Despite only being 21 years old, Ms Varcoe has many years of experience, getting a taste for radio with the Be Heard program through school when she was 13, before joining Shepparton’s ONE FM.
“I had always been interested in a career where I could project my voice and be heard,” she said.
“I feel like a lot of youth feel intoxicated by what’s going on around them and not being heard.”
At the start of 2020, Ms Varcoe was looking around at other local stations when she heard about EMFM and gave them a call, hoping to help with their youth programs.
But their big plans to promote community radio were quashed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this, Ms Varcoe has been broadcasting on Monday nights 6 pm to 7 pm, talking about “controversial topics” targeted at young people.
In between working night shifts at Kagome and recording her programs at home, Ms Varcoe is learning Japanese, Spanish and Korean to work towards her dream of becoming a multilingual radio announcer.
“I don’t only want to be heard in English, but in multiple languages,” she said.
“I fell in love with Japanese animation (anime) when I was eight years old and once I discovered there was a whole other world out there I thought why not take my own opinions and perspective and learn the language. So I can not only communicate my side but hear their side as well.”
Now with all the experience she’s gained in community radio, Ms Varcoe’s taking on formal study with a Bachelor of Communications at La Trobe University in Melbourne, starting in June.
But it wasn’t easy getting there. She said she struggled getting into university because of her rural background.
“I didn’t get accepted as much and I’d like to encourage rural kids who do want to go and chase their dreams to keep at it – it took me a few years,” she said.
“A lot of kids in Melbourne know people or had access to careers, unfortunately we don’t have that as much,” she said.
“Not having the funding as well, even though they’re very supportive at La Trobe.”
EMFM treasurer John Vincent said they warmly welcomed Ms Varcoe, and wanted to encourage more youth to try radio.
“Not just being a part of community radio but understanding it’s a jump off; it’s free and you get all the training from people who’ve been doing it for years,” he said.
“It can go anywhere – television, journalism, wherever.”
With a new home as part of the Echuca East Community Precinct development on the horizon in 2022, Mr Vincent said the station would have more opportunities for people to come and see what community radio was all about.
He also said funding was available through various streams, something they could help with.
For more information, email info@radioemfm.org.au
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