Belles & Whistles

11/09/2026

There’s something to learn from every person’s story.

It’s one of the things I’ve come to appreciate most through my work on The Journey podcast with BMG.

Every guest is completely different - business owners, community leaders, artists, sportspeople, broadcasters - but you don’t necessarily need to share someone’s interests or experiences to find something in their story that resonates.

The latest episode with Stuart Hodgson is a perfect example.

You might not be a footy person, but Stuart’s story is about much more than football. It’s about family, community, belonging - and facing a significant health challenge at 50 that he never saw coming.

Sometimes hearing someone else talk openly about what they’ve experienced gives us a different perspective on our own lives. Sometimes we recognise something of ourselves in their story. And sometimes we simply walk away understanding another person a little better.

That’s what I love about The Journey.

It isn’t really about what someone has achieved. It’s about everything that happened along the way.

Have a listen to Stuart’s episode, Football Gave Him More Than Premierships, below. 🎧

Football gave Stuart Hodgson more than premierships. It gave him a place to belong.

For more than three decades, Stuart has been part of the Albury Tigers - as a player, coach, president and passionate clubman.

In the latest episode of The Journey, Stuart joins Matt Griffith to reflect on the experiences that shaped his life through football - from moving schools as a child and finding a sense of belonging through the game, to playing in three consecutive premierships and eventually helping lead the club as president.

He also opens up about one of the most challenging periods of his life - his diagnosis with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma - and the family, friends and football community who stood beside him.

It’s a story about football, but even more so, it’s a story about family, belonging, leadership and the communities that help shape our lives.

🎧 Episode now live. Search for 'The Journey - brought to you by BMG' on your favourite podcast app, or watch the full episode on our website: www.bmgpartners.com.au

The Journey Podcast: Celebrating the journeys that shape our region.
Proudly brought to you by BMG and Radio 2AY.

Albury Tigers Club Ltd

11/09/2026

A particularly lovely project I’ve been working on recently… 🐾📚

Meet Jane Kinnon - a first-time Australian children’s author and cattle producer from Central Queensland, and the woman behind the gorgeous Rita the Muster Pup.

Rita is inspired by Jane’s real-life Border Collie and has a beautiful message for those cheeky, energetic little people who might sometimes find it tricky to stay on task - that the qualities that make us a little different can also be the things that make us special. 💛

I’ve loved helping Jane bring her story to life and share Rita with a wider audience.

Please pop over, follow Jane Kinnon Children's Author and meet Rita for yourself. 🐾

Hello and welcome. I’m Jane Kinnon - cattle producer, grandmother and, somewhat unexpectedly, children’s author.
I live on a property called 'Alinya' in Central Queensland, where life has always revolved around family, cattle, working dogs and the everyday adventures that come with living and working on the land.
Alinya has been my home since 1988 and is also home to Bungoona Brahmans, the Brahman stud founded by my husband Brett’s father around 50 years ago.
It’s a very special place to our family - and it’s also the world from which my book 'Rita the Muster Pup' grew.
Rita’s story was inspired by real life: raising working dogs, watching their personalities emerge and seeing the mischief they inevitably find themselves in along the way.
Becoming a children’s author certainly wasn’t something I had imagined for myself, but it has opened up a wonderful new chapter.
Through this page, I’m looking forward to sharing more about Rita, life at Alinya, our cattle and working dogs, the stories behind the book and some of the people and animals who continue to inspire me.
Thank you for being here at the beginning of this next chapter. I’m very glad to have you along!
🐾 Discover more about Rita and my story at www.janekinnon.com.au (link in bio)

03/09/2026

Treat Dad to some farm fresh lamb on Father's Day from Pastoral Lane. Enter the competition below and win him a whole meat pack (instead of socks or un**es!) 🥩🍻

🐑 WHAT’S THE GRAM FOR THE LAMB?
Father’s Day is coming up, so we’re giving you the chance to WIN a Pastoral Lane Meat Pack!
Guess the weight of our Pastoral Lane leg of lamb to the nearest gram.
TO ENTER:
👍 Like this post
❤️ Follow Pastoral Lane
💬 Comment ONE guess for the weight, to the nearest gram
The closest guess wins!
Winner must be local to the Albury-Wodonga area and following Pastoral Lane on the platform they entered on. One guess per person.
Entries close Saturday 5 September 2026.
Winner announced Father’s Day, Sunday 6 September 2026!
If there’s a tie, the winner will be randomly selected from the closest eligible entries.
Know someone who’d love this? Share it with them!
This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook or Instagram.

