It is rare for 23-year-olds to be called veterans in any field but two recently departed BLU FM presenters have earned the title after a 14-year stint at the community radio station.

Josh Graham and Tom Oriti said an emotional goodbye to faithful listeners of their Time Machine program on Boxing Day.

Tom said Saturday afternoons would never be the same for the duo who have barely missed a show together since hitting the airwaves as nine-year-olds.

“It was a lot more difficult than I thought,” Tom said of the final shift. “I know a lot of people think it’s just a community radio program but for us, we’ve been doing it for 14 years of our lives . . . and it was extremely emotional for both of us, extremely difficult.”

The decision to move on was a forced one as both Josh and Tom are pursuing careers outside the Mountains. Tom’s work as a journalist with ABC Radio has taken him to Bega while Josh is working as a junior motion designer, producer and composer in Sydney for MTV.

Tom said that while gaining on-the-job experience was a major motivating factor in doing the show, both had continued for some time despite already finding work in their chosen industry.

“Even though we did reach where we wanted to go we still did BLU FM as a fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon,” he said.

Josh and Tom’s involvement went far beyond their work as presenters, with both involved in behind the scenes work including organising competitions and concerts as well as working on the station’s website.

While his career has taken him in a different direction, Josh said he hoped to return to the airwaves at some point.

“It was a hell of a good run on BLU FM and I don’t think I could have done it with anyone else,” he said. “I really love being a radio presenter, at some point in the future I would definitely consider presenting a show at a Sydney station.”

Station president Ken Quinnell was full of praise for Josh and Tom, saying they would be missed after such a long time with BLU FM. “They’re both exceptional . . . they were outstanding presenters because they just took to radio like ducks to water,” he said.

Anyone interested in getting involved with BLU FM can call the station on 4782-9286.

Source: http://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/news/local/news/general/blu-fm-radio-duo-call-it-a-day/1724273.aspx