Sound selections

Established in 2007, Sounds of Australia is an annual celebration of audio that captures the essence of our nation through sound. This year, 10 audio recordings with cultural, historical and aesthetic significance were chosen for Sounds of Australia 2024. While final selections are made by a panel of audio experts, the public also has their say, nominating their favourite Australian sounds that are more than 10 years old.

This year’s selections include an iconic TV theme with a little-known Australian connection, the story of some of the first ever audio recordings of First Nations Australian people and a ‘90s hip hop classic that celebrates our country’s multiculturalism.

'With such a diverse range of sound recordings in this year’s selection, it is hard to draw on singular narratives,' observed NFSA curator Nick Henderson. 'However it is very exciting to see connections between the recordings, such as the shift from Gordon Gow’s British-inflected English for the 1950s Speaking Clock to the maiden speech in 2013 of Australia’s first female Indigenous Federal Parliamentarian.'

Henderson also acknowledged the increased engagement from multilingual communities in recent years, along with smaller subcultures such as metal and experimental music scenes. 

Below is a rundown of this year’s selections.

Women United

Jessie Street (1889–1970) was not only a pioneering thinker, but an active and passionate advocate for women’s rights. Recorded on 28 May 1945 at the first meeting of the Women’s International Radio League (WIRL) in San Francisco, Street tells the delegation about her work (both at home and overseas) to end gender-based discrimination, culminating in the removal of restrictions for women to hold positions in the United Nations.

Street not only talks about the work done to secure this achievement, but also articulates the importance of issues that remain all-too relevant in 2024, such as the struggle for ‘equal pay, equal opportunity and equal status for women.’

Listen to Jessie Street’s trailblazing speech.

At the third stroke... 

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Generations of Australians would be familiar with the Speaking Clock, an automated phone service which provided the time in a golden broadcaster’s voice.

Beginning in 1953 as an operator-based system, it was automated the following year with time calls by ABC journalist and actor Gordon Gow. 

Over the years, the Speaking Clock evolved with changing technologies, culminating in a fourth and final electronic system in 1990 which featured the familiar tones of ABC journalist Richard Peach (who replaced Gow’s voice in the 1980s).

Richard Schipper is a telecommunications technician who was involved in the installation for the first computerised Speaking Clock in the 1980s, and also worked on restoring one of the original 1954 machines.

Schipper recalled the original 1950s model (aka British Post Office Speaking Clock Mark 2) was a mechanical system with valve technology to record the voice on a glass disk.

As a result, ‘there was a significant level of maintenance support staff required to keep the system functional,’ he said. Restoring this old unit also presented challenges according to Schipper, not least ‘ensuring that the general authenticity of the original construction and wiring was preserved’.

By comparison, the computerised Speaking Clocks introduced in Adelaide in the 1980s and implemented across Australia in 1990 had the voice stored digitally. ‘This of course resulted in benefits regarding reliability and low maintenance,’ Schipper said.  

Listen to an example of an original Speaking Clock recording featuring Gordon Gow.

Affectionately known as ‘George’, the Speaking Clock served millions of Australians until its eventual closure on midnight, 1 October 2019.

Although the Speaking Clock had many uses for Australians, from setting home clocks to recording accurate phone call times in office settings, Richard Schipper believes ‘everything has an expiry date’.

‘Today in 2024, there are many equivalent or better services to suit needs provided in the past,’ he said.

However its tradition is still maintained in an online service  established by former Cat Empire musician Ryan Monro in 2019. While not a legitimate replacement for the Speaking Clock (it relies on the system time of the user’s device), 1194online.com provides a tip of the hat to a service fondly remembered by Australians, complete with the familiar voice of the late Richard Peach. 

Aussie 'Whovians'

People of a certain generation (including this writer) have great nostalgia for the hour of TV that used to air before the 7pm ABC News broadcast. In a thrilling contrast of light and dark, the fun would begin with the surreal and madcap escapades of British comedy trio The Goodies, before the whooshing electronics and otherworldly soar of the theme from Doctor Who plunged us into the time travelling universe of the titular timelord.

