Damien Beaumont loves a good story. After 25 years of telling stories at the ABC’s classical radio network, ABC Classic, Beaumont has announced he’ll be leaving the ABC. He’s looking forward to more time working on his “little patch” in the Blue Mountains, doing bush regeneration and helping to re-establish threatened species in the area, along with spending more time with friends and family. Starting as the network’s marketing manager — where, among other things, he established the Classic 100 — it wasn’t long before Beaumont found himself behind the microphone presenting the overnights program. Many will know Beaumont as the voice of Afternoons, following Margaret Throsby’s iconic Midday interviews. Most recently he’s accompanied people through their nightly routines as the presenter of Evenings. He says he’s thrilled that his friend and colleague Joel Carnegie will continue presenting Evenings for the rest of the year. Beaumont shares a few more stories before switching off his microphone. I found myself at the ABC because… I was in London studying music and I needed more money to continue. I thought I’d return to Australia; I’ll get a job and earn some money and continue singing and studying. I got a good job managing a music-related business and a position came up at ABC Classic. I thought “oh why not, this is what I’m already doing in the music industry anyway.” I just wanted to be in the ABC. My first on-air opportunity was… Shortly after I joined, the darling presenter Martin Hibble died unexpectedly. The boss at the time said: “I need help. We’ve got a huge gap in the schedule. Can you present music overnights for us?” So that’s how it all started. The thing I learned very quickly was… People with the radio on at night are often in situations where they need a friend. When I joined the ABC, if you wanted to get into radio, that’s where you started. You learned your craft doing overnights. You become a friend to a lot of people very quickly and it’s a profound honour. What I learned from Margaret Throsby is… To listen. Probably the longest shift that I had was following the Midday Interview with Margaret Throsby, listening to her craft every day. That’s a life lesson I’ll never forget. She had the great craft of listening; listening to their responses and then building a story from that. But you have to listen. They say pride is a deadly sin but… I came up with an idea of how to get pianos into schools, and the effects were quite profound, not just for the students and the teachers but the wider community. There were schools that had a music department for the very first time, students had an instrument they could practice on. So that is what I’d have to be the most proud of. Some of my favourite memories include… Being on air with Vanessa Hughes on the stage of the Sydney Opera House. We were singing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and were meant to be chatting on stage and suddenly the conductor came out far too early. That was a scramble to get back on track. Loading… But I think probably the funniest for me was a live concert broadcast I was hosting, where a vice regal was in attendance. The concert was going on far too long and we were told we only had 15 seconds to introduce the next part of the concert. I came back from the interval, and I did it within 15 seconds. And nothing happened. Silence. I could see the producer behind me doing stretching signs and I thought “I better start filling in.” 40 minutes later I was still talking. The vice regal had gotten lost backstage and the concert couldn’t restart without them. I did have a stiff drink after that broadcast. My favourite Classic 100 is… The Classic 100: Opera. I have such fond memories of being on the Sydney Opera House stage with the wonderful Moffat Oxenbould presenting the final countdown with Opera Australia, the chorus, orchestra and soloists. This was such an extraordinary moment of celebration of music and art. Loading… My best audience memories include… In the old days, when people would write letters, on the same day I received two letters, one accusing me of being a devil worshipper, and the other thanking me for my profound ability to present sacred music. But my favourite memory was when my Auntie’s best friend was undergoing a medical procedure, which she was rightly anxious about, and the doctors asked if she’d like to listen to some ABC Classic on the radio. I was presenting at the time, and I remember her saying to me: “I suddenly felt such calm. I wasn’t afraid because you, Damien, were there with me.” Those moments, they have a great and lasting impact. One thing I’ve learned from being on radio is… Words have power. During a live broadcast, producer Malcom Batty pointed out that I’d repeated a particular phrase three times. It wasn’t a criticism; it was just this very precise observation. You can say so much with so few words. When you’re behind the microphone, being precise and concise is a very important tool. I’d like to thank… All of the people that I’ve worked with. Because I’ve had the great honour of learning from each and every one of my peers and colleagues. I’ve learned from the best of the best in front of the microphone, but also a lot from the people behind the microphone: the producers, sound engineers, management team, my friends and colleagues within ABC Classic and the wider ABC as well. The things that I’ll miss are… My friends and colleagues at the ABC. All of them. The people that listen to ABC Classic. I will miss the composers. And I’ll miss the musicians, because they’re the ones we’re here for. We’re nothing without them. Luckily I can still turn the radio on and hear them, but that intimate interaction that I have with them, being with them on stage, interviewing them, learning about their craft — that’s what I’m going to miss most. Now I have a bit more time on my hands you will find me… Working with Bush Backyards to rehabilitate bushlands and eradicating weeds. Latrobe University have also installed nesting boxes in my little patch in the Blue Mountains for threatened species. My little patch is very demanding. I’ve got a few marks on my face. I got whacked by a falling branch the other day. But I love being in the garden. It’s my happy place. What I’m looking forward to is… The birds that I’m rediscovering and their songs. I’ve been doing a little Doctor Doolittle, because I’m really enjoying singing out to the birds. Some in particular actually answer me back. And I have to spend time with my family and close friends. The music that sums up my time at ABC Classic is… Suave sia il vento — May the wind be gentle. That beautiful trio from Mozart’s Così fan tutte. I have to fill my life with optimism. I think there’s no sense in thinking anything else than being optimistic. Looking forward. May the wind be gentle. May you always have the wind at your back. Sign up to the ABC Classic Newsletter
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