Announcing the new Multicultural Nation Line-up for 2026!
The Multicultural Nation Radio Show goes to air every Tuesday 1-2pm at BayFM 99.9 also streaming live on bayfm.org
Australia is a Multicultural Nation and the Multicultural Nation show is a BayFm radio program that provides a voice for people of diverse cultural backgrounds, reflecting the beauty of multicultural Australia. The show features music, culture, interviews, community news and information, including for new migrants, refugees and emerging communities. The aim of this program is to promote community harmony, peace and unity – both locally and globally. Presented in English with as many other languages represented as possible.
Many thanks to the Community Broadcasting Foundation
for funding Multicultural Nation.
Our line-up for this year will be:
- First Week of the Month: Helene Safajou – The French Hour
- Second Week of the Month: Helene Safajou – The French Hour and Judy Shelley – Multicultural Update
- Third Week of the Month: Jonny Simons – Afrika Calling
- Fourth Week of the Month: Hiromi Shibasaki – Japanese Bento Box
- Fifth Week of the Month: Nancy-Jo Falcone – Multicultural Nation- Migrant Stories
For interviews, to send music or press please email: judybyronbay@yahoo.com
Multicultural Nation is sponsored by the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
Presenter Bios
Main Presenter – Judy Shelley
Judy Shelley Founder of Byron Harmony Festival
Judy Shelley is a radio presenter, visual artist, event manager, vocalist, community worker and activist. Judy has been a radio presenter at BayFM Community Radio for over 28 years, presenting on two radio programs- Suara Indonesia and Multicultural Nation, which provides a voice for people of multicultural backgrounds. She is currently the Main Presenter on the Multicultural Nation Radio Show. Her two main cultural connections at the present time are the Solomon Islands and Indonesia. Judy has been a member of the BayFM Management Committee and has also been the coordinator of ethnic radio training at BayFM for many years. Judy has also previously co-hosted the radio show “The Heart” at River FM Lismore.
Judy held her first art exhibition in Bali, where she started the Seniwati Bali Group-Women Artists Group and has exhibited in many major exhibitions in Australia, Indonesia and India. She then founded the Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance, sponsoring over 30 international artists to visit Australia coordinating hundreds of cultural performances at schools, festivals and venues across Australia. For 14 years she was a main coordinator of Byron Harmony Festival and also started her own touring company called Colours of the World Tours. Judy has performed at major festivals and venues such as Woodford Folk Festival, Island Vibe Festival, Melanesian Arts Fest Solomon Islands, Inspirasi Arts Festival and Auckland Folk Festival. For interviews, press releases and more info please email: judybyronbay@yahoo.com
‘The Japanese Bento Box’ is a monthly radio show on the fourth Tuesday of every month which promotes the Japanese rich culture and wisdom through interviews and community news. We invite Japanese locals who live in the Byron Shire and share their journey in finding their new home away from home as well as their current lifestyle and passion. The show is presented by Hiromi Shibasaki, who moved to the area in 2015 to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle. The show aims to offer the Byron Bay community an insight into the local Japanese culture, be the voice and platform for the Japanese people to further connect, integrate with the local community.
The Japanese Bento Box Show with Hiromi Shibasaki
Having spent 10 years in a high paced corporate career in Japan, working for global financial institutions and founding a social venture business, it was a turning point when Hiromi was offered and took up the challenges of a leading role in a global environmental NGO. In parallel Hiromi took up a position presenting the Sunday morning show on National commercial radio. These dramatic career changes and experiences solidified her to realize where her true passions lay. This was to create a more sustainable lifestyle connecting people , communities and nature.
In 2015, Hiromi set on a new adventure moving to Australia, settling here in Byron Bay. She founded a small boutique travel guide business catering to Japanese tourists sharing with them some of her local connections and experiences. She is also a qualified chef, running a small macrobiotic catering business and much loved miso making workshops.
Her passion is connecting people and sharing different cultures. She has extensive experience in public speaking internationally on topics that include the environment, ocean conservation, conscious eating, surfing tourism and sustainability. This led her to host Bay FM’s Japanese program on the Multicultural Nation Show. Email: hiromi.matsubara@gmail.com
John Gabriel Alexander Simons
My name is John Gabriel Alexander Simons. I was born and raised under the Apartheid Regime in Elsie’s River, Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa, a Coloured (Mixed Race) suburb, riddled with drugs, rape, violence and gang warfare (a problem which still exists today.) I come from a family of Teachers, Artists, Musicians and Racial Equality Activists.
I migrated to Australia in the 80s and completed my University Degree at the National Art School, Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education and Sydney Teachers College.
I am a self-taught drummer, percussionist and singer who performed in a variety of African and Caribbean bands throughout the 80s and 90s while doing Casual Relief and block teaching in the Sydney Metropolitan area. During this period, I was heavily involved in the anti-Apartheid movement as an Artist and Musician.
In 1998 I received a full time Visual Arts and Music Teaching position, in the Northern Rivers, while gaining full time custody of my two young daughters. In this position a managed to maintain some part time music work as a percussionist with DJs.
