Recruited by legendary 3KND station manager Uncle Jim Remedio, veteran IT journalist and eventual VAN founder Charles Pakana quit his job as First Nations Lead at a Victorian Local Government and returned to journalism - and his first experience in radio - to create a weekly one-hour First Nations current affairs program, Connection Matters Radio.

Charles accepted the role at 3KND as the nation's first-ever full-time Treaty Correspondent, breaking vital ground in reporting the early steps of Victoria's Treaty framework. Following a major dispute between Charles and non-Aboriginal station management over cultural protocols, Charles left 3KND in 2019 and continued his coverage of Treaty independently for other media, including Koorie Mail and NITV Radio.

Charles moved into his van full-time, creating a mobile broadcast studio dedicated to traveling across Victoria to interview and elevate positive First Nations stories.

Recognising the threat arising from misinformation about the 2023 Referendum for a Voice to Parliament, Charles launched The Referendum 2023 Tapes podcast, producing 40 episodes of essential contemporary history. This archive officially forms Series 1 of the VAN Talks podcast.

Collaborating with a new 3KND management, VAN returned to the station with the weekly VAN Hour current affairs program. The platform's reach continues to expand across Victoria, with Charles co-hosting The Mission on 3RRR and sharing vital VAN Talks content with regional Victorian community broadcasters including Phoenix FM and Seymour FM.