Susanna Freymark
Former 2LM announcer Geoff Phillips was at the studios in Lismore last week revisiting memories of his early days in radio.
Mr Phillips worked in media for more than 50 years and read the WIN news for decades.
It was an April Fools Day story that he remembered most.
In 1979, on April 1, Mr Phillips made an announcement on the morning news about Casino Airport.
Each day, the news was prepared by a journo at the Northern Star. The radio station was in the same building.
At 6.30am Mr Phillips read the morning news.
“I thought, I’ll make it the third story,” he said.
In his smoothest radio voice he read his fake story.
“A jumbo jet with engine trouble has made a landing at Casino Airport.”
He went on to describe the next part of the made-up story to radio listeners.
“A Fokker Friendship plane was flying up from Sydney with a jumbo jet engine tucked underneath it.”
The story was so absurd, given the size of a F27 and a jumbo jet engine.
Mr Phillips didn’t expect anyone to believe his story.
But a traffic controller heard it and thought a jumbo jet had crashed at Casino Airport.
It became the lead story on ABC news.
Police and emergency fire services responded.
I’m sitting in the studio wondering if anyone fell for the story, Mr Phillips said.
A colleague called him and said there were sirens and fire engines and people were on the tarmac at the airport looking for the jet.
People from Lismore and Kyogle flocked to the airport with reports of a Mallanganee School teacher getting parents to take students to see the jet.
When Mr Phillips came off the air, he was stood down for two weeks.
“I think it’s funny – I had no idea of the reaction,” he said.
Mr Phillips travelled to Casino on his visit last week.
“I went to see the airport,” he said.
“And then outside the RSM in Casino, I found $50 on the pavement.”
Mr Phillips grew up in Nambucca Heads and now lives in Wollongong.
He often shares his Casino Airport story with friends.
It’s a far-fetched tale that still makes Mr Phillips laugh.
