Graeme Stevens has been quietly working behind-the-scenes of community radio for more than 50 years — and chances are, you’ve never heard his name.
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For 18 of those years, he's kept the equipment humming at the local community radio station.
From cramped changerooms to a repurposed shipping container, and finally, its own purpose-built studio — through every move, Graeme kept the sound coming.
“It was like going from an outback dunny to the Taj Mahal,” he said.
A technical adviser at Echuca-Moama's EMFM, Graeme first became involved with the community station in October 2008.
He had already spent decades working in radio, beginning as a trainee technician at 3BR in Bendigo before qualifying and later becoming chief engineer at 3SR.
His career then took him to Melbourne and the ABC, where he helped build the Brisbane Radio Australia studios.
From there, he moved in to work with Telecom Mobile, along with broadcasting consultancy across radio and mobile phone network design.
After relocating to Echuca in 2004 for work outside the industry, Graeme tuned in to EMFM — and it wasn't long before he realised his skills were needed.
“I thought, ‘Well, I'll get in contact with them and keep the skills going,’” he said.
Giving his time freely as a volunteer, Graeme quickly found himself deeply woven into the fabric of the station.
When he came on board, EMFM's technical demands went well beyond basic computers — the station needed someone who truly understood transmitters and studio equipment inside and out.
He initially joined the committee, eventually serving as acting president and president before deciding he would rather concentrate on the technical side.
“I just wanted to help out technically. I let them sort out the politics of the station,” he laughed.
In those early days, the station limped along on ageing computers to store and play music and advertisements — and breakdowns were practically part of the weekly routine.
“We'd probably go in on site once a week and reboot the computers,” Graeme said.
The station’s ageing equipment also created problems with its transmitters and mixing console.
At one point, half the channels on the station’s old donated console were no longer working.
The solution came from an unlikely source, with a replacement ABC studio console found sitting in a garage in Broken Hill.
“We went up, got that, brought it back and installed that,” Graeme said.
"And the station has been going leaps and bounds ever since."
The equipment kept the station going until the move into its current studios in 2022.
Graeme played a central role in planning the new technical set-up — preparing detailed proposals for the equipment and then rolling up his sleeves to help with the installation alongside John Vincent and Paul Napier.
And the contrast between the new studio and the old one is stark, with Graeme laughing at how “the new facilities are like the Taj Mahal compared to what we had”.
At the former premises, the floorboards were cracked, holes had appeared in the floor and the transmitter room could fill with dust.
“When we first arrived there, we had one operational studio,” Graeme said.
“When we left the old football change rooms, we had two operational studios and fairly new transmission equipment.”
The modern set-up has also meant fewer technical problems, with newer equipment requiring less intervention.
But the work remains just as important, even if Graeme's role has shifted more towards advising than hands-on repairs.
For Graeme, however, the most rewarding part of his time at EMFM has not necessarily been the equipment.
It has been some of the amazing personalities over the years.
He remembers presenter Fred Everly, a former photographer who kept presenting classical music programs despite losing nearly all of his sight, who refused to let the loss of nearly all of his sight stop him from sharing his beloved classical music.
Each evening, Everly would settle into the studio, carefully holding a magnifying glass under a desk lamp to read the labels on his records, determined to find just the right piece of music to share with his listeners.
Stories like that are part of what has kept Graeme connected to the station.
He has also watched younger people become involved, something he sees as important to EMFM's future.
He said the station provided an avenue for people to share the music they enjoyed with the Echuca-Moama community.
“Basically, we’ll play just about anything as long as you can play it to air,” he said.
And although the DJ’s and presenters are the face of the station, Graeme believes much of the work required to keep a community station operating goes unnoticed.
There are volunteers recording music, preparing programs, organising interviews and conducting research behind-the-scenes.
Over the years, Graeme has watched the station transform from a struggling community broadcaster into an established organisation.
“When I first arrived, we had very little in the bank, even as a non-profit,” he said.
“But now the station is very well established, and it’s got the backing there to keep it going for many a year.”
For him, that is perhaps the achievement he is most proud of.
“Seeing the station go from almost closing to now looking like it’ll go on,” he said.
“I won’t say forever, but it’ll be going for a lot longer than I’ll be around.”
As EMFM celebrates its 30th birthday, Graeme believes its future will ultimately depend on the same thing that has kept it alive for three decades: people willing to give their time.
“All we need is the volunteers now to keep stepping up and doing their bit, whether it’s on air or behind-the-scenes,” he said.
And after nearly two decades of fixing, upgrading and quietly maintaining the machinery behind the voices, Graeme’s own role may have become smaller.
But the radio is still playing.