August, 2011:

Jack Vidgen in Perth

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Until recently he was a Sydney school boy. These days he’s touring the country with a growing overseas interest in his amazing new career.

Jack Vidgen is only 14 but his voice has an incredible maturity. He’s able to sing meaning into his music in a way that many people twice his age just can’t.

Jack burst onto our TV screens on the 3rd of May this year in his first appearance on Australia’s Got Talent. He quickly became a favourite and progressed through to the final which he then won thanks to votes from fans around the country.

Jack Vidgen joined me in the studio today as part of the Morning Café on 98.5 Sonshine FM.

You can listen to our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

From the moment Australia first saw Jack it was obvious that he’d had performance experience. We talked about his previous experience and the journey that led him to the television talent show. I also asked how someone so young remains grounded when they have people in the music industry, including the judges on Australia’s Got Talent, saying such incredible things about him and his talent.

Jack is constantly compared to Justin Beiber but I’m sure it won’t be long before the world knows him for who he is rather than any similarities between him and other singers.

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World Suicide Prevention Day

Aug 30th, 2011

by Rodney Olsen.

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It’s something that tears families apart and leaves an ache that doesn’t seem to diminish over the years. It raises unanswerable questions and takes more lives each year than the road toll, yet we hear far less about its devastating effects.

Each year in Western Australia, over 200 people complete suicide and an even greater number harm themselves in suicide attempts. Suicide prevention is everyone’s business and we all play an important role in preventing suicide in our community.

Saturday the 10th of September is International World Suicide Prevention Day.

World Suicide Prevention Day is held on September 10th each year. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented. Disseminating information, improving education and training, and decreasing stigmatization are important tasks in such an endeavour. The theme in 2011 is “Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies”.

To find out more about the part that we can all play in preventing suicide I spoke to Jade Lewis on my radio program, the Morning Café. You can hear our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

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Please Join the Battle Against Cancer

Aug 25th, 2011

by Rodney Olsen.

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If it hasn’t touched your life yet, I can almost guarantee that it will.

We don’t like to talk about cancer so we can sometimes start believing that we’re alone in facing its effects. The reality is that since I’ve started talking to others about cancer I haven’t encountered even one person who hasn’t been personally affected in one way or another.

I do hope you can spare just a few moments to read my personal appeal to you and consider helping

I’m about to undertake a bike ride of over 500 km from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Cancer Council Western Australia. This will be the third year in a row that I’ve cycled for this cause. I feel very strongly about it and if you’ve been effected by cancer, I’m sure you do too. The work being done by Cancer Council Western Australia is having effects right around the world through their high level research.

I’ll be joined by twelve other cyclists and each morning for a week I’ll be sharing cancer stories on the Morning Café, my 98.5 Sonshine FM radio program, before hopping onto my bike just after midday to cycle to the next town. The ride will start on the 31st of October and we’ll arrive back in Perth on Saturday the 5th of November.

The team is hoping to raise over $20 000 for Cancer Council WA. I’ve reset my personal goal to $2000. That means that I need 20 people to give $100. Can I ask you to consider donating $100 to help those facing cancer through Cancer Council WA? I know that not everyone can afford to give so generously so please feel free to give whatever you can. Every amount of $2 or above is tax deductible in Australia and will make a difference for so many. If you can afford $5, $10 or $20 it will certainly help towards reaching the target.

You can give directly by going to the secure Everyday Hero fund raising site set up especially for the ride. Just click the Donate Now button and select my name as the team member you’d like to support.

You can find out even more about the ride and my reasons for taking part by reading my earlier blog post, Riding for Cancer 2011.

Thank you for considering my request and for helping those facing cancer.

Can I please ask one more favour? Please use the sharing buttons at the bottom of this post to spread the message through Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or whatever services you use.

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Harry Potter’s Bigger Story

Aug 24th, 2011

by Rodney Olsen.

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He’s the world’s most famous wizard and from the moment his story hit book stores around the world he has been the subject of controversy. Some Christians immediately started to warn us of this evil character and tell us that allowing children to read the Harry Potter series would lead to an increase in occult activity.

Many others said that the books were just good, old-fashioned fantasy and while there are some darker themes in the stories they’re still the classic tale of good overcoming evil.

With the release of the final movie in the Potter story, some Christians are now claiming parallels to the Christian story. They say that Harry Potter is a ‘Christ figure’ in much the same way as Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia.

Did J.K. Rowling set out to tell a deeper story through her books? Does her style mirror that of other fantasy writers such as C.S. Lewis with his Chronicles of Narnia or J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings?

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Rev Dr Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Today we looked at the fantasy world of Harry Potter and asked whether there are links between the writings of J.K. Rowling and the bigger story of the Christian Scriptures. You can hear what Ross had to say by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

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Cycling Survey Highlights Road Fears

Aug 23rd, 2011

by Rodney Olsen.

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The RAC in Western Australia is calling for motorists and cyclists to work together to make the roads safer for all road users.

The results of their recent cycling survey showed that 91% of respondents highlighted their fear of sharing the road as one of the major barriers to getting on their bikes. There’s been a surge in cycling since Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win the Tour de France but to truly capitalise on the renewed interest in two wheeled transportation, cyclists need to feel safer.

This morning during the Morning Café on 98.5 Sonshine FM I spoke to RAC Head of Advocacy Matt Brown about the survey.

RAC cycling survey results:

57% rate Perth’s cycle network as average or below
91% of cyclists fear sharing the road with motorists
31% say the social acceptability/status of cycling is a barrier to them cycling
35% believe the government should build more cycle lanes on roads
27% would like to see more bike/shared paths built

If you’d like to hear our conversation just click the play button on the audio player below.

Are you a cyclist who fears traffic? What do you think should be done to get more people out on their bikes?

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