VOLUNTEERS are the lifeblood at 5RPH Adelaide, a radio reading and information service for the print-handicapped delivered through the 1197AM frequency, and thanks to four dedicated retirees, South Australians get to hear about life on the land through a weekly reading of the Stock Journal.
It is just one of many publications that more than 140 volunteers produce at the Vision Australia Radio studios at Mile End in Adelaide.
Every week, they spend more than 450 hours to edit, read, operate and present a variety of programs.
Brian and Sue Nancarrow, Golden Grove, have been reading the Stock Journal for 5RPH for 17 years, after retiring as teachers.
"I started volunteering here doing a Lions program and then was asked to volunteer to do other programs, the Stock Journal just happened to be one of them," Sue said.
"I started reading the Stock Journal because nobody else wanted to do it.
"They all thought it was about the stock exchange!"
Brian always had an interest in radio and said his colleagues often told him what a "lovely microphone voice" he had.
Inara Gehling, also a retired teacher, from Sellicks Beach, has been at the station for four years and reading the Stock Journal was one of the first programs she took on.
"I really appreciated its high quality of reporting," she said.
"Plus it's great to be able to show off when you go to country friends for dinner and say, 'oh yes, I hear that the top price for cattle was such and such'.
"Even if you're not a farmer, there are always a number of articles in there that are pertinent and it doesn't matter if you're not on the land."
Irene Glasson, Beaumont, began volunteering at the studio after retiring as a nurse and remembers the Stock Journal as she grew up on a farm.
"It was called the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal back then, and I remember it was printed on pink paper, so it has been a part of my life, nearly all the way through," she said.
"I remember the first time I read, I came across something called 'cwt', so I remembered to ask afterwards what it meant and was told 'carcase -weight' and I thought, of course it is!"
The Stock Journal is broadcast for an hour at 7.30pm on a Friday evening but the recording is done the day before.
Brian said there are three processes involved in preparing to record.
"One is editing, which means selecting the articles that will be read, the second is pre-reading and the third is reading and recording," he said.
Inara said they had to pre-read the Stock Journal "because of all the technical, and sometimes foreign names, that come up".
The four of them pick articles that they think will be of most interest to the public - and fit into the hour-long slot.
"I think variety is really important," Inara said.
"It might be harvest time, but you can talk about free trade agreements or innovations, and you can't forget sheep or cows."
Sue added that it used to only be a half-hour program but there was "more than enough information to extend the running time".
"We've had listeners call it the 'Moo Baa Oink Weekly," Brian said.
The four of them, who have volunteered their time with other associations such as the Lions Club, have worked on their broadcasting skills.
"Modulation is important," Inara said.
"You have to speak like you are actually talking to someone and if I'm not interested in hearing myself, no one else is.
"The other thing is that newspapers are written for reading, not for vocalising, so that can be a little challenging. "You try to make it smooth, but we are amateurs."
Brian is quick to correct this.
"Good amateurs," he said.
"And the underlying purpose of being here, of course, is our audience.
"We cater for print-handicapped people and that's our prime purpose."
But it is not only the vision-impaired who tune in. The station is used as a learning resource, and by those who do not have time to sit down and read.
Sue said nurses, courier drivers, doctors, farmers and others who found themselves short on time to read a newspaper listened to 5RPH.
