Our Volunteers

ArtSound FM is run by volunteers. From our presenters and technicians to our administrators and board members, every volunteer plays a vital role in keeping Canberra’s arts and music voice alive. We’re deeply grateful for their passion, time, and dedication.

Board of Management

ArtSound FM is guided by our Board of Management — a group of listeners, presenters, and supporters who care deeply about the station’s future while respecting its rich history. Our board members meet monthly to oversee operations, plan for the future, and ensure ArtSound continues serving the community with excellence. All board positions are elected at the Annual General Meeting each May.

Current Board Term: 2026–27 (elected at AGM, May 2026)

Want to contact the Board?
Email: admin@artsound.fm
Phone: 02 6295 7444

Steve Little is a Canberra-based broadcast television professional with 50 years’ experience as a Director of Photography, producer, camera operator, and editor. As founder and director of Little by Little Productions, he has worked across TVCs, sports outside broadcasts, documentaries, and corporate and government communications.

Steve has international experience in communications and development, having spent two years in Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati, where he wrote and implemented a communications strategy for the Tarawa Post under AusAID. He holds an Advanced Diploma in Screen and Media Studies from the Canberra Institute of Technology.

Steve brings to the ArtSound Board a deep practical understanding of broadcast production, storytelling, and visual media — skills that complement the station’s continuing development as a multiplatform arts broadcaster.

Tim McNamara is a radio professional with over 20 years of experience across community, public, and multicultural broadcasting. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Mass Communication from Macquarie University and a Master of Education from the University of Canberra. He has worked for community stations 2SER and 2MBS, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, SBS Radio, and as a freelance producer for ABC Radio National.

Since joining ArtSound, Tim has presented Arts Café every Wednesday and produces Arts Diary — the station’s regular four-minute update on arts events across the region. He has built an extensive network within the Canberra music scene, presenting interviews and live-to-air performances with local and visiting musicians.

Tim also serves as Chair of ArtSound’s Standards & Training Committee, drawing on a substantial career in learning and development — including as Director of Learning Design at the Australian Public Service Commission — to build the skills of ArtSound’s volunteer broadcasters.

Dean Parham brings to the ArtSound Board a career background in economic research and public policy. He has held senior roles at the Productivity Commission and Treasury, and has been a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University and the University of Adelaide.

Dean has had a lifelong love of music — particularly popular music, jazz, and blues — and since 2024 has presented the fortnightly Down in the Basement program on ArtSound. He is a strong advocate for the station’s breadth of programming, believing that variety is one of ArtSound’s most important strengths.

Dean holds to a clear guiding principle: that ArtSound should focus on material not readily available elsewhere. He is committed to strengthening the station’s role in community information and engagement — not just in music, but in the arts, entertainment, and local history and culture.

Leon Buker is a presenter of the Friday Driveway Show on ArtSound and serves as the station’s Secretary. He is a member of the Communications Committee and contributes to ArtSound’s social media and website, and has been involved in station initiatives including radiothons and National Folk Festival activity.

Leon brings a broad professional background spanning technology consulting, systems development, business change, education, and creative practice across Australia, the UK, Germany, China, and Hong Kong. He has held leadership roles in education, worked in research and curriculum development at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and was twice recognised as an Outstanding Foreign Expert by the Chinese government for his contributions to China’s development. He has also served as Operational Editor of Cubic Journal, as Conference Chair for student volunteers at ACM DIS 2018 (where he received the Best Student Volunteer Chair award), and as Project Associate at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Leon holds a Diploma of Screen and Media from Canberra Institute of Technology, a Bachelor of Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the Australian National University, a Master of Design (with Distinction, GPA 4.0) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and a Graduate Diploma of Management from Macquarie Graduate School of Management. He is particularly interested in helping ArtSound strengthen its connections with listeners and members, and in supporting the station’s ongoing development as a welcoming and sustainable community organisation.

