producers not here and Peter is frantic!" and so I stumbled my way into the studio to produce the Breakfast Show. It was bliss!
No early morning city traffic. No icy cold mornings. No phone or battery problems. No pre-interview nerves or worries. No respect. ...and no idea who the winner is. My counting sucks...lol
Bugger!
(Our real producer was on the phones constantly (they always ring!) but Peter thinks that all the attention has to be on him look at me! Look at me! and has failed to ever learn that women can multi-task. That's why we have the babies, right? *wink
Brisbane City Council had a new fleet of airboats for mosquito spraying control, and I was onboard for a great ride.
(Actually, the thing is, we didn't go out at all, as it was low-tide and simply cost too much in time and effort, so we did the report parked, on land. It's called 'the magic of radio", shhhh)
So how do you empty a wheely-bin in front of 250,000 listeners? Very carefully.... Part 2 of my FIRST-EVER interview!
It was the annual Show in Brisbane, 10 days of fairy floss, stomach churning rides, best cake exhibits...and the chooks! (chickens)
In my best Ekka tradition (Exhibiton) I made my last report at the chooks.
So I can't say prosthetics, shoot me! Behind the scenes when the Phantom of the Opera came to town.
Interviewing the young and beautiful (and scantily dressed) stars of a new show, and learning to dance with a chair.
The Body Health and Harmony show was in town for the weekend, lots of hippy and New Age things to see and do, and we thought it would be fun for me to 'learn to sing' with a voice teacher.
Listen to the 'before and after' lesson, good fun!
This is one of my favorite broadcasts, hope you also enjoy it.
This is my first ever interview on live radio, after contributing regularly for the past 2 years to the Breakfast Show. How did I go doing live radio on the garbage truck? Was I nervous? Did it smell? Find out!
A local high school had an invovative program wtih young teenagers who thought they wanted a baby. Not likely after listening to this racket!
We thought it might be a bit of fun to learn to meditate, live on radio, here my report here. Ooooom
Brisbane has a new fleet of City Cat Ferries, and I was the very first passenger, woot!
I had to do an interview for a fundraiser run by the Heart Foundation. Week after week it was delayed, due to weather, time and committments etc. Finally, we were to jump! By then Peter said not to do it, but how could I back out?
It was a very windy day, and the plane crew were anxious to do it quickly, so the brief was very short and sweet. HEAD BACK! CROSS ARMS. KNEES TOGETHER! And we were off, but by then, the radio team had left for lunch, taking a national feed from Sydney, so I had to speak to an empty studio.
The harness straps under my arm burst my blood vessels, and I was bruised for weeks afterwards, but what fun! Listen now....
Australia was beaten in a match against New Zealand, so I went out to ask the Under 7 Football Team for some advice for our players when they played South Africa next weekend.
Kids, eh?
Barry Manilow was in town, but had spat the dummy and refused all interviews.
My radio challenge was to find him, and quick!
Failing that it's just not that easy to front perfect strangers and entice them to sing, either.
I had to go to the Airforce at Amberley, and the temperature was -5c, and freezing. Early in the morning I went gliding with Morris. Part 1.
One morning I had to help change the frames of aggressive beehives, all 150,000 of them. Did I get stung on live radio?
This is my radio report of the time I swam with sharks, and even patted one underwater! Peter used to get perverse pleasure from sending me to scary, dangerous places. Many mornings I would have to remind myself that I was a mother of two beautiful, small children, and should I really be doing this? But I loved it too, each day bringing me some new discovery, some privilege that no-one else could see/touch/experience. One of these things, was to swim with the sharks, early in the morning. I planned my revenge....listen here.