What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Radio show call-out proves just how interesting and eclectic life can be

Our world sure is an interesting place. As you may, or may not know, I host a local radio show on a Sunday morning. I really enjoy it because it adds that something extra to my life-work balance. Also, I get to talk to interesting people about topics wide and varied. I have loads of fun chewing the fat with my co-host Nikki, with great discussions and lots of laughs — often at our own expense. A couple of weeks ago, Nikki messaged me early in the morning saying she would probably not make it to the radio station that day because she had to rush her cat to the vet. So, I thought I would do a bit of a ring-around to see if there was someone to fill in. First up, I messaged Radio MAMA legend Bernie and then I thought, to hedge my bets, I asked my mate Russell too. Russell, a retired journalist, is never short of a word and that makes him “good talent” for radio. Rusty often comes off the bench to help me out. Even though I had guests lined up, I really didn’t want to host the program solo. Just as I arrived at the station, Bernie got back to me, saying he’d come in “no worries”. In what seemed like just a couple of seconds later, I heard back from Rusty. “Why not,” his message read. “I’m bringing a fella from Andorra with me.” What? Yes. I had read his message right. Andorra is a tiny country situated in the Pyrenees mountains, on the border between France and Spain. I only know that because I’m a Tour de France devotee, and the tour often makes its way into that part of Europe. So, I now had Bernie, Rusty and Chris from Andorra and was ready to rumble, and just as the 10 o’clock news came to and end, in walked Nikki. “All good, the cat’s got hyperthermia, but under control,” she informed us. Headsets on and tested, and we were away. Soon into the program I welcomed Russell, telling listeners he had brought in a friend. I had no idea that Rusty had only met the young fella the night before, when he had landed on his doorstep following an answer to a advert on Buy and Sell by his wife Shirley. “Peter, this is Chris from Andorra.” And that’s just about all he knew. “Yes, I am Chris, and I can tell you that there is more chance of winning the lottery than meet someone from Andorra, yes,” he said in his broken English. Over the next couple of hours, we all learned quite a bit about Chris, Andorra and how he came to be in Geraldton. Highly educated in sports sciences, Chris expects to stay in town for a couple of months, earn some money and then, head north to explore some more. You might come across the happy 32-year-old serving you in one of our local food and hospitality spots. What a friendly bloke. Cheers Chris. Peter Fiorenza hosts Sports Shed Saturday (9am to noon) and Fiorenza on Sunday (10am to noon) on Radio MAMA