A musician as well as co-founder, major donor, and life member of ArtSound, Chris has contributed in Board, management, and voluntary technical roles since 1983. His key roles have included securing ArtSound’s broadcast licence, acquiring studio and transmission sites, fundraising, and training including during periods as (past) General Manager and (current) Manager Technology. For his work at ArtSound and other stations, he received an Order of Australia (2009), the Technorama Life Achievement Award (2018), and several awards for excellence in broadcast programming and engineering. He has hosted weekly specialist music programs (“Friday Night Live” and “The Musicworks”) and recorded and broadcast concerts for more than three decades. Since 2019, he has provided honorary technical services including remote operation during the Covid-19 pandemic while also programming the Senior Memories Service, scheduling ArtSound’s syndicated programs, relocating the transmission site, and implementing DAB+ digital radio. Chris is a Board member of Technorama Inc., the national association of community broadcasting engineers, and a grant assessor to the Community Broadcasting Foundation, and provides technical services to Canberra’s multicultural station 1CMS. A resident of Canberra for 50 years, he holds such roles as consultant on international space and telecommunications issues,and was formerly a satellite advisor to Telstra and senior telecommunications and broadcasting strategist in the Department of Communications.

Meri Tibbitts is a much-loved community broadcaster and retired library professional who brings warmth, curiosity and deep experience to ArtSound FM. She currently hosts the Thursday timeslot for Senior Memories, where her easy manner and love of music make her a natural fit behind the microphone.

Radio has always been part of Meri’s life. Growing up in Wagga Wagga, she was fascinated by broadcasting through her father, John Duncan, who hosted Sunday Sounds on Radio 2WG for nearly two decades. As a child, she loved spending time in the studio and exploring the music library, experiences that helped shape her listener-centred approach and lifelong affection for community radio. At ArtSound, she continues that family tradition of helping people connect through music.

Meri also brings strong media and arts experience to her broadcasting. While working as an Assistant Curator at the Australian War Memorial, she served as an official Master of Ceremonies for events and appeared in The Memorial documentary produced by the History Channel. She holds a Master of Arts in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and uses that background to conduct engaging interviews with local creatives as a regular contributor to ArtSound’s Arts Cafe. Outside ArtSound, she volunteers as a reader for 1RPH, supporting people with vision impairment.

Bart Meehan has been an ArtSound member since 2019 and is the writer, host, and producer behind ArtSound Radio Theatre — a beloved series he co-created with presenter Bill Stephens that has now reached over 250 episodes and remains a cherished part of Canberra’s cultural life. Inspired by a childhood in Darwin listening to ABC radio drama before television arrived, Bart has led a dedicated group of local actors through productions ranging from newly written Canberra plays to George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman. He is also the producer and co-host of the much-loved A Reading Life.

Bart established ArtSound Press in 2025, which publishes selected performance works written by regional writers and performed on ArtSound Radio Theatre.  

Bart is a playwright whose works have been produced nationally and internationally, including winning the UK’s 2020 Pint-Size Plays competition. In 2024 he took first place at The ‘Logues, Canberra REP’s annual short play competition, for his work The Pursuit of Art. His adaptations of The Dear Departed and The Wind in the Willows have been staged as live radio plays by Mill Theatre, Canberra. 

Bart retired from the ANU in 2011 as Associate Director, Facilities and Campus Operations, where he was the senior officer responsible for facilities management.  He also led the development of ANUgreen, the University’s corporate environmental program, and served as Team Leader of the International Alliance of Research Universities Sustainability Officers Group. He continues as an Affiliate Academic at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, and has published several peer review papers and book chapters on corporate environmental management, as well as a number of articles in online journals.  

Before joining the ANU, he served in the Royal Australian Air Force for 20 years, with postings across Asia and the Middle East.

Stuart Warner is a musician, theatre organist, and community radio presenter who has been part of the ArtSound FM family for around 15 years. He is currently a member of the Program Committee and the Standards and Training Committee, and has previously served on the ArtSound Board on two occasions.

Every Friday morning from 10am–12 noon, Stuart hosts Senior Memories, a two-hour program celebrating the music he has spent a lifetime performing. He is also the coordinator of Senior Memories, and previously presented the morning program Sounds Early for three years.

Beyond the studio, Stuart is best known to Canberrans as the “Piano Man” of the Hyatt Hotel’s Tea Lounge, where he has played the Great American Songbook every Sunday for over 35 years. He is also a trained theatre organist who performs on the Compton Theatre Organ at the Albert Hall, including at ACT Government citizenship ceremonies, and has held executive positions with the Theatre Organ Society of Australia (ACT) since 1998.

