Gavin Miller: Living the dream

There’s nothing like a pandemic to make you reassess your life, or – in Gavin Miller’s case – reinforce your decision to pursue a long-held dream.

Leaving his successful drive shift at Melbourne’s Gold 104.3 in favour of travelling and making a ‘portable’ living was not something Gavin took lightly.

But it felt right.

He told Radio Today “Doing drive for Gold 104.3 was a dream gig. I was very lucky to have had it. But ten years of doing the exact same thing was enough for me.”

Extended lockdowns only served to push home the point that life is short.

As so many Melburnians can attest, the last two years have been challenging to say the least. But one thing many of us did embrace was the potential to work from home.

“Those on-again off-again lockdowns weren’t exactly a barrel of fun, so I decided to get out of the city when my contract expired and pivot towards remote work.”

Gavin says life is already way busier than he anticipated, and for that, he’s very grateful.

He’s now channelling his energy and passion into The Classic Hits Countdown, heard on Magic 1278 in Melbourne and across the ACE network on Sunday mornings from ten until midday.

Gavin says it’s a super simple concept: “Each week we pick either a year or a theme and we count down the top 20.”

The show has also been picked up by Territory FM in Darwin and 2BS FM and BRock FM in Gavin’s hometown of Bathurst.

“That’s 13 stations so far, and there are more 7 more stations joining the party in April. My goal is to get The Classic Hits Countdown on all over the map, so I’m pretty happy with how it’s going so far.”

For Gavin – a self-confessed country boy at heart – it’s the perfect fit:

“I can totally relate to how important it is to make regional listeners feel included and give them the best possible content. I’m loving the idea of the Classic Hits Countdown going out to places I’ve never been on-air before, from Deniliquin to Darwin, and I’m also loving being back on the air in Bathurst for the first time in over 30 years. Regional radio is how I got my start, so I feel very emotionally connected to the idea of working with these awesome smaller companies.”

More info on Gavin’s work and The Classic Hits Coundown can be found here.

Since taking the leap, Gavin hasn’t looked back.

Instead of set shifts, these days Gavin sets his own hours.

His biggest adjustment so far has been waking up on survey day without that familiar pre-ratings knot in his stomach.

“Some days I close the lid of the laptop and go for a walk on the beach and I think to myself, ‘I’m bloody DOING it! After five years of planning for this, it’s happening NOW!’”

Seems there’s a lot to be said for taking the leap – and living the dream.