Emma Pritchard

There have been some new voices going live on air at local radio station 2GF recently as the business opened its doors and handed over the microphones to a couple of enthusiastic teenagers during Youth Week 2024 (April 11-21).

Among them was Paisley Padayachee, the 14-year-old daughter of popular breakfast announcer Misty Fisher, who didn’t mind setting her alarm at 5:30am for a few mornings so she could join her mum at work.

Describing the experience as “really positive, encouraging, and engaging”, Paisley loved being shown the goings-on inside a radio station, and embraced the opportunity to share the latest weather updates with listeners in the mornings, in between fetching her mum cups of coffee.

“I heard another local girl reading a couple of announcements live on air during Youth Week, and I thought ‘it would be fun to give that a go myself’,” Paisley recalled.

“So I asked mum and we worked together to make it happen, and we did.

“All the staff were super kind and supportive, and they all told me how good it was to welcome me into the radio station and show me what they do.”

While she is still unsure if she will pursue a career in radio like her mum, Paisley said she has always been interested in singing and acting and was thrilled to have the chance to engage in vocal training at 2GF this month.

When asked what Youth Week meant to her, Paisley said it is really important for everyone, especially younger people, to have the same opportunities as others before them so they can receive guidance and the experience of learning new skills.

She also told the Clarence Valley Independent she received great feedback during her time at 2GF and said there were several people who suggested she consider working in radio.