In about 1974 I again met Brian and started doing some volunteer work with his group of people who were setting up the first FM radio broadcast station in Victoria.
Over the next few months as I worked with Brian and the other volunteers, I was inspired by all the many steps in his journey that he took towards getting classical music broadcasts again in Australia He told us some of the story each day. It was a long journey yet he continued on where anybody else would have just given up.
Brian used to enjoy the classical music broadcasts on the Australian Broadcasting Commission radio stations. However the Australian government decided to broadcast parliament so the people of Australia could hear the proceedings and debates of their government. So the ABC rearranged their programming to accomodate the government’s decision. They cut their classical music broadcasts from playing full works of music down to “just playing small excerpts of classical music.”
Brian Cabena objected. He wrote to his local member of parliament.
He made endless approaches to the government. He lobbied them. He came up with many alternatives such as having the government allowing the classical music lovers to have their own radio broadcast station and broadcast on the AM radio broadcast band. The government said no, the AM band is already fully occupied. Brian’s suggestion that they open up the 88 to 108 megahertz FM radio broadcast band in Australia only resulted in the government answering that that part of the radio frequency spectrum was already allocated to other services.
Eventually Brian placed an advertisement in the Melbourne Age newspaper inviting classical music enthusiasts to a meeting in the Kew town hall about getting classical music broadcasts again. About 200 people attended. That was a big step towards creating the Music Broadcasting Society which, after many years and a lot of effort, achieved Brian’s aim of having classical music broadcasts again.
I saw how Brian orchestrated several changes to the Australian government’s broadcasting policies.
He caused the government to reallocate the radio communication services which were licensed on the 88 to 108 megahertz radio frequency band and open up the FM broadcast band for FM radio broadcasting. He also caused the government to pass legislation which allowed community radio broadcasting in Australia.
Not only did I feel so privileged to be a member of Brian’s Music Broadcasting Society team. I was also able to give my grandmother , Julie Harbison aka Dr Julie Hickford, the gift of an FM radio with which she could now enjoy classical music broadcasts. She was very grateful for Brian, the Music Broadcasting Society me.
So whenever anybody complains to me about the government, they are likely to be asked by me “Have you spoken with your local member of parliament about that?