Catering with Benefits (1) - 21. EDWARD LISTENS

Charles and Edward continued to work on the proposal for the program and thought they had come up with some great ideas. They prepared a written submission for the committee, but Charles was keen on a verbal presentation to the committee, followed by questions and then handing over the written proposal at the end. When they felt confident with their proposal they set a date for the official presentation.

Edward was introduced to each member of the committee during pre-meeting drinks and then Charles and Edward made their pitch.

Charles started, “Ladies and Gentlemen we are pleased to present you with our proposal for a new program that we will call at this time ‘Edward Listens’. Can you please leave your question until we have completed the formal presentation? We are proposing to start the program in a 15 minute format for the first two months, then, if it proves successful, we will ask to extend it to a 30 minute format. I believe this will give our audience a chance to give us feedback about the program as well as giving Edward a chance to hone his interviewing skills.”

Then Edward took over, “In an effort to make the subjects of the show the stars, I propose that the interviews will be edited so that, as much as possible, I will be edited out of the program and only the subject will be heard. Of course I will need to make the introduction and set the scene about the subject, but then if I ask the questions properly, there will be no need to hear me ask the questions on air, that should be self-evident in the subjects’ answers”.

Charles went on, “We propose that the subjects won’t necessarily be famous or already well-know personalities. We want to hear real stories about real people leading their lives on their terms. Now some of those terms might be strange and even unacceptable to us but we won’t make judgement about people’s lifestyles or their activities. Unless there is a compelling reason why, we want all subjects to be identified and use their real first name. In the event that the subject might be doing something illegal, then we will seek advice from our volunteer legal advisors, on a case by case basis.”

Then Edward added, “Sometimes we may invite the subjects to be interviewed in our recording studio, but preferably I will interview them at their home or place of business or wherever they feel comfortable. I believe this will add authenticity to the interview. Charles has assured me we have the right equipment for this style of recording. In fact I’ve already been familiarising myself with the equipment and getting advice from our studio techs.”

Charles took over, “I know you all want to ask, where we will find the subjects and indeed what subjects we will be seeking. The answer is everywhere and anybody with an interesting story to tell. We plan to use on-air announcements, the newsletter, word-of-mouth suggestions from you, the committee and volunteer staff as well as family and friends. We will also keep an eye on local media as well and social media. I don’t believe we will have much difficulty finding suitable subjects once the word is out. Edward, have you anything to add on this subject?”

“Yes, thanks Charles. Our station has a loyal following amongst the gay community in Sydney and beyond and every one of those listeners will either have a story to tell or know of someone who does”.

Charles then concluded the presentation. “Thank you for listening so patiently. Now we would like to invite questions and at the end of the questions we will give each of you a written form of our presentation.”

Scott, the chair of the committee spoke first “Thank you both for a very clear and detailed presentation. You seem to have already put a lot of effort into the planning and I’m sure the other members of our committee feel the same”. Then addressing the committee members he asked “Do we need to deliberate any further on the proposal or can we make a decision now?”

All but one member nodded in agreement. Elise, the member who had not indicated agreement said “I will go along with the decision of the other members and just write a short memo on the minor reservations I have, which I’m sure can be resolved in a later discussion”.

“Thank you Elise and all members. There you have it gentlemen. The committee has approved of your proposal; congratulations.”

“Thank you Scott” said Charles, “On behalf of Edward and me, I would like to thank the committee for their confidence in us and we’re looking forward to getting started on the project.”

“Well I think we should toast your success tonight, so I now declare the meeting closed and the bar open.”

***

Romel was keen to see Edward succeed at his new venture with the radio station. While he knew that Edward and the other volunteers would be sourcing interviewees Romel was also doing his own research. While reading the Sydney Star Observer, Sydney’s main gay newspaper, he came across some articles and advertising that gave him some ideas.

Firstly there was an article about male prostitutes working the Darlinghurst area. When he saw an article about drugs usage it reminded him of his early nursing training. He had a lecturer that was very anti-drug and wanted to impress on her students the dangers of drugs and the risks of over-dosing.

