Shayne van As and Chev Caukwell from Bulga mine couldn’t be more different. Shayne, a well-spoken South African, moved to Australia just a couple of years ago, while lovable larrikin Chev is as Aussie as they get. Together, the duo have started the ‘Leave A Light On Podcast’.

The idea for the podcast came from Chev.

“In a nutshell, I had a bit of a rough upbringing,” explained Chev. “I really wanted to use my experiences to help others who are going through similar struggles.

“Shayne and I had become great friends working together at Bulga. He was great at technology and an awesome speaker, so one day I mentioned my podcast idea, and he was fully on board.

“I wanted to help people who are struggling, not just with mental health but with everyday challenges. I have ADHD myself so that’s something I wanted to talk about on the podcast, but I also wanted it to be about more than just that.

“I wanted to have guests on who have incredible stories that everyone could learn from – whether it’s a teacher, a healthcare worker, a student or veteran, or anyone. We want people to share their personal battles they’ve fought whether its overcoming illness, navigating loss, breaking free from addiction or facing societal barriers,” Chev said.

Shayne immediately saw the potential; particularly given the audience they knew they had right in front of them.

“We work eleven-hour shifts, so it’s a long stretch of time where you are out on your own with just your thoughts. When I’m working, I listen to a lot of podcasts, I find it’s a great way to learn and I know a lot of our colleagues do the same.

“So, we wanted to get people on the podcast to talk about their struggles and find out how they navigate them every day. We wanted to share those stories and hopefully it can help someone who is going through something similar,” Shayne said.

With the idea locked in, next was the difficult task of coming up with a title for their podcast. It was a challenge, but inspiration struck one day while Shayne was driving home after work.

“I was listening to Tom Walker’s song ‘Leave a Light On’ which is about a friend of his who is struggling with addiction,” Shayne recalled.

“When I did a bit of research, I discovered there was a lot of history behind leaving a light on. It dates back centuries. When loved ones left home to hunt or go to war, their families would leave the porch light on to guide them home.

“As long as that light was on, they were guiding that person back and I feel like that is what we are trying to create with our podcast – a community where we can shine a light on people’s everyday struggles and create a safe space for people to feel like they can share their struggles without fear of failure or being judged.”

Having been in that dark place before, Chev couldn’t agree more.

“We often hear people talking about being in a ‘dark place’. Well, naturally the opposite of dark is light, and we want to help guide people towards that light and into a better place.”

The duo has big plans for the podcast, hoping to expand their circle of influence beyond the mining industry to people from all walks of life.

“We want the podcast to go beyond the industry that we’re involved in. We want to help every person going through a struggle, no matter how big or small it is,” Shayne said.

“The most common thing people say when they reach their lowest point is that they feel alone. We want everyone to know they are not alone, there are people out there who understand and all you need to do is reach out.”

The ‘Leave A Light On Podcast’ launched in July, and since then Shayne and Chev have released more than a dozen episodes. They have each shared their personal stories and sat down with local sport legends Matthew Kavanagh and Taylor Regan, the Mates in Mining group, a psychologist and a former undercover police officer.

The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The biggest piece of feedback we’ve received is how well we gel together,” laughed Chev.

Shayne agreed, adding that what also makes them a unique pairing is their different life experiences.

“That’s the beauty of it, we don’t have the same struggles, so we bring different perspectives to each other’s experiences. It’s the same with our guests, everyone has their own challenges, but we can all understand each other and learn from each other’s experiences.”

While the podcast isn’t a full-time job yet, Shayne and Chev hope they can grow it into something sustainable.

“I would love to be doing this full time and use it to raise money. We’re hoping to release merchandise such as shirts in 2025 and donate a percentage of the profits to charity. The mining industry isn’t the end goal for me. It’s great, but I want to help people in a bigger way.

Shayne said he feels the same, “I want to increase the circle of influence, especially when it comes to mental health. The mining industry is just one small portion of the people we want to reach.

“We already have listeners outside of Australia, so our circle of influence is growing. I want us to grow the ‘Leave A Light On’ community to a point where no one ever feels like they are alone. We don’t want anyone to ever say that they aren’t understood, or that they are alone.”

You can download the ‘Leave A Light On Podcast’ wherever you listen to your podcasts. Follow Shayne and Chev on social media too by searching LeaveALightOnPodcast on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.