Mrs Shipman, one of the first presenters of country music on local community radio, was also one of the founders of Coffs Harbour community radio station 2AIR-FM.

Aileen Shipman, nee Whackett, was born in Uralla and grew up at Bonville, from where she would catch the train to Coffs Harbour High School.

After leaving school she met and married Bill Shipman, who had spent his early years in Glenreagh and was a talented and keen country singer.

The couple both joined Reg Lindsay's Touring Country Music Show in the 1960s and travelled with the show for three or four years before settling down in Coffs Harbour, where young mother Mrs Shipman worked as a teacher's aide at Yalbillinga Special School and later at Narranga School.

During the early days of local radio in the 1980s, country music enthusiast Russ Hammond introduced an early-morning country music program on youth radio station 2CHY and persuaded a number of local musicians and enthusiasts, including Bill and Aileen Shipman, to take turns at hosting the show from 5-7am each weekday. They were joined as presenters by Russ Hammond, Wally McQuaker, Leon Lowes and Graham Bell.

Graham Bell said Aileen and Bill Shipman were the first to support his bid for another community radio licence for Coffs Harbour in 1991.

This was to be an adult station run by adult announcers which broadcast country and pop music recorded before the 1980s, a format which was not being supported by any other radio station.

The Shipmans hosted meetings at their home and continued to support the campaign until the group won the community radio licence for the new station, which they called 2AIR.

Mrs Shipman was the first treasurer and presented the first Turn Back the Hands of Time, a program which she named and was still running.

Bill Shipman used his carpentry trade skills to build 2AIR's first studio, three rooms at the Big Banana.

His cousin from Glenreagh, Fred Shipman, had a sawmill and donated the timber.

Bill and Aileen Shipman did everything together and were both generous in volunteering their talent and their time. Nothing was too much trouble.

They often had people visit their home and it never seemed to be any trouble to make scones to have with a cup of tea at the Shipmans' place, with Bill eventually becoming the better scone maker after Aileen taught him the ropes.

They were 'Mr and Mrs Santa Clause' [sic] for many years and not only did they work at Toormina Gardens shopping centre, they had a Santa Day just before Christmas, first around the streets of Ferran Cres for more than eight years and later when they moved to west Coffs Harbour, around the streets at Adelines Way for 15 years.

The couple would dress up and give bags of sweets to the children in the area, with crowds of kids waiting outside their homes once word spread that Santa was coming.

In recent years the Shipmans have sung at country music festivals and joined friends and fellow musicians to entertain in nursing homes around Coffs Harbour, with Aileen playing the drums and rhythm sticks.

Aileen Shipman died peacefully at home on December 4 and her funeral was held on December 9.

She is survived by her husband Bill, children David (Sydney) and Leanne (Casino); their partners and two grandchildren."

Belinda Scott, Coffs Coast Advocate