The theme was composed by an Australian, Ron Grainer, while its cutting-edge arrangement was produced and recorded by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s Delia Derbyshire, utilising avant-garde techniques such as musique concrète, to create a sonic maelstrom around Grainer’s haunting theme:

Although Grainer unsuccessfully tried to get Derbyshire a co-writing credit for the theme, the work done by the duo proved timeless. The melody is still heard at the beginning of new episodes of Doctor Who (albeit updated versions), while the direct impact of the music can be heard in everyone from Pink Floyd and Orbital to Australian country musicians Bullamakanka. The original Doctor Who theme can be heard here.  

A big big thirst

Is there a more iconic Australian beer advertisement than the rousing jingle and narration of the classic Victoria Bitter promotion? Narrated by legendary Australian actor John Meillon and scored with a re-arrangement of Elmer Bernstein’s Magnificent Seven theme, it’s one of the most evocative pieces of advertising ever created. Paying homage to Australia’s tradition of hard work and play, it’s an inviting call to unwind with a ‘big cold beer’.

Its origins date back to 1965 when Sydney agency George Patterson created a promotion for Queensland’s Bulimba Gold Top Beer. In 1967, the campaign was remodelled for Carlton & United Breweries’ Victoria Bitter and used to promote VB for the next 40 years, beginning in 1968. 

The stirring music practically transports the listener to images of tough landscapes and hard yakka, while Meillon’s wonderfully dramatic recital is affectionately remembered by Australians of multiple generations. John Meillon’s grandiose narration and that epic theme tune can be heard in this version of the legendary ad campaign: 

Jimmie's laboratory

Muruwari man Jimmie Barker (1900–1972) was the first Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to make recordings that documented pre-colonial First Nations culture or as Jimmie himself described it, ‘the old ways’. An innovative and endlessly curious individual, Jimmie began experimenting with sound when just nine years old.

After moving to Milroy Station in 1909, Jimmie had a self-described 'laboratory' where he independently made experiments with steam and recording technology. Listening to the vibrations while playing and singing with his brother Billy in a disused water tank, Jimmie used this as inspiration to experiment with recording techniques, culminating in a method using the same principle as wax cylinders. 

In 1920, Jimmie accepted a job as a handyman at Brewarrina Mission Station where he had access to a phonograph which could record sound directly onto wax cylinders. From there, Jimmie recorded Aboriginal people at the mission singing traditional songs and language. Ultimately, Jimmie collected over 100 hours of audio which provided a crucial sound document of Muruwari and Ngemba elders, many of whom knew life in the area before settlers arrived.

Listen to audio from the Jimmie Barker collections. 

Jimmie’s extraordinary story, along with audio interview clips recorded in 1972, can be found on the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies site.

The world comes to Aussie radio

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The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) exists to entertain and inform culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities across the country. This in turn provides a tool for Australians and English-speaking residents to learn more about our rich multiculturalism and what makes our country such an exciting and dynamic place to live in.

The SBS story began on 9 June 1975 with the Sydney opening of 2EA (‘Ethnic Australia’) by Al Grassby, who became Minister for Immigration during the Whitlam Government's first term. The first broadcast in 1975 was in Greek. Today, SBS Audio services over four million Australians with programmes in 68 languages, an essential service catering to the multilingual population. Meanwhile the SBS television network, established in 1980, has engaged viewers of all backgrounds with its diverse content.

Listen to the historic 1975 opening 2EA broadcast in Greek language, and another clip from 1975, broadcast in Arabic, can be heard here.

'Comin' at ya from the land down under'

Hip hop has been an integral part of Australian popular culture ever since the breakdancing revolution of the early to mid-1980s. However, It wasn’t just the dancing that grabbed the attention of young Australians, it was the raw storytelling over sampled and programmed beats, revealing an entire new form of music and expression. 

One of the earliest practitioners of Aussie hip hop were Western Sydney crew Sound Unlimited Posse. Later removing the ‘Posse’ from their moniker, Sound Unlimited toured with Public Enemy in 1990. Their 1992 debut album A Postcard from the Edge of the Underside provided a thrilling showcase of Western Sydney hip hop blended with smooth soul flourishes, and lyrics that tackled issues of racism, Indigenous rights and cultural pluralism.

Comprised of Rosano ‘El Assassin’ Martinez, his sister Tina ‘T-Na’ Martinez, MC Kode Blue and Vlad DJ BTL, Sound Unlimited found a major commercial crossover with their hit 'Kickin’ to the Undersound', a joyous and infectious statement of intent that incorporated a sample of Men At Work’s 'Down Under'.

