Outside broadcast: Rochester Sports Museum hosted Ian McNamara’s Australia All Over program on Sunday, an overflowing railway station carpark evidence of the pulling power of a man considered iconic to regional Australia.
A semi-trailer driver driving along Rochester’s Moore St early on Sunday morning offered the ultimate evidence of just how big an influence ABC radio show host Ian McNamara has on regional Australia.
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The driver was obviously tuned into Macca’s Australia All Over program — being broadcast live from outside the Rochester Sports Museum — as he not only slowed down, but gave a soft toot of recognition to the soon-to-turn 72-year-old host.
McNamara returned the favour, mid-interview, by acknowledging the truck as it headed toward the NSW border.
An estimated 400 people, along with an assortment of dogs, sat in their fold-out chairs in the car park of the railway station for the four-and-a-half-hour show.
McNamara not only performed his show, but stuck around for almost an hour afterwards for photographs and autographs, despite having worked his way through much of the crowd during the course of the show.
And the time is: McNamara started his radio show at 5.30am and during the course of the next four hours an estimated 400 people gathered to be part of the interactive nationally broadcast show.