Teresa Plane - 2RPH

Speaker 1 00:04

With information on the latest developments in assistive technology and initiatives from the studios of 2RPH in Sydney, RPH Australia brings you Ablequest. 

Hello, I'm Barbara Sullivan. Today's guest is Teresa Plane, a former nurse and pioneer of modern palliative care in Australia. She was also 2023 New South Wales Senior Australian of the Year. 2RPH listeners will recognise her voice as the host of two weekly radio programmes, ageing with attitude and meditative moments. Theresa joined Radio 2RPH in 2016 as a volunteer reader after a long and distinguished career in nursing, caring for the terminally ill and sharing her knowledge through international forums, universities and national conferences.

In her retirement, she has been a marriage celebrant, performed on stage and continued her advocacy work. These days, Theresa, now in her 90s, has her physical challenges with mobility issues and macular degeneration limiting her beloved reading time. Yet she still hosts the radio programmes and volunteers with singing groups at the Anzac Memorial Village at Narabeen in Sydney. Elaine Wziontek spoke to her as she was recuperating from a recent hip operation.

Speaker 2 01:35

Welcome to AbleQuest, Teresa. 

Speaker 3 01:37

Thank you, Elaine. Happy to be here.

Speaker 2 01:41

So how did you first become involved with 2RPH?

Speaker 3 01:45

Well, it was way back about seven or eight years ago now, and it was Anzac Day. I'd been up early in the morning to go to the dawn service, and I was dial twiddling. And suddenly I heard history today. And I thought, well, that's very interesting. And I listened to that, and then I listened a bit longer, and I thought, Connie, that's good. And they were advertising for volunteers. And I was at that stage of my life where I was finding the long corridors of volunteering at Montefiore aged care, in Randwick, a bit much. And I thought, Oh, I've always wanted to do some work in radio. So as I went, I had an interview with Peter Worthington, and I've been with 2RPH ever since, and rusted onto listening.

Speaker 2 02:35

So I understand you started with Features Forum and then had the idea for pitching your own show. Can you tell us about that?

Speaker 3 02:42

Yes, well actually I said a bit before Features Forum, I started regularly with Janice Chaloner and what a teacher she was on reading the Sunday Telegraph. I did that regularly for quite a while. There I graduated on to Features Forum and the Australian and other readings. Then I got the idea that working in aged care I thought you know we should have a program for people over the age of 60-70 because Optimal Life, that is a really good program too but that's for a bit younger people. So I put together Aging with Attitude so that I could talk about all matters relating to people of a more advanced age. So that's what I've been doing. It became funded by the Department of Aging and Disability.

So I read a lot of things to do with government policy, informing people about new drug treatments, always talking about falls prevention and all that sort of thing and exercise, diet and elder abuse has been a big subject for me because sadly this is something that is ever increasing in our society and we really need to be very aware of it. And grief and bereavement, that's another one of my subjects that I'll talk about.

Speaker 2 04:13

And you first used to come into the studio and now you do it remotely.

Speaker 3 04:19

Oh, yes, because I loved coming into the studio because I felt that was like family, you know, you could always go get a cup of tea and have a chat in the prep room there, you know, I've made so many friends to RPH. Then I moved, I was living in Darlinghurst at the time, and then I moved to Marabine into the Anzac Memorial Village in independent living. And it was a bit of a hike into the studio. And then of course, the pandemic came. And that was the end of that. There was no more riding on three buses to raise it to get to Glebe. And our chaplain here, Bob, sets up a little Studio 5, 2RPH Studio 5. And it's a tiny little storage cleaning room off the main altar in the chapel.

In those days, it had all you couldn't imagine as many Army, Navy and Air Force uniforms. So the room was very well padded. And he set up a microphone and I started broadcasting from there. And that was wonderful, because I didn't have to travel. And then Horrors of Horrors, they moved all the props, as I said, all these uniforms into the museum, and I was left with bare walls. So then I had to do something about, you know, making it more studio like again. So we did that with rugs and things. That's where I do my work from every Tuesday at one o 'clock. One week, I'll record Aging with Attitude. And the next week, I will record two episodes of Metasite of Moments.

Okay, that came about because there was a space on a Sunday night. I thought, Oh, I listened to our pH a lot, I have to tell you. And we'd cross over to the BBC in the midst of a program, which was very annoying. So I went in to see the boss and I said, Hey, you know, I've got these 15 minutes. And I have that. So I got Metasite of Moments on Sunday night, which is 15 minutes. It's more about spirituality, relationships, empowering people. And that's what I'm trying to do the Sunday night is to empower people for the week ahead. I would love to say to you that we were talking about, you know, when I was doing Features Forum and reading.

