Tipped to provide a new outlet for all things local for residents, the Something Big Pakenham Podcast has launched this week, catapulting local issues to the booming audio/visual space.
On Sunday, state MP Renee Heath MP joined the podcast for its inaugural episode, where she talked about her career before politics, her experience so far on Spring Street, local issues and much more.
The podcast is hosted by Lakeside Residents Group President David Farrelly and Director at Area Specialist Pakenham Stacey Woodfield.
Something Big is the brainchild of local producer and photographer Craig Holowell, with the hosts, they have come together to provide a space that centres on local issues in the thriving podcast space.
“Craig and I have been talking for a while now, well over a year, about being able to get information more effectively to the local community because people absorb news in different ways these days,” Mr Farrelly said.
“We wanted to make sure that people knew what was going on, what the local issues are and what things affect people living in Pakenham and the surrounding areas.
“We wanted to give them the opportunity to digest that a little bit in a different way.”
Though podcasts are known for a more informal style of discussion, Something Big likes to keep it more direct to get to the heart of local issues.
“We didn’t want it to be just about a guest; we wanted it to be about local issues, local events that are occurring, things that matter to the people of Pakenham and the South East.
“So we came up with a format where we talk about local events, local issues and some things that aren’t necessarily local but affect local people.”
From local pet adoptions at PetO Pakenham to the Melbourne Show, the inaugural episode starts off with local shout-outs and key events.
Before the guest interview, Mr Farrelly and Ms Woodfield introduced themselves and discussed local issues. This week covered the ever-evolving saga around the future of Pakenham Golf Course.
Wider issues are also touched on, such as the recent rollout of machete bins across the state, including in front of Pakenham Police Station.
Many special guests are planned for future episodes.
“They’ll be influential people, they’ll be community leaders and just people that I think the community will find of interest.”
You can find the full episode of Something Big Pakenham Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Amazon Music.