In 2014, after my daughters completed their studies at University, I retired from a full-time teaching position and in 2015 studied Electronic Music Production at SAE.
In 2021 till present, I am studying to complete my Bachelors of Song Writing and Music Production at the SAE Campus in Byron Bay.
Coming from South Africa from an Artistic and Musical Family and having been a full-musician, educator and activist, I have a deep passion for African and Diasporic music. I wish to contribute this knowledge to a captive audience and help remove the stigma of African music being categorised as “World Music” and only belonging to World Music Events away from the mainstream, when in fact African and Diasporic Music has strongly influenced mainstream music.
I compose and write my own music on a Digital Audio Workstation (Ableton) and have been less active in live performance, which I have been involved in for most of my life. The main focus of my compositions are of an African and Diasporic nature. I have been given an African music show on Sundays 4-6pm, which I have named “Afriquencies”. I also present Afrika Calling as part of Multicultural Nation every third Tuesday 1-2pm.
I wish to contribute to the wider audience a sense of involvement closeness and unity in the education and sharing of African and Diasporic Music.
Hélène Safajou
Hélène Teclemariam Safajou was born in Addis Abeba and grew up in a multicultural environment in Ethiopia, Kenya and France. She met her Persian Australian husband in Israel and has lived in Byron since 2004 where she has raised her children, had businesses, worked in translation and education.
Her experience in radio started at River FM in Lismore with the French program and she is joining the vibrant Multicultural Nation team at BayFM where she will share content from the French speaking world. Hélène lives by the principle that the “earth is one country and mankind its citizens” and that we all have more in common than we think. Learning through friendship, music and conversations can help erase fear and ignorance.
Nancy-Jo Falcone
Hi my name is Nancy Falcone or just Nancy Jo to my radio listeners. I am a proud founding member of BAYFM community radio and have been involved in the Community broadcasting sector for over 30 years.
I worked 12 years as a volunteer in the early days of BAYFM presenting different programs, serving all executive committee positions, fundraising, and sponsorship gathering to name a few. Over the years I have also worked as a station manager in the First Nations sector in WA, an administrator for the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council in Melbourne and a Radio Broadcast trainer for the Community Media
Training organisation.
Having come full circle I am very happy to be back and part of the Multicultural Nation radio program team at BAY FM. You will hear me every 5th Tuesday of the month focusing on stories from migrant workers with their music and cultural aspects of living in Australia contributing to our truly Multicultural Nation
For more information visit: http://www.facebook.com/Multicultural-Nation-999-Bay-FM-1917729585162609
Multicultural Nation 2022
SUARA Indonesia is part of Multicultural Nation Radio Show @ BayFm Community Radio.
This year continued with the successful radio show Suara Indonesia @ BayFm as part of the Multicultural Nation Radio Show, which goes to air every Tuesday @ 1-2pm. Judy Shelley is the main presenter, plus new Indonesian presenter Tikal Sermet, Muslim present Malikeh Michels and the Japanese presenters Yumiko Suzuki and Hiromi Matsubara,
Yumiko and Hiromi present the Japanese Show every 4th week, along with Japanese presenter JT Rasta Samurai with “Smile Japan” every 2nd Tuesday.
The program presents many interesting cutting edge guests and interviewees.
1. Playback of recent shows
2. Visit the Show of Festive German Music presented by Isolde on Multicultural Nation 20/12/2022 (BayFM)
3. For more info: see the BayFM Multicultural Nation page
4. Visit the Multicultural Nation Facebook page
Bay FM
Bay FM 99.9 Community radio serving the Byron Shire and beyond from Byron Bay, Australia. The most easterly station in the nation
Website: https://www.bayfm.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/99.9.BayFm/
Multicultural Nation with Judy Shelley, Malikeh Michels, Yumiko Suzuki, Hiromi Shibasaki,, Junichi Tanaka, Kirana Anderton, Dharma Bradridge.
Multicultural Nation BayFM 99.9 for original article
We are here to Declare that Australia IS a Multicultural Nation and we Demand an end to all discrimination NOW ! Multicultural Nation is a BayFm radio program that provides a voice for people of diverse cultural backgrounds, reflecting the beauty of multicultural Australia. The show features music, culture, interviews, community news and information, including for new migrants, refugees and emerging communities. The aim of this program is to promote community harmony, peace and unity – both locally and globally. Presented in English with as many other languages represented as possible. Many thanks to the Community Broadcasting Foundation for funding Multicultural Nation.
First Tuesday – Suara Indonesia Second Tuesday – Smile Japan with JT Rasta Samurai
Third Tuesday – Warriors of the Rainbow Fourth Tuesday – The Japanese Show with Hiromi and Yumi
Fifth Tuesday – Multicultural News and Views with Malikeh Michels
Listener feedback “I’ve been listening to the Indonesian and Multicultural shows for about 25 years ..it’s so important for cultural diversity, the traditional music and gamelan is very calming and beautiful and we have a big community of Indonesians … Big Thanks to Judy Shelley !“ Rose Rath Byron Bay.
Suara Radio Show Archives
Read about our Suara radio show from 1999
BayFM is Supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation