It could be said that the podcast is having its moment in the sun. A media format that’s been around for well over 20 years, podcasts are now a more legitimate form of media than ever as people are continuously plugged in and hungry for content. From Joe Rogan and his millions of followers, to podcasts discussing the most niche of topics and everything in between, almost any topic you can imagine is now covered in a podcast. They have now become such a legitimate media tool and income stream opportunity that movie stars, sports stars, comedians, journalists and politicians all have their own podcast now. Podcasts can be started easily and for little cost and are therefore providing great opportunities for stories to be told.
I’ve always loved grassroots media. From print ‘zines to community TV and radio, media provides an opportunity to tell the stories that the commercially focused and fast paced mainstream has no time for. The stories of the marginalised, the left behind, and the everyday. Stories that are too good to ignore but provide no profit.
It is for this reason I wanted to start a podcast exploring these stories. Enter Rambling, the podcast.
Rambling is hosted by myself and my good mate Brian Hine under the Nom De Plumes Shunter and 8-Ball; old nicknames from our days playing cricket together in Bendigo’s Emu Valley League.
Brian and I have significantly different backgrounds. A serial entrepreneur, I spent the best part of the last 25 years riding the peaks and troughs of owning small businesses. Brian was a career public servant. I am Gen X, Brian a Baby Boomer. I’m vegetarian, Brian loves to hunt.
Yet we also both share many passions: Literature, music, travel, good food and booze, and – of course – cricket and footy.
I first met Brian when playing for United Cricket Club B Grade and he was the opposing captain for Marong in the aforementioned Emu Valley League. It was the last game of the home and away season and we needed to win to make the finals. An unseasonal downpour had hit our home ground the night before and it was under 2 inches of water. In typical United CC fashion we were determined to play on but Brian was resolute – no play would be going ahead that day.
The next season, Brian came across to play at United and we became great mates. I’ve never let him forget how he made us miss out on the finals that year – an unforgivable sin in the eyes of the United Cricket Club.
More significantly our friendship was cemented when we travelled together in Italy 25 years ago. My wife and I were in the midst of an 18-month long backpacking world tour and Brian was travelling through Italy discovering family heritage. We met in Florence, travelled to Sicily, and had the time of our lives.
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Simply put, Rambling is about good blokes telling great stories. We love exploring the extraordinary within the ordinary. What make blokes tick and how they navigate a rapidly changing world.
I’ve long felt that fascinating conversations can be had with everyday people. You don’t need to be famous to have a great story to tell or to be doing great things within the community. There are countless people out there doing great things or with great stories to tell that barely get recognised outside of their own local community. You just need to scratch beneath the surface to see what lies underneath.
These are the conversations we love having on Rambling.
Our conversations have included topics such as growing up in a time where life seemed more simple and free. About the importance of local footy clubs to small regional towns. About the challenges of staying healthy mentally and physically as we grow older. About the challenges facing small business and live music.
We’ve chatted with Allan Barden (a regular Footy Almanac contributor) about dealing with grief and loss after the death of his son. We’ve spoken with 350 game AFL umpiring veteran Shaun Ryan about performing at the highest level. And we’ve spoken to small business owner Matty Freeman about the nightmare of battling local government bureaucracy for over seven years in order to bring a dream come true.
These are all fascinating insights into the lives, loves and battles of everyday blokes.
Rambling is a simple formula: Turn on the mics, kick off a conversation, and see where it leads us. So simple that we host it in the backroom of my home in Torquay where you’ll often hear the currawongs and wattlebirds in the background.
There are no bells and whistles to Rambling: It’s simply about the conversation.
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Rambling is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all good podcast platforms.
More from Scott Hunt Here
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This sounds interesting, Scott.
As a regular podcast listener, I will be sure to check it out
Having met Allan Barden over lunch in Geelong late last year, I listened to the episodes in which he featured. They, the hosts, and Allan were all excellent. Engaging conversations. Well done.