‘DAZED and Confused’ may be the name of his popular radio show, but Wayne Burden is anything but disengaged.
The radio presenter DJ’ed his final show last month after a 29-year stint at 3DMR Mountain District Radio in Emerald.
His love of music first led Wayne to radio after he met a presenter from the station at a party.
“We were back at my house, and I showed him my collection of around a thousand vinyl albums,” he recalled.
“He said ‘I think you better come and do a show with me.”
His first regular gig, a show called ‘Madhouse’ aired on Friday nights starting at 9pm.
“It was just a bit of fun. We would get on the radio and play the songs we loved and talk about music and everything else.”
The good times continued for almost three decades, with Wayne hosting a variety of shows over his time at the station. He describes the genre he plays as “blues based but expands into heavy rock and maybe some funk.”
With his last show airing on 23 May, Wayne now plans to spend more time with his family and on his land.
“We’ve got land on French Island and Coronet Bay, so we’ll definitely be down there some more.”
His three daughters and son all share their dad’s passion for music.
“Music is therapy as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
“I’ve loved getting on the radio, playing music and talking with the listeners. It’s been an amazing ride.”
