You work in both radio and television. What does a typical week look like for you?
I arrive at SEN at 6:30am every weekday for a 7am bulletin. I read the news half hourly until 9am, then pop home, feed the dog, and get changed out of my active wear before heading straight into Seven at the Docklands. Then my day can turn into anything, from covering a shooting, to a sentence at court, to a medical story, or a late breaking live cross.
What challenges were involved in transitioning from radio to television?
I think my work in radio in my early 20s helped me deal with the pressures of deadlines. In radio, it’s obviously hourly and sometimes half hourly deadlines, so you’re constantly producing content. When I first started in television, it was just 6pm. Things have changed, and now we’re servicing morning news, afternoon news and online content, as well as the nightly news. So there’s a constant pressure to deliver.
Share about a time when a press release helped you uncover a good story.
I think Melbourne Zoo does a great job with its press releases. They have an intimate knowledge of the animals and their stories. So when there’s the opportunity to get up close with a particular animal, for example, a lion getting his teeth checked under anaesthetic, they let us know. If a press release provides intimate access to something the public wouldn’t normally see, then it can be really powerful.
You won the 2015 Quill Award for Best Breaking News Coverage for your coverage of the Wyndham Vale lake tragedy. What did you learn from covering this tragedy?
This was a joint effort with my colleague Jacqui Felgate, who was at the scene. I was feeding her information from the office to help us put the story together. What I learnt from that story is that sometimes the most tragic circumstances bring out the best in humanity. Brave men and women risked their own lives to go to the aid of those young children drowning in the lake, and their courage was incredible to witness.
What is your most memorable radio or television moment and why?
I’ll never forget the day the owner of the Grenda bus company sold his business and gave a percentage of his profit to his employees. The bus drivers opened up their bank accounts to find tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses. Grown men and women were in tears. It was an act of generosity that changed people’s lives forever. A Grenda bus book sits on my desk, almost six years on, to remind me of what’s important.