Sinbad the Sailor

April 30, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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I’ve got a confession to make. I don’t like your children quite as much as I love mine.

That means that at times I’ve been to concerts of various kinds where my kids are involved and I’ve been thrilled to see what Emily and James have done … but after endless performances by other people’s children I’ve sometimes had a secret wish that the earth would open up and swallow me. It’s not that the other children aren’t good at what they’ve done, it’s just that I haven’t had the same level of interest that I’ve had in my own children.

I thought last night would be a bit like that. We went to see Sinbad the Sailor, performed by the students of Thornlie Christian College. Emily had a part right at the start of the production. When the curtains opened there she was, centre stage. She delivered her lines so very well but once her part was over I thought my mind would start to wander. No chance. The performance was so funny and engaging that I was a little disappointed when it was all over.

The acting skills were outstanding and drama teacher Chris Willesee, the director, has every reason to be very pleased with what his team was able to achieve.

The second and final show is on tonight at the Don Russell Performing Arts Centre and I’m told that there are still tickets available. Mind you, there are a few less tickets available than there was a short time ago. After seeing how wonderful the show was last night we’ve booked tickets for tonight’s show too.



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Stan Walker on Compassion Day

April 29, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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2009 Australian Idol Stan WalkerOn Sunday 22 November 2009, 19 year old Stan Walker’s life changed forever. He became the 2009 Australian Idol.

His first single Black Box was an instant hit. His album Introducing Stan Walker was released late last year. His new single Unbroken has just been released and is receiving airplay around Australia.

International superstar Michael Bublé was one of the guest mentors for Australian Idol 2009 and after meeting Stan and hearing him sing he said, “That voice is like God kissed his throat. It’s hard when you’re a singer and you meet a better singer than you and you have to come up and mentor them.” After one performance during Idol he left Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte speechless. Joel said that listening to Walker sing made him want to sing R&B music and Benji said he’d watch him perform wheather he won the competition or not. Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy told Stan that if he had no where to go after Idol to give him a call.

Stan joined me on the phone this morning on 98.5 Sonshine FM to talk about his new single as well as his very recent trip to earthquake affected Haiti.

Today is Compassion Day so Stan took the opportunity to urge listeners to sponsor a child through Compassion Australia. You can hear our conversation by clicking on the play button of the audio player at the bottom of this post.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR290410_1408.mp3]

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1600 Reasons to Respond

April 29, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Compassion Day 2010If you’ve had something to eat today … if you had somewhere to sleep last night … if you know where your next meal is coming from … please take just a few minutes to consider being part of Compassion Day 2010.

Throughout today a number of radio stations across Australia are encouraging listeners to sacrifice $44 a month to change the world one child at a time. As someone who has seen the work of Compassion first hand, I can assure you that this is vital work which is quite literally saving lives.

Compassion does amazing work and when you sponsor a child through Compassion you are impacting many people in the life of that child. You can help turn a whole community around by the simple act of sponsoring a child.

If you have children of your own this is a great start in teaching them the responsibility we have to reach out to those in less fortunate circumstances. It’s such a joy to hear our son James pray for Collens, our sponsored child in Haiti, every night.

On Thursday, April 29 radio listeners across the nation will have 1600 reasons to respond when stations join forces with Compassion to see 1600 children sponsored in just 16 hours. This year’s focus is on the children of East Africa, specifically Kenya, where 20 per cent of the population lives below the international poverty line, 1.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, 2.5 million children are orphans and where a third of women between 15 and 49 have suffered from genital mutilation.

This is the eleventh year for Compassion Day and we’re hoping that Australia wide 1600 children will be saved from poverty. Will you be part of Compassion Day by sponsoring a child?



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MMMWhat?

April 28, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Hanson, the boys who brought us the ridiculously catchy MMMBop, have grown up and have created this amazing video which is a must see for anyone who love the original Blues Brothers movie.

It’s a pretty good song too.



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Lost and Found

April 28, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Samsung PhoneOne of the many advantages of cycling is that you find stuff. Sometimes it’s even good stuff.

I’ve found sunglasses, tools, a very small amount of cash and a few other bits and pieces.

On several occasions I’ve found mobile phones. Most of them smashed beyond usefulness but a few have still worked. I’ve been able to track down their owners and return the phones.

Last week as I was cycling home I spotted something black on the side of the road. I stopped, turned around, went back and picked it up. It was a phone in full working order. I shoved it in my pocket and headed home, intending to check it out and try to find the owner.

As I continued my journey I heard a loud ringing. I pulled over, reached into my pocket and answered the phone, much to the relief of the lady on the other end of the line. It was her daughter’s phone and to cut a long story short we made arrangements for her daughter to drop over and pick up the phone.

Both mother and daughter were extremely appreciative and thanked me profusely.

The odd thing is, that’s not always the case. I’ve returned items such as phones and purses in the past where the owners have been polite but very reserved in their thanks. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t return stuff so that a stranger can tell me how wonderful I am but it does surprise me that they don’t seem more pleased to be reunited with something of value.

What have you lost or found?

Have you lost something and had it returned? Have you found something and tracked down the owner to return it? What was the reaction of the person who owned the item?

I’d be really interested in hearing your stories. Please leave a comment or two in the comments section of this post.



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