Romel presented his ideas to Edward who was grateful for his partner’s interest in his project and set about using the information to contact potential interview subjects.

“We can discuss your experience in A & E during your nursing training but I’m not sure how to go about sourcing a male prostitute for interview.”

“There are plenty of adverts in the Star.” replied Romel.

“Yes, but I think contacting them that way might not win them over for an interview, unless I’m prepared to pay.”

“You’re probably right, so what other way is there. Do you think someone at the station might know a working boy and could introduce you?”

“That’s possible sweetie, I’ll ask around next time I’m at the station.”

“OK, now about the drug thing, do you think it might be a good idea to interview both Craig and me? We did our training together and went to the same A & E sessions with Samantha, our lecturer.”

“Don’t you feel confident about doing it on your own?”

“It’s not that, but the interview might be more interesting with two different views and ideas. I know Craig was really upset by what we experienced and took it very seriously. It seems he still talks about it sometimes. I know he told Justin about it, to ensure Justin did not contemplate using drugs.”

“And what about you?”

“Well, I took it seriously, but then I never felt the need to use drugs, so I just let it go.”

“So, tell me what happened in these A & E visits?”

“Well, we were not actually on duty, we were just observers, because Samantha was really anti-drug and wanted to scare us away from using drugs. She used to take us to a different hospital each week, late on Saturday nights. Among the regular arrivals on Saturday nights were the expected car accident victims and injuries from fights. Some of the fights were still in progress as they arrived at A & E. But it was the overdoses that she really wanted us to see and it was quite sobering”.

***

Romel was continually on the lookout for ideas for Edward’s program. One evening while watching SBS television he heard the following report:-

A group of Indian men have been left traumatized after a brutal attack by a group of masked thugs who broke into their house at St Albans in Melbourne. One of the victims remains in the ICU for the critical injuries he suffered. The victims who are international students from India were assaulted by a gang of 10 masked intruders who allegedly broke into their house at St Albans in Melbourne's north-west. One of the residents told SBS that the attackers were armed with guns, rods and bats.

“They broke into the house and brutally attacked my friend who was taken to the hospital ICU where he was treated for several injuries including a few broken bones. It was a nightmare, something we watched in the movies. They tied everyone with the clear plastic tape before fleeing away. My younger brother who came to Australia just 20 days ago is scared to death. With the fear of living in the same house, we packed our belongings and went to local Sikh temple. Our friends were very kind to get us to their home afterwards. We are really angry and frustrated with the way things are! Many similar incidents have been reported from this area. Now we are scared to death and we don't want to live in this area anymore." said Mr Singh.

As well as being angry that this had happened Romel was also interested in the subject and went on line to see how often this was happening and found other recent incidents:-

An Indian student, who was attacked in the early hours of Australia Day in Melbourne on 26th January, tells SBS that he has been left traumatized by the incident, which has also forced him to postpone his engagement.

The Indian student had just finished work at Lord of Fries at 2 am Thursday morning, in Chapel street Malvern, and was walking towards his car parked opposite the Melbourne Polytechnic campus in St John Street when he was attacked by four unknown men.

An Indian-Australian family had terrifying moments when two intruders broke into their home in Truganina in Melbourne's west this Saturday. The resident had her cousin and young kid home when the intrusion occurred. The victim who wants to keep her name secret has spoken to SBS.

With an increasing insecurity, locals from the suburb of Lynbrook from South-East Melbourne have now decided to put a rational approach with neighbourhood watch and more vigilant tactics.

Romel thought this was a matter that should be discussed and suggested to Edward that he could interview local Indian students to see if they felt the same way in Sydney.

“How do you suggest I find some Indian students to interview?” asked Edward.

“I’ve already thought of that. I will talk to Raj and see if he has any friends studying or maybe his family knows some. There must be a lot of Indian students pass through his parents’ restaurant”.

“That’s a good idea”.