The tune not only celebrated Australia’s multiculturalism with the group’s Filipino, Spanish and Russian heritage, the success of the song (a top 20 hit) provided Australian with its first youth movement that wasn’t Anglo-centric.

Watch the music video for 'Kickin' to the Undersound'. 

The Chains of Triumph

An alumni of popular Australian variety TV show Young Talent Time, Italian-Australian Tina Arena went truly global in 1994, with a ballad that remains one of the finest examples of its genre. 

If one simply reads the lyrics of her massive hit 'Chains', you could be fooled into thinking this is an almost unbearably dark song. ‘The sound of my desperate calls/echo off these dungeon walls’ Arena sings, gothic and heartbroken.

However, that perception immediately changes when you actually listen to the tune. 'Chains' is full of memorable hooks and builds up to an explosive chorus where Arena sounds anything but trapped.

Her voice is an instrument of pure strength and millions of people continue to find solace and empowerment in this classic, emotion-charged song. 

Last call

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The most poignant and tragic entry in Sounds of Australia 2024 is this 2009 recording of the Christmas Island pipistrelle, a microbat unique to the island. This recording was captured during an unsuccessful attempt by scientists and volunteers from the Australasian Bat Society to undertake a capture program, aimed at preserving this critically endangered breed. 

Principal Research Scientist at the Arthur Rylah Institute for the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Dr Lindy Lumsden, is a member of the Australasian Bat Society and was in Christmas Island at the time the call was captured via a bat detector and recorded on a phone. 

The first recommendation for a captive breeding program was made in 2006 and had been put forward due to the Christmas Island pipistrelle’s rapid decline in numbers since the 1990s. 

By the time the relocation was attempted three years later, just one bat was found, which the group were unable to capture. The pipistrelle’s ‘echolocation’ or sonar call was recorded, its otherworldly chirrup ultimately captured for the last time. The Christmas Island pipistrelle was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2017.

‘The last night we heard the pipistrelle was 26 August 2009,’ Dr Lumsden recalled. ‘After this night we didn’t hear it again and I really think that the species went extinct on that date. I find it quite distressing to this day.’

The failure to save the Christmas Island pipistrelle from extinction, despite valiant efforts by scientists and volunteers, was seen as symptomatic of destructive human activity such as phosphate mining and introduced species like the yellow crazy ant, the feral cat and the black rat. Dr Lumsden says a major factor in the extinction of the Christmas Island pipistrelle was the accidental introduction of the wolf snake to Christmas Island in the 1980s. Studies showed that wolf snakes can climb trees and Dr Lumsden observed the pipistrelles’ decline occurred over the same time period these reptiles arrived at the island.

‘Other species may have contributed, but I think it’s the unintentional expansion of wolf snakes that had the most tragic, invasive effect on the Christmas Island pipistrelle,’ she said. 

At just three grams in weight and subsisting on a diet of insects, the Christmas Island pipistrelle was a vital part of the region’s ecosystem. Dr Lumsden says their extinction has galvanised support for other threatened species such as the Christmas Island flying fox, the blue-tailed skink and Lister’s gecko. 

Listen to the recording of the Christmas Island pipistrelle’s last call.

From athletics to activism

The most recently recorded entry in this year’s Sounds of Australia is a 2013 speech remembered to this day for its power and passion. Labor Senator Nova Peris was already admired throughout Australia for her many decorations as an athlete, including her achievement as the first Aboriginal woman to win an Olympic gold medal for Australia. 

Another groundbreaking accomplishment for Peris, a descendent of the Gija and Yawuru people, was becoming the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to Federal Parliament. Her speech is as relevant today as it was in 2013, putting on parliamentary record the concerns, issues, struggles and strength which continue for First Nations people. 

While acknowledging her gold medals, Peris said she would ‘swap all that in a hearbeat… to see Aboriginal Australians be free, healthy and participating fully in all that our great country has to offer’.

Peris acknowledged Australia faced challenges as it worked towards Closing the Gap, but her words were ultimately defined by hope, and a vision for Australia where everybody has the same opportunities. 

Watch Nova Peris’ maiden speech to Federal Parliament:

Matt Thrower is a writer based in Brisbane/Meanjin specialising in music, cinema and popular culture. His work has appeared in various street press, zines, newspapers and websites over the years, as well as publications such as Rolling Stone and The Australian Magazine. 

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