From 106.9 Vox FM in Wollongong, Dee Milenkovic shares a tale that is attached to a national scandal, the story of the Ruby Princess when it hit the docks in Port Kembla. 

Supervising production from Sharon Davis. Training from the Community Media Training Organisation. Distributed by the Community Radio Network.

Produced for the 2021 CBAA National Features and Documentary Series.

When I heard about the “death ship” berthing in my town, I saw fear turn to hatred as people scrambled to keep our community safe from the infested Ruby Princess cruise ship.

Then one day, a lone voice of compassion cut through the sea of anger and panic and showed us that we weren’t helpless against a viral enemy.

My documentary tells the story of how this man’s compassionate action turned the tide in one of Australia’s most sensational public health disasters.

Special Thanks

• John Kewa, the star of the show
• Mark Sleigh, Destination Wollongong
• Justin Huntsdale, ABC Illawarra
• Nicole Dillon, go-getting local
• Unnamed local fisherman, vox pop interviewee
• Peter Ernst, Port Authority boss
• Sharon Davis, mentor extraordinaire
• Chris Yates, sfx and tech guru
• Giordana Caputo, the very patient CMTO big boss
• Abe Killian, CRN good guy
• My beautiful boy, who cheered me through every win and hugged me through every freak-out during the making of this documentary
• The VOX FM Board of Directors, a bunch of absolute legends who continue to support my out-of-the-box ideas

Credits

• Lights of Wollongong, Black Moon Band
• Shelter, Arcadians Choir