South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n amateur actor, director, critic, columnist and current host of the radio program ''The Evening Show'' on
ABC Radio Adelaide
ABC Radio Adelaide (call sign: 5AN) is the ABC Local Radio station for Adelaide. It is broadcast at 891 kHz on the AM band. It is also available on Digital TV in Adelaide.
History
5AN started transmitting on 15 October 1937 with equipmen ...
, which broadcasts throughout South Australia and to the "Silver" city of
Broken Hill
Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. I ...
. His career has spanned over 40 years in the entertainment industry across a range of different mediums and formats including television, print, radio and theatre, and he is frequently engaged as a guest speaker. In the Australia Day Honours, 2013, Goers was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his "service to the community as a radio broadcaster".
Personal life
Goers was born in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...
, raised in
Woodville South
Woodville South is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt.
Woodville South is adjacent to the suburbs of Woodville West, Woodville, Woodville Park, Beverley, and Findon.
Woodville South is the location ...
and educated at both Woodville Primary and Findon High schools. Goers is a fifth-generation Australian of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
and Irish descent. An influence in Goers' early life was teacher and former South Adelaide
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
Mick Rivers, who encouraged his interest in acting. Upon completion of his secondary schooling, Goers studied arts at
Flinders University
Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...
for eight years.
On 9 July 1982, both his parents were killed in a plane accident involving
Pan Am Flight 759
Pan Am Flight 759 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Miami to San Diego, with en route stops in New Orleans and Las Vegas. On July 9, 1982, the Boeing 727 flying this route crashed in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner after ...
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, which led to commercial contracts, including 5DN and ten years at the Austereo Radio Network.
Goers worked as full-time historian of the Performing Arts Collection of South Australia with the South Australian director
Colin Ballantyne Colin may refer to:
* Colin (given name)
* Colin (surname)
* ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie
* Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse
* Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...
. Having debuted as the Artful Dodger in ''
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before ...
'' at the Woodville Town Hall in 1972, Goers has been involved in many amateur theatre companies in Adelaide as an actor and director, including as artistic director of the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild (1982–86), and with Jimmy Zoole Presents, Q Theatre Company and
Adelaide Repertory Theatre
'The Adelaide Repertory Theatre, often called Adelaide Rep or The Rep, is an amateur theatre company in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1908. It usually presents its productions at The Arts Theatre.
History
Adelaide Rep is the longest ...
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
Award , and he is the only director with four plays in Adelaide on one night – in interlocking seasons.
During the same period, Jason Daniel, an arts editor for ''The Advertiser'', had heard Goers' movie reviews and suggested that he also review theatre for the newspaper, which he did from 1985 to 1996. He became known as 'the critic that ate Adelaide'. While with ''The Advertiser'' he began writing an opinion column for the associated '' Sunday Mail'' in 1991. In 1986 he was abused by Fringe comedian
Wendy Harmer
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...
during her show after providing a bad review, had his glasses broken, was spat on, and his notebook was taken and thrown at him.
Goers also hosted horror movies on Channel Ten Adelaide during the 1980s.
Mid career
In 1996 Goers left Adelaide and moved to
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
in Turkey. There he found work in theatre, working as a producer on local productions, before taking up a post as an English lecturer at a local university. While there he opened a new drama department and became the university's Dean of Drama. He also returned to theatre reviewing, writing English-language reviews for a local paper.
Goers returned to Adelaide in 1998 and to
News Limited
News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,0 ...
's ''Sunday Mail'' as a regular columnist. The following year saw his return to local radio, with a Monday night slot on the commercial radio station
FIVEaa
FIVEaa (pronounced ''Five Double A'') is Adelaide's only commercial talkback radio station.
The station has a range of programs including news, sports, current affairs, social issues, football calls, gardening, lifestyle, cars, travel and heal ...
. Two months later he was joined by
Rex Jory
William Rex Jory is a retired Australian journalist. He was an associate editor of '' The Advertiser'', regular columnist for both ''The Advertiser'' and the '' Sunday Mail'' and leader writer for ''The Advertiser''.
Jory was born and educated ...
and Pamela Francis to produce ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' as a weekly panel, which soon expanded to a twice-weekly show with the addition of Alex Ward. Nevertheless, the show was to have a short life, and by early November of that year it had ended its run.
The ABC
In 2003, Goers was invited to audition for the ABC. However, on the day when he was due to audition, Goers was requested by the management to fill in for Carole Whitelock, who had taken ill. This led to a return to radio on the ABC when he hosted the evening session for the station over the 2003/2004 summer break. From there he went on to host ''The Evening Show'' on a permanent basis.
''The Evening Show'' features on 891 ABC Adelaide from 7:00 pm on weekdays and is presented in a magazine format, with Goers interviewing local, national and international celebrities and academics in addition to a regular call-back segment and a quiz. The show includes the only regular children's programming on ABC radio, the Kids Quiz, each Thursday evening. Goers also has several regular guests, including his ''Goers' Gals'', Nick Prescott discussing film, and linguist Roly Sussex discussing the evolution of the English language.
Goers begins his show with "Hi ho, everybody", a line borrowed from
Jack Davey
John Andrew Davey (8 February 190714 October 1959), known as Jack Davey, was a New Zealand-born singer and pioneering star of Australian radio as a performer, producer, writer and host from the early 1930s into the late 1950s. Later in his caree ...
and at the end of every show, Goers signs off with the line "Goodnight Mrs Calabash, wherever you are" – borrowed from
Jimmy Durante
James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced songs ...
.
Since 2019, Goers has presented ''Sunday Mornings'' from 10am til midday. The first hour of the show known as ''Smart Arts'', is dedicated to covering South Australian arts, with critics Samela Harris and Steve Davis joining each week to discuss the week in the local arts scene. The second hour features talkback gardening with Goers joined by Sophie Thompson.
Religious views
Goers was raised
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
and has described himself as a Christian and also "a bit of an
agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficie ...
as are all reasonable people of reasonable faith. None of us knows if there is a God, but there's always hope." In an article encouraging tolerance between New Atheists and Christians, Goers was extremely critical of atheism. Regarding Islam, Goers has stated "Muslims do not
proselytise
Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries.
Some draw distinctions between '' evangelism'' or ''Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invol ...
and some of the best Christians I've ever known are Muslims." Goers was critical of religious arguments against Same Sex Marriage and vocal in support of the "Yes" campaign during the
Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the postal service between 12 September and 7 November 2017. Unlike voting in ...
.
Football views
Goers is a passionate and vocal supporter of the
Port Adelaide Football Club
Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed the Power, whilst its reserv ...