When proud Gumbaynggirr man Lachlan Skinner was 15 years old, owning a radio station was the last thing he could imagine doing. He was shy, kept to himself in class and had no interest in public speaking – let alone recording and broadcasting his voice nationwide. That is until he had the opportunity to be part of Speaking Hour Lingo – a radio program developed to train young people in radio and presenting.

From that moment onwards, Lachlan dreamt of establishing his very own First Nations radio station in Coffs Harbour. A place where he could provide professional media platforms for the Gumbaynggirr Community that promotes inclusion and awareness. A space for First Nations people to explore media, and support the growth of storytelling and information sharing for all Aboriginal communities. And ultimately, a place to promote his people’s stories, achievements and culture. In 2020, Lachlan’s dream came true. Here he shares his story of how OneMob Radio was born.

Speaking Hour Lingo sparked the whole thing. If you’d met me before that, there’s no way you could see me doing what I do now. But that program gave me a taste of what working in radio would be like – and once I started, I didn’t want to stop.

It was hosted by CHY FM in Coffs. I loved playing my own music and talking to an audience who couldn’t talk back. It was a weird concept, but also a really cool one and I got hooked. One of the first trips we did as part of Speaking Hour Lingo was to Sydney to visit Koori Radio in Redfern. We got to see the radio station and learn how their program came together – that’s the moment I decided I wanted that for Coffs Harbour. It might have seemed like a crazy idea at the time, but I wanted a place where First Nations people could come to do radio interviews, share stories and play their music.

Over the next 10 years, I volunteered on and off at CHY FM and established myself as a broadcaster. I learnt a lot from them, as well as other radio stations I listened to, and got a good understanding of what worked and what didn’t. The good stuff stuck with me and I put a cultural lens on all of it so it was more suited to mob.

Fast forward to 2020, COVID’s hit and everyone’s freaking out. I felt the need for community more than ever. We were running Aboriginal services catch-ups, so everyone could get on the same page and support each other. But we had no way of filtering that information out to the community.

That’s when the flame to launch a radio station was relit. I wanted people to be able to tune in and get all the updates they needed, but also to listen to our music, celebrate our culture with Gumbaynggirr language segments and encourage mental health awareness with our mindful moments that encourage connecting to Country.

All these little things came together to make a radio station. And while it started as a way to escape COVID, it’s grown into something so much more. Today we also run workshops for young people through schools and community groups. We start by getting them to record a few things and listen to their voices – that’s the first big icebreaker. Because what you think you sound like and what actually comes out of the radio is very different. So it’s about getting them used to that, building up their confidence, then teaching them how to structure a proper radio show, scripting it out and building the content around it.

Some people have gone on to develop a radio program straight after the workshop and are hosting their first show within an hour of doing the training. Those kids are fairly confident. Others take a little bit longer, but the outcomes are incredible. You find kids who don’t talk in their classroom, kids just like me, and they’re the first ones to keep coming back and recording. That’s a really special thing.

While it hasn’t come without its challenges – there’s been a lot of learning in the past two years around how to run a business, applying for funding, music licensing and Aboriginal corporation info – I’ve loved every bit of it. I’ve got an amazing support network around me, so nothing feels too big when you’ve got amazing people who are willing to help carry the load. I’m really lucky in that sense.

As for the future, I’m a very spontaneous person – it’s about putting one foot in front of the other. I think if I wasn’t like that I wouldn’t be where I am today. But that’s not to say I don’t have big plans, and moving into our own building is one of them. I love where we’re located right now, at the Groundworks Youth and Family Hub – they’re super supportive. But there comes a time when you need to move out of the nest and start to grow your own empire.

I want to have a place of our own not only for broadcasting, but a studio where musicians can record their work and share it with us. I’d love to create a hub where mob can come and just enjoy it, mingle and maybe even come on air with us and start their own show. Because once that stuff starts happening, it gives us the ability to support social and economic development and ultimately help relieve the poverty and sickness, helplessness and suffering among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. That’s our big goal, and we’re already well on our way there.

Support your mob

OneMob Radio wants to be a strong, independent First Nations media platform that aids in the cultivation and maintenance of a more closely intertwined and informed community. If you’d like to get involved, you can check them out here.

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