1991 - Innocent beginnings

Really, it all started in 1991 when Gene Senior, a first year bachelors candidate in English wandered into a campus radio station in order to waste a little bit of time between classes. That radio station was called CHRY and it was a truly strange place. It seemed to be the genesis of all of the insurrection and hippiness on the York University campus.

The station was run by a fellow named Gary who was friendly enough and while not willing to allow young Mr. Senior the chance to spin music, suggested that he might want to try his hand at news reporting.

That was alright for a while but in order to prove his worthiness, Gene soon found himself operating the board for many live athletics broadcasts and doing more than just writing and reading the news. In fact, he tried his hands at production, spoken word programming and almost every facet of the radio business... but not music programming. Nope, he would have to wait for that honour.

1994 - Responsibility

In 1994 Gene travelled to a small outpost in New Brunswick on the east coast of Canada. The town was called Fredericton and it offered a chance for him to work as a news director at the campus radio station, CHSR. What Gene also found was that with responsibility came perks. In return for setting up the news department, Gene was offered one hour a week to play whatever kind of music he wanted. So began the little radio show that could. Gene called the music programme, the DownUnder Music Review (DUMR) and featured, what else, music from the lands of Australia and New Zealand. It was created shorty after the launch of a certain Tom Hanks movie which resulted in the host and radio show being dubbed "Dumb and Dumber" (DUMR). The ties to Tom's runaway hit movie was not lost. After all, "Stupid is, as stupid does".

The DownUnder Music Review was a jam packed half hour feature where Gene talked about and played music from Australia and NewZealand. The show was formatted as a music magazine and was bookended with the seminal Australian syndicated radio programme The Big Back Yard.

1995 - Retribution

After, proving himself abroad as a news caster and radio dj guy, Gene returned triumphant to CHRY and was awarded a two hour slot to play whatever music he wanted. Gary's only caution was to "keep it alternative".

And alternative it was. Having two hours to fill required a change in format and the show became a slightly more standardized in terms of campus music broadcasting but still held on to two of the most basic principles of the DUMR. The show must be informative and it must be about great antipodean music.

Thus was borne DownUnder UpOver. Since the inception of the show, a couple of people have helped out in various ways. On The DownUnder Music Review, Melissa Cowen was responsible for a great deal of the background reseach and writing that went into the production. Chris Stewart who hails from Toowomba, Queensland co-hosted DownUnder UpOver for a year and a half in Toronto.

1998 - A new locale

Since the program moved to the airwaves of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jacques from Temisquemangue has occasionally twiddled the knobs and sliders on the controls. He has been replaced from time to time by CC Smoke. Aaron Anderson from Bay of Plenty, New Zealand offered up his services and his half hour radio programme, New Zealand Direct.
In 2000, Lynne Skromeda joined the show as full time co-host and the show has benefited from her laugh and good taste in music.

Contributors aplenty have been around for our news gathering, including Christie Elieizer at Immedia, Caron Copek and Andy Mitchell at Base 2 in New Zealand, Craig Latham from NothingHappening in Melbourne, and Matt Attlee and the Australian Music Scrapbook to name just a few.

Over the years, we have interviewed a smattering of New Zealand and Australian musicians as they pass our way, and record labels have been helpful in supplying us with music. One record label in particular that helped us get and keep up with the Australian music scene is Shock. When the program was first formed back at CHRY, they were one of the first to start supplying us with material and that was often reflected in those early playlists.

Of late, we have to thank New Zealand On Air and their amazing Kiwi Hit Discs for keeping the show up to date with the best new music from the land of the great white cloud.

There are likely a few people that I have missed. I apologize for that and if yoiu remind me I will gladly you to this list of props and thank-yous.

I hope this helps for those who have just stumbled upon us. We've been around for awhile but we're kinda quiet and reserved (we are Canadian after all). I hope that you can have a listen to us either on the air in Winnipeg or via our shoutcast or RealAudio Stream on the world wide web.

NOT the end.

Gene Senior
2002-05-11