Meet Ladd Bursey, a one-of-a-kind golden oldie at VOWR
On Saturday, the 60 to 70 volunteers of VOWR, many of them in their senior years, will be inducted in the Newfoundland and Labrador Volunteer Hall of Fame.
Without them, the voice of Wesley Radio would be silent.
Since 1924, the local community station has been broadcasting from its original home, attached to Wesley United Church, on the corner of Patrick Street and Hamilton Avenue in downtown St. John's.
Around the clock, fans of the station tune in at 800 AM — or VOWR.org — for programming dominated by easy-listening music shows.
You'll also find gardening tips, interviews, death notices, a church service on Sunday and public service announcements; it's where you'll hear about turkey teas, seal flipper dinners, church sales or where to show up to donate blood.
VOWR celebrated its 91st anniversary this year. Ninety-one also happens to be the age of its oldest volunteer, Ladd Bursey, a St. John's man who has a long history with the station and is one of the dedicated volunteers.
Though he doesn't have quite the same energy levels as he used to and experiences occasional back pain, Ladd is trim and fit.
His youthful physique is coupled by an unmistakable mental alertness.
"If you keep moving and doing things, you won't feel like you're getting elderly or old. You forget all about it," Ladd told me.
"And, if you can forget that then, of course, you certainly just carry on and act like anybody's who's younger than you are."
Where you'll find him every Friday & Monday
To that end, Ladd likes to walk, is a voracious reader, enjoys a regular hand of bridge and, every Friday, you'll find him at VOWR picking out 60 or 70 music cuts for Music Unlimited, the show that he produces and operates each Monday morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"I can usually play whatever I feel the people will enjoy," he said.
"You take people you grew up with: Perry Como, Al Martino, Tex Ritter. I like Josh Groban and, of course, Catherine McKinnon and Anne Murray - you can understand the words they say when they are singing and they have some lovely songs. We have to play 35 per cent Canadian music because of the CRTC. Otherwise they'll put you off the air."
Ladd may be the oldest volunteer at VOWR, but he's quick to downplay his role and acknowledge the contribution of his fellow volunteers.
"Jack Head does the music on every Sunday afternoon. He's been down there for quite some time. He plays great music. And Henry Pike who'd been there, I believe, since the station started. At least when it was a little hole in the wall down in the basement of the church," he said.
" And, of course all the volunteers you don't hear about, or don't know, doing other work — that's probably more valuable to the listeners in the respect they prepare so much so that the announcers can go ahead with whatever they're doing. There's quite a few who have passed on. Probably 20 to 30 since I've been there who've been there for years and years. They kept the station going."
Historic role in broadcasting
Walk through the doors at VOWR and you'll find a couple of on-air studio, offices, an extensive library of LPs and CDs.
If you keep moving and doing things, you won't feel like you're getting elderly or old. You forget all about it- Ladd Bursey
Behind glass, several shelves display old microphones and obsolete record players that bring home the history of the service.
VOWR is the only station owned by the United Church of Canada. It was the brainchild of Rev. Dr. J.G. Joyce, who was the minister of Wesley United in 1924 when the station was founded.
Ladd's original connection to the building was through his father, who was one of the volunteers who built the church.
He's a programmer and operator now, but Ladd started working for VOWR in the 1970s in a different capacity.
"In those days, VOWR used to have an auction. That's where the only money came into us. I used to go down there and volunteer on auction night. The telephones would be going all the time and I'd answer the phone and fill out the slips with the names of the people who were going to purchase the items that were for sale."
How some records got a special scratch
Fundraising drives have evolved since those days, and so have opinions on what constitutes appropriate programming.
When Ladd put playlists together in the late 1980s, rules were strict and the station manager went to great lengths to maintain standards.
"The head of the station at the time was Evert Hudson. If you played a tune that wasn't appropriate, you'd get a telephone call pretty quickly if he wasn't there, or he'd come in if he was down there,"
'We still have recordings down there where he scratched out certain numbers on the recordings that you're not allowed to play. Scratched the LP."
VOWR is always on the lookout for new announcers, but you won't hear Ladd among the on-air deejays.
"Thirty years ago I did have a voice check and I was frightened. I sort of did what they wanted me to do and I could see into the other studio at the two people who were checking on me and all I could see was thumbs down, so I never tried afterwards!"
What the audience wants to hear
Ladd gets a thumbs up for his musical selections for Monday's Music Unlimited. He plays the golden oldies that VOWR listeners tune in to hear.
The music may be from an earlier era but Ladd would like to see their broadcasting technology keep up with the times.
"It's very hard when you get equipment that is old. We probably need $100,000 worth of equipment to keep our radio station running the way we and the public want it."
Despite his senior years and admitting that he doesn't have quite the energy he used to, you'll continue to find Ladd at VOWR every Friday, picking out his music for Monday morning's Music Unlimited.
He has every intention of keeping the classic VOWR music on the air.
"I certainly hope so. Unless they fire me."
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