Sydney-based journalist Kamin Gock and Brisbane-based triple j reporter Ellie Grounds have been named as joint recipients of the ABC 2023 Andrew Olle Scholarship.
Ellie Grounds is a reporter with triple j’s youth current affairs program Hack. She was previously a video journalist with the ABC’s Regional and Local team based in Longreach where she established a strong track record for elevating regional stories to a national platform. She studied and practised as a lawyer before starting at the ABC.
Grounds states she would like to spend the scholarship period learning from some of the ABC’s best videographers, photographers, and investigative journalists.
“Having a year unbound (to an extent) by traditional deadlines or work arrangements would provide a unique opportunity to experiment with storytelling techniques and try things without fear of failure,” she said.
Kamin Gock is currently a multi-platform journalist/reporter with ABC News in Sydney. He was previously a journalist with Channel Nine in Perth. Gock states that he has a solid foundation in breaking news but would like to develop skills in visual storytelling and investigative training.
“This is the opportunity I have been hoping for that could open doors to learn from the best and hone my craft,” he said.
The scholarship honours the life and work of the late ABC journalist Andrew Olle, who was one of Australia’s most admired broadcasters. Andrew presented some of the ABC’s flagship programs including Four Corners, 7.30 and Mornings on ABC Radio Sydney (then 2BL). The scholarship is designed to create career development opportunities for young ABC journalists and to promote the values that epitomised Andrew Olle’s journalism.
Earlier this week, the ABC welcomed Tom Saunders as the new meteorologist and weather presenter for the NSW 7 pm news bulletin.
The highly experienced meteorologist will be appearing on the news and adding to coverage across the ABC’s platforms from Monday 22 August.
On his new role, Saunders stated he was thrilled to be given the opportunity to present the weather on the 7 pm News and contribute to the ABC’s overall coverage.
“It’s an honour to be given the responsibility to provide accurate, engaging reports as climate change increasingly shifts weather into having a critical role in people’s lives,” he said.