Flashback central: World Radio Day prompts mega trip down memory lane

World Radio Day certainly opened the floodgates for many a trip down memory lane, as radio presenters from both today and yesteryear reminisced about their early days on air, prompting both tears and giggles.

These are just a sample:

Gold 104.3’s Craig Huggins shared a classic photo of the studio where his radio journey began.

The pic was taken on day one of his very first mid-dawn shift on Melbourne powerhouse station 3XY.

In a social media post, Huggy said “I went to school that morning and all my friends had bleary eyes from listening. A lot of them will be reading this now, lifelong friends – Thanks for staying awake with me and encouraging me, and to Greg Smith for believing in me and giving a squeaky voiced teenager from Coburg a shot.”

Magic 1278 host and ACE Radio’s Metro Content Director Jon Vertigan also posted an early studio pic of himself.

“Happy World Radio Day! Pic of me on my first radio gig at 3SH Swan Hill in 1992.”

Kate Meade, station reporter at ABC Radio Melbourne, posted:

“World Radio Day. From Day 1 at 3YBFM, Sydney and Adelaide and now home to Melbourne. So many special people that helped me along the way. Many not featured. But I never forget. Each person with a kind word, a lesson and guidance. I’ve been very lucky. Nothing but gratitude every day.”

Gavin Miller posted a classic studio pic of himself from the nineties.

“Happy world radio day. This is from Triple M Brisbane, 1995.”

Kevin Hillier posted an early radio memory which he said always evokes both a smile and a tear.

“About 50 years ago. The great Raymie John Paul McGregor and the also unforgettable Paul J Turner and me. Happy World Radio Day.”

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia joined the nostalgia trip, with a studio pic of Croatian broadcasters from the early days of 5EBI, the radio station which began as non-English programming on Radio Adelaide (then 5UV) in 1975.

Jason Webb-Sear – aka Bodge – shared a pic from October 2015, when he first started in radio.

He was hosting the Breakfast shift at 2TM Tamworth.

Ray Arthur put up a pic of himself from his ‘wild and woolly days’ at 3SR Shepparton.

And finally, Alan McGirvan from his 4BK days in 1981.

*Main photo: Jon Vertigan, Kate Meade and Mark Taylor during The Morning Rush days on ACE Radio.