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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n She\u2019s known in Bacchus Marsh by the nickname Rockabilly, and Karellyn Dangar loves it because it\u2019s her kind of music \u2013 rock \u02bcn\u02bc roll, infused with country and rhythm and blues.<\/p>\n Dangar\u2019s favourite artist is Gene Vincent, a 1950s American heart-throb whom she calls \u201cthe king of rockabilly, the rebel in black leather\u201d.<\/p>\n As a presenter on Bacchus Marsh community radio station Apple 98.5 FM, Dangar, 77, is on a mission to bring the music she loves to the world.<\/p>\n But it won\u2019t be for much longer, she fears.<\/p>\n Having been a staple of the community north-west of Melbourne for 40 years, the volunteer-run radio station faces permanent closure unless its supporters can raise $25,000 to save it.<\/p>\n Dangar, the station\u2019s president, said sponsorship from local businesses had dwindled because of financial pressures since the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n The station, which broadcasts from studios in Moorabool Shire offices in the suburb of Darley, has until July 5 to pay the bills, or it will fold \u2013 something Dangar said she could not accept.<\/p>\n \u201cApple FM means everything to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve poured my heart and soul into that radio station, and it would break my heart to see it close.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to keeping the community informed about local issues such as traffic and footy results, and providing crucial support during bushfire seasons, the station is also a social outlet for volunteers, Dangar said.<\/p>\n David Steele, a retired electrical linesman who founded the station in 1986 and originally named it 3APL after Bacchus Marsh\u2019s apple orchards, said it would be a shame to lose an outlet that had benefited the town over so many years.<\/p>\n Bacchus Marsh bus driver Adam \u201cStix\u201d Gadsby presents Apple FM\u2019s heavy metal music show, Metal For the Masses. With listeners tuning in from as far away as Egypt, he said his program is part of his identity and he feels devastated that it may end.<\/p>\n Louis Maxwell, a Wiradjuri man who presents the Deadly Live Indigenous show, said his program connected him and other Aboriginal people to their culture.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to hurt a lot if we lose it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bacchus Marsh Football and Netball Club president Ian McClure said the station\u2019s broadcasts of local football games were also especially important to the community, particularly for elderly people unable to drive to the ground.<\/p>\n Apple FM was \u201ca cog in the wheel of the community\u201d, McClure said.<\/p>\n Matilda Marozzi, a researcher with ABC TV program Back Roads, said volunteering on an Apple FM music show as a teenager in the mid-2000s was a stepping stone to her media career.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that people in Bacchus Marsh won\u2019t have the same opportunities to listen to, and create, local content,\u201d Marozzi said.<\/p>\n But volunteers are determined to avoid the closure. They have launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds to save the station, and a fundraising 1950s-style rock \u02bcn\u02bc roll dance will be held on July 4<\/a> at Bacchus Marsh Town Hall.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7a43f6eebf43b1b631c4567285c55b8979822647.jpeg\")
Apple of their eyes: Apple 98.5 FM president Karellyn Dangar with Metal for the Masses program presenter Adam \u201cStix\u201d Gadsby (left) and Deadly Live presenter Louis Maxwell.Jason South<\/p>\n![\"Gadsby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bb3823250c9486936b2e4800529ff23502f6c0e4.jpeg\")
Gadsby and Dangar are among volunteers raising money in a bid to keep the radio station on air.Jason South<\/p>\n![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2789c7a317eb145d4b9165ece75c362aad3e5968.jpeg\")
Apple 98.5 FM founder David Steele pictured in 2016 holding an article about himself published in 1986 in the lead-up to the first test broadcast of the then 3APL.<\/p>\n![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b64271d9ee2296a523bc896937350134eec99dde.jpeg\")
Apple 98.5 FM volunteer and Moorabool Shire councillor Moira Berry commentates a local football game with partner Wayne Hall.<\/p>\n