This week we draw season two to a close and sit down for a wrap conversation. We reflect on the interviews and episodes this season and discuss what's in store for the future!

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

Arthur Uden is a familiar sight on sporting sidelines all over Te Awamutu and its surrounds.

Camera in hand, his Waipa-wide goal is always simple - “…to capture the moment”.

This week, Arthur bravely opens up about his ongoing battle with cancer.

After two years of intense back pain, he was diagnosed in 2023 - just after he and his wife Judy celebrated her five-year cancer free milestone.

Despite recently having put his Facebook page - Waipa Sports Images - on pause  amid his latest “serious cancer battles”, he says he still picks up his camera when he can.

He loves sports, landscapes and birdlife and passionately describes his love for creativity, while also wanting to share some key tips he’s learned over the years with anyone thinking about taking up photography.

The Waipa Sports Images Facebook page is here; https://www.facebook.com/groups/530428374948521 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/530428374948521)

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

Waihi born and raised Fletcher Morgan has been having the time of his life.

From growing up “kicking the ball around” with mates and loving watching Dan Carter, to helping the Southland Stags win the Ranfurly Shield for the first time in 14 years just eight days ago, his life-long love of rugby has already taken him on a thrilling journey.

And, with just four caps for Southland under his belt, it’s only just beginning.

This week, we sat down with Fletcher to talk all things rugby, what it was like making the big move down south and how much he is loving being part of the Stags as “something special” begins to build.

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

Twice a week, every week, it’s lights, camera, action for Paterangi farm manager Andrew Macky – and thousands seeking a glimpse of New Zealand farm life are there watching him.

Nearly five years after starting it, his YouTube channel - The Once A Day Farmer - has 34,000 subscribers. Each of his videos, or vlogs, about daily life on the farm gets about 13,000 views.

With a proud 150-year family history in Paterangi - northwest of Te Awamutu - already, Andrew is the fourth generation to work on the family farm, a job he now gets to do alongside his father William.

This week, we had a great chat about what Andrew loves about dairy farming, the joy he finds in getting to work alongside his dad every day and we get a glimpse of just how much work goes into the “online diary” that is The Once A Day Farmer.

Subscribe to Andrew’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOnceADayFarmer

Or, give him a follow on Instagram here: @theonceadayfarmer

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

Mick Henderson is Te Awamutu Golf Club’s sole disability golfer among its roughly 400 members.

Diagnosed with a hereditary blood circulation problem in his 40s - shortly after running his sixth marathon - both his legs were amputated below the knee in an 18-month timeframe when he was in his sixties.

In every challenge though, Mick says, there are two choices.

“…you either lie down, or you stand up…” - and he is one who stands with courage.

This week we chat with Mick about his incredibly inspiring journey, his time in business, the efforts to see $50,000 raised to buy a paragolfer cart and the planned return of the Disability Golf New Zealand Open to Te Awamutu next year after it was first held there in 2023.

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

It’s ‘all okay’ in Brigitte Nathansen’s world.

While most sports people aspire to reach new heights, Nathansen - a Cambridge-based freediver - has been hard at work seeking to plumb new depths.

Barely a month after first making a splash in the world of free diving in 2023, Brigitte took part in her first competition - placing second in the recreation grade.

Now, two years on and training twice a week with Waikato Freediving Club at Te Rapa Waterworld, Nathansen says - with a smile - that ticking off “one freediving goal at a time” helps her get closer helps her get one step closer to her overall aspiration.

“I just want to be a mermaid,” she laughs.

This week, we sit down with her for a chat about her love of the sport.

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

In the world of whakairo – the traditional Māori art of carving in wood, stone or bone – Aotearoa has a hidden taonga, or treasure. As a tohunga whakairo, an accredited teacher of carving whose work is acknowledged by Toi Iho – the registered and globally recognised trademark of quality and authenticity of Maori art and artists – Rangi Wills is well versed in telling stories through his gifting.

This week, we sit down with Rangi to chat about his more than three decade long carving journey.

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

At just 16, Christchurch’s William Stedman was the youngest member of the New Zealand Para athletics team to compete at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Backing that debut appearance up with strong performances in Tokyo in 2020 and Paris last year, William has now won two silver and three bronze medals across several different running disciplines and the long jump.

This week, we chat to him about how he first discovered the games and began competing, what life with cerebral palsy has taught - and continues - to teach him and we take a look at the balance he strikes between university studies and training for competition.

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

“Hilarious, ridiculous, outrageous…”

And that’s just our chat with Cambridge legend Matt Hicks for this week’s Small Town Journey episode.

Filmmaker, quiz master, DJ and wedding celebrant, the latest feather to Matt’s cap is as a writer, producer and actor in The Tavern movie. Five years in the making, it has been playing to largely sold out audiences at Tivoli Cinema for the past two months.

On this episode of Small Town Journey, Matt discusses the journey that has been The Tavern, talks us through his creative aspirations, takes a look at life in Cambridge and recalls the time trying to extend his rugby playing career just that little bit too far had dire consequences.

Get tickets to The Tavern at Tivoli Cinema here: www.tivolicinema.co.nz/movie/the-tavern

Follow The Tavern on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thetavernfilm, on Instagram @the_tavern_

movie_ or find them on YouTube or TikTok

The Tavern’s website is www.thetavernmovie.com

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand

Next year’s FIFA World Cup is being billed as a ‘tournament of firsts’.

When 48 teams play 104 matches in front of an estimated 6.5 million spectators across three host countries - the United States, Mexico, and Canada - among them will be our All Whites, making just their third cup appearance.

More than 40 years ago in 1982, when the side made its World Cup debut, Wyton Rufer was there.

Oceania’s player of the 20th century, Rufer scored  17 goals in his 38 appearances for the All Whites. This week on Small Town Journey, we chat to him about everything from his love of, and getting his start in, the ‘beautiful game’, to players which shaped his playing style. We ask him if he was ever nervous on some of the world’s biggest footballing stages where few Kiwi players have gone before and we discuss his desire to see the next generation of up and coming Kiwi footballing talent thrive.

Check out Wynton’s football academy here: https://www.wynrs.co.nz (https://www.wynrs.co.nz/)

If you want to contact us, suggest a guest or get on the show, send us an email!

[email protected]

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCXURk69f7bZXHI7lGTT0?si=cda603fcf893454f

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-town-journey/id1685330857

Music by Samuel James:

https://www.instagram.com/samueljames.music/

Check him out for thoughtful, custom, ambient music.

#benandjay #smalltownjourney #cambridge #waikato #newzealand