As Triple R's Radiothon continues, avid music listener and fashion designer Ruby Tomsic tells of her experience listening to Triple R through her youth, and how it's shaped her taste in music now.

Growing up music was constantly echoing throughout the house. The radio, CD players and stereo all linked up to the same stations, the same songs so whatever would be playing could be heard no matter the room you were in. But this wasn’t just us, the friends we had, other families, we would all get together for barbecues, dinners, lunches, and no matter the setting we’d all always be listening to community radio. I still remember now the intros for the different shows, and my siblings singing along with them.

I remember the Triple R tees we all had and as we got older and grew bigger, sneaking into my dads wardrobe to steal his and carefully putting them back at the end of the day, hoping he’d be none the wiser. Eventually I stopped putting them back and I have them with me now. 

As kids we went to the community cup as a family, and looking up at all the adults around me I thought they were the coolest people in the world, I wanted to be just like them one day. We’d go to visit the Triple R radio station, we were always subscribers and we always had the stickers on our car. We’d fall asleep listening to community radio in the back seat of the car on drives homes from visiting the family. 

One thing I remember above all else was being in my mums car in a parking lot in Belgrave,  and hearing Spazzys come on the radio that she’d requested for me, knowing they were my favourite band.

A sense of community through music was always, and still is, an integral part of my life.

With community radio being played all through my childhood I was gifted an education on so many genres growing up, it offered me chances to listen to a wide variety of artists, especially with my parents having unique musical taste. Triple R had shows for my mum - folk and soulful music like Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch, and for my dad, a walking encyclopaedia for Aussie punk, experimental and rock, gothic farmyard, Fungus Brains, Olympic Sideburns, everything I listen to now traces back to him. Community radio gives you all of these genres, all of these artists on a beautifully authentic silver platter and that is something I’ll always be grateful for. I’m so thankful to my parents for raising me with music in my ears, and instilling in me the importance of community radio. 

Ruby's top three album recommendations:

Beasts of Bourbon - Axemans Jazz

Frightwig - Cat Farm Faboo

Butthole Surfers - either Independent Worm Saloon or Locust Abortion Technician 

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