Millicent resident David Walshaw feels he has exhausted just about every avenue in his bid to contact the management of 5 THE-FM.

A frustrated Mr Walshaw spoke to The SE Voice after he had addressed a group of 40 interested people outside the Millicent community radio station on Saturday morning.

In association with others, Mr Walshaw called the open community meeting as they are concerned about aspects of the station’s management.

The meeting lasted 25 minutes with around a dozen others expressing a range of opinions.

Mr Walshaw had begun the open-air forum by asking if any representatives of the station management were present and there were none.

“It has been said that this is all about Wattle Range Council wanting to take over the radio station but it is not about a land grab,” Mr Walshaw said.

“It is about 5 THE-FM again being a community station with special music programs and ethnic programs and so on.

“This place should be a hive of activity but many people have left.

“We want to know what happened to the 60 applications for membership which followed a public meeting two months ago.

“We want to know when the annual general meeting will be held.

“It has to be held before the end of this month and the date, time and place should not be a secret.

“We cannot get any answers from the station management via letters and phone calls.

“Media outlets also cannot get a response.”

Live broadcasting from the nearby studio was under way during the open meeting and Mr Walshaw knocked loudly on the front door but received no response.

He then returned to address the meeting.

“I wanted the station management to come out and talk to us but we have been met with a deafening silence,” Mr Walshaw said.

“This is the first step in a long journey.

“We will be sending legal letters to the Office of Business and Consumer Affairs and the Australian Communications Management Authority.”

Retired educator and former 5 THE-FM volunteer John Drew praised the station management for its vision for the building and said he was disappointed that certain difficulties prevented it from being undertaken.

“This is the first protest I have attended in all my life,” Mr Drew said.

Wattle Range Council chief executive Ben Gower said the people seeking change needed to run a process in line with the constitution of 5 THE-FM.

“It has to be done the right way,” Mr Gower said.

While a number of speakers were openly critical of station management, there was a notable exception.

Allan Crowe said he had enjoyed his time as a volunteer handyman and painter going back to 2014.

However, a show of hands indicated that more than 20 present at the open-air meeting were past volunteers with 5 THE-FM.

The SE Voice spoke to a number of Millicent residents before the start of the meeting about why they were present.

“I want the old days to return when there were plenty of presenters, a happy atmosphere and positive management,” former presenter Bill Chapman said.

“I am seeking answers about our membership applications and the AGM,” Megan Brennan said.