Radio is providing beneficial therapy for a Dunedin man in recovery from traumatic brain injury.
In September 2016, Jamie Bennett was riding his motorcycle through a Sydney intersection when a young driver turned a four-wheel drive vehicle into his path. The resulting collision left Mr Bennett with multiple injuries, including fractures in his skull, spine and legs.
Several surgeries and a complex insurance battle later, Mr Bennett returned to hometown Dunedin, arriving just prior to the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Further complications from a fall outside a local music venue set Mr Bennett’s rehabilitation back, but a referral to shared arts studio Artsenta proved a positive move.
An introduction to radio through a co-hosting role on Artsenta’s Artwaves programme on OAR FM Dunedin led to Mr Bennett developing his own weekly show, Bennettini Selects.
Each episode features a wide range of music from a vinyl collection compiled over several years of international travel prior to the accident.
At first daunted by learning the intricacies of live-to-air presentation and production, Mr Bennett is now sufficiently confident to fly solo with a mix of rock, reggae, blues, jazz and instrumentals.
“I absolutely love music and I’d like to continue to develop the show,” he said.
“I have a lot of great Turkish and World music from my travels.”
Bennettini Selects airs on Tuesdays at 1pm on OAR 105.4FM and 1575AM. Podcasts are available from oar.org.nz, Google podcasts and Apple podcasts.