These days, I have some macular degeneration at the age of 91. And I also have hearing aids. So all this now, I couldn't do any of these programs if it wasn't for Demetri Moratus, he's another volunteer at 2RH. I couldn't quite see the newsprint. And my eyes were deteriorating. So I started having to use, you know, enlargers. And without this wonderful magnifier, it's called Humanware... for anybody listening who has trouble reading the newspaper, there are two sizes of this magnifier. It's called Humanware. And you get it from Vision Australia. So marvellous for just reading ordinary things, but then to read the newspaper comfortably and to be able to read on air, the miracle, and you can just blow up the print. I can just read freely. So hopefully, I'll go on doing my programs for, well, some time.

Speaker 2 08:06

And you manage very well with your hearing aids.

Speaker 3 08:09

Now that's very interesting. I can't record with hearing aids in, so I have to remember to take the hearing aids out, and of course to have my Humanware set up there on the desk. And then I do try to read with some expression, because if I don't do that, people tend to fall asleep with my voice. I was really good at doing hypnosis and things like that.

Speaker 2 08:41

Oh, I see. So I understand you were bullied at school for your voice, but it's a very good radio voice.

Speaker 3 08:47

I was, I have to confess to you, my biggest dream in life was to work in radio. When I left school, you know, the idea of working in radio, I might have said that I was, you know, going to walk the streets or something. No, no, no, you've got to go nursing. I had noticed I had to go nursing. And I got a little job at 3CS in Colac, which was the local radio station. And I was reading the, the bills of sale for Billson, which is the big department store. And I thought that was wonderful. And I thought, Oh, you know, I'm going to have, I grew up, I was looking ahead into the future.

And I thought, Oh, I'd be able to, television is coming in. And I wanted to write. And I had a dream of perhaps as being a song and dance lady or I joined the little theater and I just thought of all of that. But that wasn't the day.

Speaker 2 09:47

But in later years, after a very accomplished nursing career and doing all sorts of things, you did accomplish few earlier dreams such as writing plays and performing on stage and community singing.

Speaker 3 09:58

That's right. We must never give up our dreams because I was in my 80s and I did a drama course, the dalo drama, and graduated and that was marvelous because they were all so young and here was this lady in her 80s doing this. Oh, it was so energising. Then I saw an ad. They wanted a lady to play an old lady to play a lady with dementia in a play called The Dancing Listens, which was on for short and sweet. It was on at the Tom Mann Theatre. So I rang the director and I said, look, you can save on the makeup. I've got, you know, the 80s plus face. Yeah, I would like to play the role. 

Well, I auditioned for the part and yes, I got the part and I was nominated that year for the best actress in that series of Short and Sweet. I didn't win that, but I can tell you that was the hardest thing I ever did because I had to cry every night. I was on the stage. I had to cry on cue... which I lost to Somme when he was 25. So I used to think of my darling Andrew and tears would come falling down my face. But as a result of that whole experience with Short and Sweet, I've always wanted to write and I did. I wrote a play about two old ladies in a nursing home discussing their marriages and they were, you know, talking about their husbands and what one line that got a big laugh with one said to the other. I said, why didn't you go to Boston? She said to both never murder often. That got a laugh.

Speaker 2 11:59

So, you're really an inspiration, you're doing community work, I understand, and you...

Speaker 3 12:06

I think that 2RPH is the best thing that can happen to older people in my age group and younger living alone. It is a companion, it is the source of education, it is the source of entertainment, and I'm all for getting people to get radio, getting back into really listening, no ads, people speaking clearly, programmed in the area of home care, these places that are caring for elderly people who are choosing to stay at home, rather than go into nursing homes, tune in and listen and be educated and feel involved. I mean, Features Forum, I never miss it. It's a wonderful station.

Speaker 2 13:00

And you find time for community singing as well.

Speaker 3 13:04

I sing in the aged care home. I lead the... couple of aged care homes. I lead the community singing and that's great fun, you know, to get everybody involved and I belong to this Trans Voices as well.

Speaker 2 13:22

So Theresa, our time has run out, well and truly. Oh, there you go. I want to thank you so much for giving up your time. And congratulations on all your successes. And that wTeresa Plane, 91 years young, who presents Aging with Attitude and Meditative Moments.

Speaker 1 13:47

You have just been listening to Ablequest, a program that looks at developments in assistive technology and initiatives. From Elaine Wziontek and Barbara Sullivan, thank you for listening and goodbye till next program.