23/03/2026

Podcast reco: The Journey with Sandra Moon

I’ve had the pleasure of working with the delightful Sandra Moon for many years in a PR capacity - coordinating interviews, sharing client stories, and helping bring local voices to air on ABC Goulburn Murray Breakfast Radio.

But it’s a good reminder that you don’t always know the full story of the person behind the microphone.

That’s what makes this episode of The Journey so special. Sandra is joined by fellow radio veteran Matt Griffith - two naturally curious, chatty broadcasters in one room. The conversation flows with warmth, insight and authenticity.

It’s a thoughtful, engaging listen that offers a fresh perspective on storytelling, communication, and the vital role local voices play in shaping our region.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Perfect for a walk on these beautiful autumn days. 🍂

Prefer to watch? Head to the BMG Partners website.

Radio 2AY Speak Creative

22/03/2026

Apparently it's National Puppy Day... so it feels like the perfect excuse to introduce the the real team behind Belles & Whistles 🐾

Meet Jeff + Dougal. My co-workers, break-time enforcers, and occasional (uninvited) participants in client calls. Their bark timing is… impeccable 🙄

This photo has been in my camera roll for years. But like so many small business owners, I’m great at encouraging my clients to show up, share their story, and build their brand - and slightly less consistent about doing it myself.

(Sound familiar, plumber with the leaky tap?)

Most of my time is spent working in my clients’ businesses - helping them clarify their marketing, tell their story, and connect with their audience.

But moments like this remind me: people don’t just connect with businesses. They connect with the people behind them (and sometimes, the dogs.)

So here’s a small step toward showing up more consistently.

Jeff + Dougal approve wholeheartedly 🐾🐾

22/03/2026

It has certainly been a little while since I’ve popped up here.
Not because the work stopped - quite the opposite - but sometimes when you’re deep in the doing, you forget to tell the story along the way.

This quote caught my eye recently. It perfectly captures what we were celebrating at the BMG Partners Stories That Bind Us event recently - nearly a decade of The Journey podcast and shining a light on the incredible stories of people in our region.

Because the truth is, people rarely connect with a brand because of a product list or service menu. They connect because of a story they recognise, a value they share, or a feeling they trust.

That’s where the real magic lives. ✨

And that’s why storytelling will always be at the heart of great marketing.

18/03/2026

The unfolding situation between Karl and Jackie O is fascinating from a brand perspective.

Particularly because in this case, the relationship isn’t just part of the show - it IS the show. For years, their chemistry and dynamic have been the product audiences tune in for. So what happens when that relationship that underpins a brand starts to fracture publicly? Suddenly it's not just a personal drama. It becomes a brand story, a media story, a reputation story - for the station as well.

Radio is built on familiarity and trust - the feeling that listeners know the people behind the microphone.

When that changes, audiences feel it instantly.

And when a brand is built on a partnership, any tension doesn’t happen quietly - it plays out in real time.

This won’t be a short news cycle. It’s a story that will evolve.
From a brand perspective… watch this space.

Sometimes the biggest risk to a brand isn’t competition, it’s what happens when the story people thought they knew begins to change.

This is an important reminder that for brands built around people, the personal and the professional are rarely separate - and managing reputation becomes just as critical as the marketing itself.

17/03/2026

Sometimes the most rewarding part of our work happens behind the scenes.

Planning the details.
Coordinating the moving parts.
And then stepping back to watch a room full of people come together.

Stories That Bind Us - celebrating nearly a decade of The Journey Podcast - was one of those moments.

A full room at the Albury LibraryMuseum.
Conversations flowing long after the panel finished.
And a shared sense that storytelling still has the power to bring communities together.

We’re incredibly proud to support BMG Partners in growing The Journey into a platform that shines a light on the people, perspectives and experiences that shape the Albury Wodonga region.

It’s a privilege to play a small part in helping those stories be told.

📸 Cartwright Productions - Video & Photography

BMG Partners Albury LibraryMuseum AlburyCity Radio 2AY

17/03/2026