Cancer can be beaten

October 24, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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“Cancer can be beaten.” What an amazing statement. That’s what one cancer researcher recently told me. He’s confident that a day will come when we beat cancer.

How different would our world be without cancer? How many people that we have deeply loved would still be with us? How much heartbreak would we have been spared?

It might not be in our grasp to relegate cancer to the history books yet but if we’re serious about it, we can help with research that may help that eventually happen and we can help those who are currently on a journey with cancer.

In one week from today, Monday the 31st of October, I’ll be joined by twelve other cyclists for a ride from Albany to Perth, honouring those who have battled cancer and the many more who have journeyed alongside a loved one who has faced this terrible disease. I’ll broadcast my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM from a different town each morning before we jump on our bikes to ride to our next destination.

As well as getting ready to cycle over 500 kilometres we’re all raising money for Cancer Council Western Australia and so while you may not be able to join our ride you can certainly help us reach our fundraising goals.

The team is hoping to raise over $20 000 for Cancer Council WA.

Can I ask you to consider donating right now to Cancer Council WA to help those facing cancer? I know that not everyone can afford to a huge amount 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.

You can donate directly by following this link. The link will take you directly to the Everyday Hero secure site.

Monday 31st October 2011:
Broadcasting from Albany 9 – 12
Albany to Cranbrook 91 km

Tuesday 1st November 2011:
Broadcasting from Cranbrook 9 – 12
Cranbrook to Katanning 80 km

Wednesday 2nd November 2011:
Broadcasting from Katanning 9 – 12
Katanning to Wagin 55 km

Thursday 3rd November 2011:
Broadcasting from Wagin 9 – 12
Wagin to Pingelly 100 km

Friday 4th November 2011:
Broadcasting from Pingelly 9 – 12
Pingelly to York 87 km

Saturday 5th November 2011:
York to Perth 97 km

TOTAL: 510 km

Help spread the word.

I’d also ask you to share the link to this post through your blog or whatever other means you have available. At the bottom of this post are buttons for sharing the details on StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit or even emailing the post to others. Just click your preferred button (or all of them) to get the word out.



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Perth Royal Show 2011

September 28, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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It’s on again.

The Perth Royal Show begins at the Claremont Showgrounds this Saturday and runs until the following Saturday the 8th of October.

The Perth Royal Show is Perth’s biggest community event attracting 400 000 visitors from the city and the country every year. It has a history spanning over 170 years and serves to showcase WA agriculture, small business and entertainment.

An interesting element of this year’s show is that it’ll be smoke free for the third year. Smokers will have one area within the showgrounds where they can light up while the rest of the event will be free of second hand cigarette smoke. It’s a great move forward.

Thanks to the State Government’s support of CHOGM 2011, all children aged 12 years and under will receive free entry to this year’s Perth Royal Show when accompanied by an adult.

98.5 Sonshine FM is broadcasting live from the show for the first seven days.

I’m really looking forward to presenting my Morning Café radio programme, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday to Friday next week as well as hosting this Sunday from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.

I’ll have a range of interesting guests and will probably get involved in some weird situations.

If you’re thinking of heading to the show this year, make sure you drop in to our broadcast centre and say hello. We’re be overlooking the main arena right next to the Members’ Grandstand.

Broadcasting from the show instead of our Como studios will almost double the distance I’ll have to cycle which will be great training for our cancer ride coming up in a few weeks.



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Jack Vidgen in Perth

August 31, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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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.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR310811_1056.mp3]

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Please Join the Battle Against Cancer

August 25, 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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My New Café

August 7, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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I’m starting a new venture tomorrow. I’m creating my own café.

I’ve been on annual leave from my job at 98.5 Sonshine FM for a couple of weeks but tomorrow I’ll return with a re-branded morning program. What used to simply be called ‘mornings’ will become the Morning Café. It’ll be a mixture of good friends and great conversation, just what your favourite café should be. The strangest part of the whole café experience in this case is that you’ll have to provide your own coffee or beverage of choice. I’m sure to be sipping on a long black throughout the morning.

From nine to midday, Monday to Friday, it’ll be a place to talk food, footy, leadership, relationships, spirituality, fitness and health, technology and a whole lot more including national and international guests.

Many of my regular guests will remain as part of the Morning Café but there’ll also be a range of new segments which really excite me. I’ll reveal more as the days and weeks go on but it will certainly be a much busier program with plenty of ways for listeners to get involved.

If you’re in the Perth area you can listen in by tuning to 98.5 Sonshine FM. If you’re anywhere else in the world you can hear the Morning Café streaming live online. You can check what day and time you need to listen by going to timeanddate.com and searching for Perth, Western Australia. If that means that it’s in the middle of the night for you, you’ll still be able to listen to many of the Morning Café segments by visiting the Audio on Demand page at 98.5 Sonshine FM’s website.

What kind of radio programs do you enjoy? Who would you like to hear me interview? I’d really enjoy reading your comments.



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