Red Centre radio pioneer Gerry Lyons dedicated to giving people a voice
RADIO legend Gerry Terati Lyons has entertained national radio audiences for two decades and dedicated his life to helping people of all races and creeds find their voice. And it all started when he found his true home in Alice Springs.
Centralian Advocate
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GERRY Terati Lyons, known across Australia as ‘G-Man’, is a proud Māori man, who embraces all people’s culture.
So much so, he found his true home in Alice Springs.
G-Man has entertained national radio audiences for two decades, and has dedicated his life to helping people of all races and creeds find their voice, and speak it with pride.
G grew up on the lower end of the North Island of New Zealand, in a town called Levin.
“I was raised by my Grandparents, and we lived on their farm. My Grandpa had 18 children, so we had a big family there.
“This gave me a really strong foundation in Māori culture.”
But it wasn’t always easy for G-Man as a young boy.
“My uncles came back from the war, and they came back damaged … sometimes it got a bit harrowing for us kids.”
G-Man says his older sister grabbed him one day and they ran away from home. He was only five years old.
“We lived on the streets, we lived in a tree. Some nights we’d tap on a relative’s window and go in for food and have a wash and clean.”
After leaving school, G-Man moved out bush to work at a shearing shed where he pressed wool.
He then worked at a hospital as a cleaner, then an orderly, before becoming a paramedic.
Then G-Man went to Melbourne.
“I could not believe the night life! Coming from a small town to the big city smoke. What the hell! Within three months I was going broke.”
The year was 1988 and a nurse G worked with wanted to visit Uluru.
“I said ‘OK’, and we did a road trip. Just before we got to the Rock, my heart started pounding, and then when I saw it, I had tears in my eyes. I just felt so connected.
“When we drove to Alice Springs, I felt I was home- the township, the people, the culture.’
“I decided I’m quitting my job and I’m moving here.”
G opened up his own business, Heavenly Signpost, a new-age shop, then JPG Computers at the Coles Complex.
“One day I walked along the mall, and one of the locals came up, and said ‘You’re doing this and that with business, but I bet you never make it in media!’
“That was a Friday. The following Monday morning I went to the TAFE at Centralian College and enrolled in media training.
“Dr. Richard Lim did the training and I was there learning at 8CCC, and we started up a Māori program.
“It was called ‘Te Puna Waiora’, which means ‘The flowing stream’.
“It was four hours every Friday night, and we’d have 60-80 people from the community coming to the radio station, bringing food and signing songs!”
CAAMA Radio approached G about doing a simulcast of the program, and then offered him a prime-time gig hosting the Breakfast Show.
G-Man says he’s been deeply humbled to be welcomed in to the Aboriginal community.
“I’ve been out to Warlpiri country, out to the Williams Family and Old Man Williams at Hermannsburg, to the APY lands.
“I’ve witnessed many ceremonies and many special occasions. They’re my family! I’m very privileged that those doors have been opened up.”
CAAMA then made G-Man the station manager, and he travelled all over Australia bringing entertainment and opportunity to people.
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“During the Intervention, Prime Minister John Howard was going to visit the school at Hermannsburg.
“I took my young team out there to cover the event.
“I had three young Indigenous women with me. I wanted them to feel confident. I wanted them to understand that this is ‘your country’
“We got past the first hurdle, the Army who were there. Then past the NT Cops.
“I told the girls, ‘Whatever you do, you have to keep walking, you can’t stop.’
“One of the girls stopped, she was afraid, and they grabbed her.
“The other two stuck to me like glue.
“Mr. Howard was over on the grass. We walked straight up to him and I said, ‘Prime Minister, we are from CAAMA Aboriginal media, you are sponsoring these two young ladies with media training.
“The photos of that moment went all round the world.
“The girls still talk about that to this day.
“After that we went to the shop at Hermannsburg to get an ice cream.
“The Prime Minister came in! And said thank you to CAAMA for bringing these young ladies.”
G-Man’s CAAMA won international and national awards, and established the first online news platform, which the ABC then adopted for their own.
In 2016, G-Man was named Citizen of the Year.
It was the best-kept secret, with G attending the Australia Day Ceremony totally oblivious to the fact he was about to be crowned.
“Ted Egan told me sit where some of the new citizens were seated.
“I sat there, and ended up standing up with all of them to take the oath! I should never have sat there! But, when in Rome!
“Then they started reading out the Citizen of the Year Award.
“And I look up and everyone is looking at me! I put my head down. I thought, ‘It can’t be!’
“I thought, ‘I’m just dreaming this! I wish I had worn a tie!”
“Then it was the longest walk of my life! I was a bit ashamed, a bit embarrassed.
“The Chief Minister Adam Giles was up there holding all the crystals and silverware, and I bumped him and he dropped them all on the ground!
“It was such a great honour that the community had voted for me.
“I was just wishing my Mother was alive to see it.”
Not long later, G-Man was headhunted to help transform Indigenous Media in Melbourne.
3KND is the only Aboriginal radio station in the city, with an audience reach of nearly half a million people.
The organisation, led by Grant Hansen, are going to build a multimillion-dollar media centre to give voice to Indigenous people.
And they found the perfect man to make it happen – G-Man.
G’s family is still in Alice, and prior to COVID he would fly between home in Alice and work in Melbourne.
“Indigenous people need strong voices, they need pathways. And the confidence to take that step! Everything changes when you have confidence.
“Their people have been downtrodden for 200 years. So many massacres and bad deeds done, it affects the way they think about themselves.
“We want them to be able to stand up in front of others and say this is who I am, I am representing my family and my culture.
“You have that drive and that pride inside yourself.”
At the centre of G-Man’s life is his family.
He and wife Nadia have been together for 18 years and married for nine.
“Nadia is very special. She’s my anchor. She is a Maori woman as well, and culture was number one.”
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G also dearly loves his seven kids and four grandchildren.
Due to the COVID Shutdown, it’s been seven months since G has seen his family.
“It breaks my heart to be away. But I’m here to support them!”
Soon enough, the shutdown will be over and COVID will be only a memory.
One thing that will last however, is the legacy G-Man is making for First Nation people.
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