Linden Reginia – Queen of SWR 99.9 radio
by John Macdonald
Linden Reginia , Blacktown ’ s SWR 99.9 FM radio ’ s drive host , could write a book about optimism and overcoming the odds .
She could call it “ The Power of Positive Thinking ”, except that title ’ s been used and that book ’ s been written .
Linden could write some songs with lyrics like “ pick yourself up , dust yourself off and start all over again ”, or “ you ’ ve got to accentuate the positive , eliminate the negative , don ’ t mess with Mr In Between ,” except those songs and lyrics have been created .
“ When I was young , I came to realise that you should help people for the rest of your life ,” said the former Western Australian farm girl who became a community captain in boarding school and won an award .
To that end , she was a volunteer radio announcer while at school and university , and parlayed that into six years as a radio announcer in Gore , southern New Zealand , while a very young woman .
Then she lobbed in Sydney , joined the public service and ultimately the Australian Taxation Office , travelling around , explaining tax and superannuation policy to people having problems .
“ I had to make it easy ,” she said of explaining to people problems weren ’ t as daunting as they imagined . There was no danger money , but ........ “ I remember attending a meeting in
Picton after the bushfires and a man said : ‘ The elephant ’ s in the room ’.”
After the figurative elephant spoke to him and applied the human touch , she was a friend there to help , rather than foe .
Linden is now the NAB branch manager , retail NSW and ACT in Penrith , and has been the 4pm-6pm drive host on Blacktown-based community radio station SWR for three years . And a wife and mother . So , where ’ s the problem ? When Linden returned from New Zealand , she had problems which led to a blood-cancer diagnosis .
Her doctor , the late and loved cancer specialist Professor Chris O ’ Brien asked : “ Where have you been , girl ?”
When she said Gore in southern New Zealand , he said the radiation from French nuclear testing was the probable culprit .
“ I wouldn ’ t have made it through without the support of my future husband and others ,” she said , and now regular check-ups are a part of life .
“ That was the saddest card .” Linden has a son , 13 , but the cancer ruled out having the several children she wanted .
All that seemed far away for the farm girl who got radio gigs while at boarding school and university .
“ I was up milking cows before school when little and learned to be independent early ,” she said , adding her father had told her ‘ always network ’.
She hasn ’ t contracted COVID and joked it was because she drank weedkiller when little on the farm .
“ I think I spat it out .” Don ’ t anyone tell Donald Trump .
Networking ..... an introduction to well-known morning announcer Ted Bull , more work , a six-month stint at Radio West in Esperance , then off to New Zealand .
Linden took with her a problem that seems incompatible with being a radio announcer .
“ I stuttered badly and couldn ’ t pronounce my
Linden Reginia – the face behind the voice on SWR 99.9 radio . You live a life , and you always have plenty to talk about – to the delight of her many listeners .
own name properly ,” she said . “ There were thousands spent on therapy .”
Then something remarkable happened .
“ I loved New Zealand and it cured my stutter ,” she said , surmising it might have been hearing the different vowel sounds and accents and unconsciously adjusting her speech pattern .
“ I landed back in Sydney at the time of the Mardi Gras ,” she said .
“ I ’ d never heard of it . I booked into a Redfern backpacker hostel and there were two men with green hair and their bums out of their shorts .
“ I asked what was going on and they said , ‘ It ’ s the Mardi Gras , love ’. “ I headed up to Oxford Street . “ I loved Sydney . It was a good place to be young .”
When she joined the public service , Linden came under the mentorship and encouragement of Deborah Jenkins , deputy commissioner for Small Business .
Linden ultimately loved travelling and making tax and superannuation easier to understand for people .
Now she ’ s loving her non-day job SWR 99.9 , besides being a wife and mum .
“ It ’ s enriching to give back . It ’ s amazing who you meet . I love every minute ,” she said .
MAKE A DIFFERENCE : Warrior Woman Foundation
by Lorna Gordon
Making the transition to becoming an adult isn ’ t an easy one ; you have to navigate school , find a job , leave home , manage your money and learn to look after yourself . These things can be challenging even with a family who helps out , so imagine trying to do this when you are a young woman who might be coming out of the foster care system or are lacking family or community support to make this transition successfully .
Jessica Brown realised there was a gap that many young women were falling through so started the Warrior Woman Foundation in 2020 to provide support and education for these young women to help them become successful and independent individuals . One of the ways she is helping them is through the Young Warrior Woman Program .
The young women who take part in the program are between 17 and 25 years old and may have experienced difficulties with mental health , have been impacted by domestic abuse or be living in foster or state care . They could be an immigrant to Australia , living with a disability , part of the LGBTQIA + community , or young women who simply need additional help .
Local facilitator for the Warrior Woman Foundation , Sarah Lambert , took time out of her busy schedule to explain what this program was and why it was so important to get behind .
“ The young women take part in a six-month mentoring program in the form of workshops and meetings . These are designed to help increase their confidence , help them consider their next steps in study or employment , become financially literate so they can manage their money and know how to develop healthy relationships with friends and partners ,” Sarah said .
“ They each get matched with a mentor , who is usually an older woman with life experience who is willing to step up and give the younger woman support , advice and encouragement with personal catch ups as well as help them with the workshops .”
Every effort is made to give the young women the assistance they need to complete the program . For those who don ’ t have a laptop or device suitable for the online sections of the course , the Foundation has computers to loan , so that lack of technology isn ’ t a barrier . When they are matched with a mentor , the Foundation takes time to understand what the young woman needs to ensure they find a mentor who is the right fit and can
Sarah Lambert ( bottom right ), the facilitator for the Warrior Woman Foundation , is joined by some of the mentors for the Young Warrior Woman Program .
help them achieve their hopes .
The Warrior Women Foundation are always looking for new mentors to help in the program , they want women over 25 years old from all backgrounds who are willing to provide support , guidance and share their life experiences with the younger women . They have to be open to training and be available for the duration of the six month program .
Sarah told me that quite often the
older women learn from the younger ones they are mentoring , and this helps to build a strong relationship between them .
If you think you could be a mentor in this amazing program or know of a young woman who would benefit from being part of it , please contact Warrior Woman Foundation on 1300 860 818 or go to their website at www . warriorwoman . org . au .
BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 25 // APRIL 2023 17