The start of Tom’s media career nearly didn’t happen. When Tom phoned in to Merrick & Rosso’s Drive show on Triple J in July 2000 to throw in his ten cents worth on the nation’s airwaves, he forgot to turn down the radio in his ute. The resulting feedback had Merrick & Rosso’s producer hanging up before Tom’s pleading persuaded her to stay on the line.
Twenty seconds later the listeners met Tom The Chippy from Manly. The ensuing rave with the boys made Tom into a regular and the people of Australia found out about life on the building site for the remainder of the year. When Merrick & Rosso went to launch Sydney’s new radio station NOVA 969 in April 2001, Tom came with them.
Tom’s knockabout charm and easy humour has made him a cult figure alongside the NOVA breakfast team and the first choice as the resident builder on the Seven Network’s DIY show, Room for Improvement.
Tom was not the personality pretending to know what the pointy end of a drill is for; he consulted for the program as a genuine tradesman. He also wrote a DIY column for New Idea for two years.
Seven found a rare quality in Tom – that capacity to be both familiar and exceptional, to be like a guy you know and a guy you’d like to know. As a result he was offered the opportunity to give the passport a workout as a reporter on the Great Outdoors.
As a snowboarding instructor, competitive Surf Life Saver and keen surfer, Tom is no stranger to adventure, but this one is a big one. He files stories from around the world crash testing holidays for Australia’s TV viewers on one of the nation’s most popular shows.
Although he has settled into the routine of working on The Great Outdoors, Tom is still excited by the challenges of television. It’s a ride that he hopes will last and one that he definitely enjoys. In 2005 Tom lined himself up for the biggest challenge in his life, as a contestant on Channel Seven;s Dancing with the Stars. Tom and his professional dancing partner took the crown, winning the 2005 series. |
