4 minute read
Listen Without Prejudice: Why Podcasting in the Remembrance Space Matters
By Megan Spencer
For me, making podcasts to support the cause of commemoration is a ‘no brainer’.
I first discovered the power of sound way before podcasts were ever ‘a thing’. It was in the ‘pre-digital’ analogue ‘80s in Melbourne, making radio at Triple R. It was tapes, tapes and more tapes.
Remembrance has a language and community all of its own, something I quickly learned after beginning this journey of ‘holding the stories of war’ in 2017, as I retraced my grandfather’s footsteps in Germany, a prisoner-of-war there for four years during the Second World War.
An entire world opened up: I became a pilgrim, walking alongside so many others, desperately trying to make sense of war and all it entails. Inspired by the big and small acts of remembrance I heard and saw, I returned to Australia to make my very first commemorative audio series.
I haven’t looked back.
Listening deeply, actively, openly and without prejudice is a way to honour all our service people, past and present, unconditionally.
Listening is an intimate and powerful act of remembrance.
That action—the conscious choice to listen to the stories of service and sacrifice—makes it a compassionate act.
When we enter the one-to-one environment of a podcast, closely listening to the voices of those who have lived through military service— be it combat or otherwise—we cannot help but be changed by it.
The same goes for families, kin and communities, secondarily affected. It may not always be easy, but it is always transformational. We hear vulnerability, courage and capacity to live through and do things most of us can’t even imagine. There’s hardship, triumph, horror, kindness and everything in between. Stories oftentimes beggar belief.
Podcasts are containers that hold much: storytelling, emotion, words, sound, experience, insight, silence, and above all, voice. Like movies, they transcend time, space and place. They deliver us into the lives of others.
Podcasting is an empathetic medium. When we take the position of another, even if only temporarily, it leaves a resonance. Listening to podcasts can create a space for learning, growth and understanding.
Once you hear something, you cannot ‘un-hear’ it. Once you learn something, you cannot ‘unlearn’ it. Once you know something, you cannot ‘un-know’ it. Podcasts invite our perspectives to change.
The question then becomes, ‘what will we do with this newfound knowledge? ‘Action’ beckons.
Which is why, I think, I continue to make podcasts about remembrance and the impact of service. As emotionally tough as it is at times— going deep into this storytelling landscape can carry a very real risk of secondary trauma—I cannot ‘not’. It’s my version of peace activism.
The ultimate goal is peace. I cannot abide the thought of sending people to war—or war zones. The cost is too high.
I now know remembrance is personal, sometimes political, but it’s always a practice.
‘Never forgetting’ requires action and consistency: “Remembrance Day is every day”, not twice a year. Commemorative podcasts give us the opportunity to practice remembrance always, anytime, anywhere, at will.
That’s a game-changer and as easy as hitting ‘play’.
Explore podcasts by the Shrine of Remembrance.
Megan Spencer is a dedicated remembrance podcast producer. Since 2017, she has created multiple series of award-winning, immersive audio features for Australian commemorative institutions, including the Shrine of Remembrance, the Australian War Memorial and the Virtual War Memorial Australia. Megan was recently recognised at the South Australian Media Awards, taking out the best radio/audio feature based on a single story for the ‘Defending with Pride: Voices’ series.