Stuart has held senior and executive management roles in local government authorities in NSW over 35 years, with responsibilities including financial management, governance, risk management, policy development, and the leadership of departmental managers. He also represented local government on various boards and committees, including a statewide local government insurance brokerage and across-government and cross-border issues.

A nominee for the 2024 ACT Senior Australian of the Year Awards, Stuart brings to the Board both a musician’s ear and deep practical experience in governance, finance, and volunteer organisations. He has played piano professionally for over 50 years and remains deeply engaged in arts and music activities, including choirs and barbershop singing.

John Worcester previously joined the ArtSound Board as Vice-President upon moving to Canberra in 2018, serving as liaison to the Program Committee.

John has one of the longest records of community broadcasting service in Australia. After joining 3MBS in Melbourne at its very first broadcast in July 1975, he served as President, Secretary, and Director several times — most recently from 2011 to 2014, when he worked to repair serious challenges including financial difficulties, near-closure, policy disputes and governance rebuilding. He oversaw two licence-renewal applications, the development of a Policies and Procedures Handbook, a Quality & Standards Working Group, and much more. He still presents Organ & Choral Music on 3MBS on a three-monthly basis.

John was also active with the Community Broadcasting Association of Victoria (CBAV) from 1982–2018, and Channel 31 (community television) from 1996–2017, including as a board member and President. He has contributed to ethnic community station 3ZZZ from 1997 — including six years on its Council — and until recently pre-recorded the 3ZZZ Irish Program every three months. At 3WBC (community radio in Box Hill), he has presented since 1998 and still pre-records programs twice monthly. He has held leadership roles at each of these stations, including on pogram comittees and in training.

At the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia conference in Hobart in late October 2025, John was inducted into the CBAA Community Broadcasting Honour Roll, celebrating his over 50 years of dedication to community radio — a remarkable milestone recognising service across multiple stations and decades.

John has had ArtSound connections since its CSPR days in Curtin — his son Bevis was a presenter from 1998 — and has been a member since 2010. He presents Classical Mood on Friday afternoons, 2–4pm, and also monthly on the third Sunday, and continues as a member of the Program Committee.

Interested in joining the Board?

Board positions are open to all ArtSound members. Nominations are accepted ahead of the Annual General Meeting each May. If you’re passionate about arts, music, and community radio, and want to help guide the station’s future, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact: admin@artsound.fm or 02 6295 7444

How ArtSound Gets Things Done

ArtSound’s committees help the Board guide programming, governance, training and fundraising across the station.

Governance Committee

Supports good governance, policy development, and the review of policies and processes at ArtSound.

Helps the Board keep the station well run, accountable and future-focused.

– Bart Meehan (Chair)
– Stuart Warner
– John Worcester

Governance Committee Terms of Reference

Program Committee

Helps shape ArtSound’s programming and considers new program ideas, changes and improvements. Includes rostering and allocation of presenters.

– Neil Doody (Chair)
– Gabe Caddy
– Paul Marsh
– John Worcester

If you have ideas for programs or want to get in touch with the Program Committee, email: programmingcommittee
@artsound.fm

Program Committee Terms of Reference

Sponsorship & Fundraising Committee

Helps build financial support for ArtSound through sponsorship, fundraising and community connections.

Supports the station’s sustainability and growth by encouraging practical support from members, partners and supporters.

– Julie Finch-Scally (Chair)
– Bart Meehan
– Chris Bell
– Mark Borowik
– Michael Catley
– Wylie Pang

Sponsorship & Fundraising Committee Terms of Reference

Standards & Training Committee

Supports presenter training, broadcasting standards and the ongoing development of volunteers.

Helps maintain quality, confidence and consistency across the station’s programs.

– Tim McNamara (Chair)
– Judy Baker
– Chris Bell
– Betsy Dixon
– Eleanor Lewis
– Stuart Warner

Standards & Training Committee Terms of Reference

Finance Committee

Oversees ArtSound’s financial management, reporting and budgeting to ensure the station remains sustainable and accountable.

Supports the Board with sound financial oversight, helping guide responsible decision-making across the organisation.

– Dean Parham (Chair)
– Stuart Warner
– Chris Deacon