An ex-pat Ilkestonian emigrated Down Under, long before the Erewash borough was anywhere near getting its own local radio station, so he was 'chuffed' after recently discovering that he could listen to a taste of home in Western Australia.
Mick Worthington left the town, borough, county and country in 1989 but having recently found Erewash Sound on-line, he wrote in enquiring about the possibility of getting a car sticker to display on the back on his car in Perth, adding that he felt sure that there were a few former Ilkeston residents living there too and that it would give them a kick to see it.
Ian Perry got in touch by reply inviting Mick to visit the the Erewash Sound Media Centre if he ever returns to the UK, but in the meantime, soon put some station goodies in an envelope and got them sent over by air-mail. In addition to a couple of car stickers, he also sent what is probably the farthest flung radio station key ring too.
The parcel arrived on 12th May but a grateful Mick said it wasn't easy to get the sticker to be seen and spoke about the way car windows need to be designed to cope with the strong antipodean sunshine. He said: "Thank you so much for the stickers and key fob - it brought a smile to my face to get them. The key ring was used instantly and I have set about getting the stickers on my car and those of members of the family.
Nearly all new cars out of the factory have very dark window tinting at the back.so that, when you apply a sticker, they are not visible to the outside - the reason being because of Perth being one of the sunniest cities in the World."
A dedicated Mick was not to be outdone though and instantly set about applying a workaround before getting back in touch. He continued: "I will apply double-sided tape to the back and then a clear film on the front. I promise I will send some images of the stickers in use in some of the lovely locations in Perth and surrounds."
True to his word, Mick was soon back in touch to demonstrate the results of his endeavours. He said: "I went on a day trip with my daughter and grand-daughters a few days ago and took a few photos of the sticker on my car. The images are of Jurien Bay 225km north of Perth and the Pinnacles Desert. I hope they are OK - more to follow! Thanks again to the team for some great music and local news."
Ian Perry is the Press and Publicity spokesperson for Erewash Sound: He said: “I was delighted to hear from Mick and very pleased and proud to be able to send the goodies all the way to Australia. It was also great to receive a reply and such great photographs and hear about the effort Mick went to, in order to get the sticker on his car.
It is amazing that the power of on-line radio listening is able to reach ex-pats wherever they may be on the planet to give them that little taste of home and extending the sense of community and inclusion. Thanks for listening and for getting in touch Mick. We think that our stickers and key ring are the farthest flung anywhere in the World – unless anyone is able to prove otherwise!”