New Sunrise co-host Matt Shirvington – who replaced David ‘Kochie’ Koch – reflected on his first day on the breakfast program on 3AW with Neil Mitchell, saying that he’ll always remember it for the Hunter Valley bus tragedy.
Shirvington’s first day as the new host of Sunrise was on Monday 12 June and on Sunday night, ten people were confirmed dead following a tragic Hunter Valley wedding bus crash that also left multiple others in hospital. The driver has been charged and was granted bail in court on June 13.
Shirvington told Mitchell that the tragedy was an immediate reminder about what the job is.
“It hit me hard and fast at 5:30 in the morning on Monday – that’s the job,” he said on 3AW.
“It’s not always fun and games and uplifting stories, sometimes you’re going to have to confront the heartbreak head-on.”
Shirvington commented to Mitchell that one of the most difficult things to do is to find a balance between reporting on tragedy but also changing gears to more lighthearted segments.
“I think I’ve got a lot to learn and I’ve still got plenty of failures and mistakes to make and plenty to learn from in that regard as well. It’s tough, it’ll take a bit of time, but I think it’s going okay at the moment.”
Mitchell asked if Kochie gave him any advice as he went out the door, and Shirvington said he gave him some really nice pieces of advice for the transition.
“One was to very quickly get into a routine and just schedule. He said to invest in yourself. If you’re feeling tired, have some time off. Don’t overthink it and just be yourself because people can see through the you know what. I’m not Kochie and I’m no one else but Matt Shirvingon, so I’ll just be myself and see where it leads us,” he said.