Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton met with 2DRY FM volunteer David Piper and new station manager Megan Williams this week to find out how they will benefit from a $1,515 Volunteer Grant.

Broken Hill community radio station 2DRY FM will be able to purchase new equipment thanks to a $1,515 grant provided under the latest round of the Federal Government’s Volunteer Grants program.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton this week visited the 2DRY FM station in Broken Hill to congratulate the team on their successful grant.

“2DRY FM is a wonderful community asset that has a long history of keeping the Broken Hill region informed and entertained,” Mr Coulton said.

“This wouldn’t be possible without a dedicated volunteer base of announcers.

“Volunteers play a vital role in shaping this electorate; they give countless hours of their time for the betterment of their communities, and this funding will enable the 2DRY FM announcers to continue their great work.”

2DRY FM president Dion Woodman said the funding will be used to replace the station’s old CD players.

“We’d been using our old CD players for nearly 20 years, and they were overdue for replacement,” Mr Woodman said.

“They would stop on air and place our presenters under pressure, especially our older volunteers who don’t use computer-based systems.

“The new players also appeal to our younger presenters as they accept music stored on USB drives, giving us extra flexibility. They will also free up our volunteer technician’s time that was spent servicing the old CD players. This is time that can be allocated to other projects.”

The 2021 Volunteer Grants provide organisations with grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to help purchase equipment, training and background screening checks for their volunteers.

Volunteers are integral to many Australian organisations, with more than 8.7 million volunteers across the country giving their time freely to support their communities.