For this episode I interview Judy Maddren - Judy is a University of Guelph and CFRU alumni who went on to work in professional radio with the CBC. In more recent years she’s run a project called “Soundportraits” where she records interviews to help people tell their life stories. The parallels between the type of work Judy and I have done made this a highly intriguing interview for me, and I’m very glad Alumni Affairs connected us! Thank you Judy for taking the time and traveling to me at the station for this interview.
More about Judy:
“For many years, Judy started the day with millions of Canadians across Canada, sharing the latest news of the world and our country as host of CBC Radio’s World Report. Her day began at 4:15 at her computer and continued with seven live broadcasts. She says “I loved making pictures with words, using the right verb to conjure up an image and to tell the story. The older I get, the more I believe that stories are the basis of all our learning.”
She was also the CBC’s Broadcast Advisor, providing language and pronunciation recommendations to CBC broadcasters and writers on radio, television and CBC dot ca
In 1990, Judy produced the first public reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with CBC readers, and then expanded the readings across Canada. They are still held in several communities across the country each year, raising money to benefit local charities of all kinds. The Governor-General awarded Judy the Meritorious Service Medal in November, 2016 for her efforts with the Christmas Carol readings.
And last year she was invited to be a Volunteer Presiding Officer at Canadian Citizenship Ceremonies – a real honour.
Her broadcasting experience has meant that she is often invited to speak or host public events, which she really enjoys.
Judy’s broadcasting career and producing the Christmas Carol readings have convinced her of the power of stories: it is reflection on our personal narratives that influence how we move forward through life. Since 2001 she and her partner Alannah Campbell have savoured their work in Soundportraits, helping people young and old to record their audio memoirs. The library of biographies that has been preserved, confirms her belief that every life is remarkable.
She and her husband Tim Elliott are the parents of four, with four grandchildren. They moved to Stratford from Toronto ten years ago, and they are delighted with the community and life there.”
This interview was originally recorded on May 26th, 2025
