After 27 fun-filled years of travelling our incredible state, it’s time for Mike to put his feet up and pass the baton onto Matt Shirvington! As we farewell Mike, we welcome Matt to the Sydney Weekender family!
On his time hosting Sydney Weekender, Mike said: “Twenty-seven years! To do anything for that long is a very long time. I had the best hosting job in Australia. I got to travel everywhere in NSW, meet the most amazing people, and do the most amazing things. People pay to do the stuff that I got paid to do. I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to work on this show.”
Mike, who first appeared on Sydney Weekender in 1994 after retiring from international cricket, added: “People ask me if I’m going to miss it. Sure, I am going to miss it. It feels a bit surreal. But I had an incredible cricket career as well and I had to retire from that. And who gets to retire twice from two wonderful careers?”
Olympic sprinter and seasoned broadcaster Matt Shirvington boasts more than 10 years’ experience presenting and reporting from some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games. He represented Australia at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, as well as the 1998 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Matt said: “Taking over from a TV legend like Mike Whitney, who’s graced our Sunday afternoons showing us around our beautiful state for more than two decades, is a huge responsibility. Mike leaves some very big shoes to fill. I feel honoured and excited to be given the chance.”
