December 10, 2025 • 6 mins
After an extraordinary 22 years as sports anchor on Australia’s #1 brekky program, Sunrise, and 30 years with the Seven Network, Mark Beretta has decided it is time to hang up his playing boots. Mark phoned in to chat and look, he's ready for a sleep in. The guys spoke with him about his career highlights and asked what's next. Tune in to hear the chat in full.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well. After an extraordinary twenty two years as sports anchor
on Australia's number one Brecky program Sunrise, in thirty years
with the Seven Network, Mark Barretta has decided it's time
to make a change and he is signing off from
that role tomorrow, but right now he is with us.
Good morning, Mark Barretta.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Lisa Russell, How are you morning, Barrettes good?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
How are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
A real mixture? I'm part sad, part excited, a bit
of everything. It's hard to leave because it's been such
an incredible part of my life for so long. But
it just feels like, after twenty two years of those
three am wake up calls, it's time to do something else.
I think you can see my challenge.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Twenty yeah, well twenty two years there, But I mean
you and I be getting up early for a long time.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I think it's as you
well know, it is tough on the body, and I'm
sort of looking forward to just seeing a different side
of life. And I find too, you get anxious about
it at night, the night before each night, and you
know they're trying to get to bed early, and can
I get enough sleep? And don't drink too much and
all those things. I just, you know, I just want
to try something different. And my mum's have been crooked.
(01:16):
I need to spend some time with her, and I
need to see a bit of Australia. So I'm going
to get a little camp a van and head around Australia,
head your way and enjoy the Pilger and all those
beautiful parts.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Of w A pop in for a visit.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I would love to, so I'll do that.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
We always need someone to read the sport here from
time to time.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I might need the petrol money. That's going to be great.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Weekn throw you a couple of dollars a week and
a couple of dollars. So Mike, are you mentally are you?
Are you emotionally prepared for tomorrow? Because that is such
a long stint. You know, they're going to make a
fuss about your mate.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think it's unavoidable. Yeah, no, I'm not. I was
thinking about it this morning and I started to get
a bit, you know, just a little bit emotional about it.
But yeah, it's hard to believe it's sort of this
time tomorrow. It's after all the years, and I guess
it's all consuming, the breakfast thing. You know. We've been
in a battle for twenty two years to try and
be and stay number one, and you just don't stop
(02:12):
thinking about it. You're always looking for a new angle
and then a better interview and something else to do,
and all of a sudden that all switches off. So
it'll be quite different. And it's also the friend to
two things that it's the colleagues you work with that
makes you make in work, but also, as you know,
the connection with people outside, you know, the people who
you talk to each day, and that's been really special.
(02:32):
You know, retirement's a wonderful thing because people are really
nice to you and they say good things when you're
for your funeral, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
You know they're going to make a big fuss tomorrow,
and I know you don't like the big fuss unless,
of course, all the TV fame has changed you. No,
I didn't think it had.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Sporting moments, you've been involved in a few, What what
are the ones that really stand out?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Oh, gosh, I lived here.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Sport in general.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Yeah, so let me just scan through thirty quick years.
Can you do that? There's so many good ones. It's
hard to Kathy for I got to host the seven
telecast of the Olympic Games that the night in twenty
twenty fifth of September, the night Kathy Freeman ran her
four hundred meters Okay, and yeah that was Yeah. So
in my mind, my career peaked twenty five years ago,
(03:25):
so that was that was great. But then it's something
that's the interview. It's it's the people you get to
talk to. Like for me, people like Roger Fedderer, always
a really special person to talk to and just such
a humble, lovely guy. You know, you can see why
that that guy was such a great champion. Lewis Hamilton's
another one who've I really enjoyed. And a lot of
people give Lewis a hard time, but I under found
(03:46):
him to be incredible and a guy one of those
guys who when he walks into the room, the whole
room just stops. You know, he's got such an aura
and presence. For me, he was he was one of
the great ones. But yeah, we've had some had some
good ones. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
So tomorrow is well, it's not your last day technically
with the network, but obviously it's the last day with Sunrise.
Do you cast your mind back, Do you remember what
it was like when you walked in for the first time?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yeah? Absolutely, coss Cossy gave me the coach talk, like
he's done so unsuccessfully at Port Adelaide. He said, look,
when you walk into the show, he said, you leave
your ego at the door, you said, He said, you
are who you are. Some people won't like you, hopefully
most will and you'll keep your job and you just
(04:30):
but you can't not be who you are, you know.
And he made it very clear from day one that
you are who you are and you've got to be
true to yourself and you say what you think and
you know, it's just the workout, all right. So it
was pretty pretty good advice. It was dawning. I think
we had a million stuff ups on that first morning,
because you know, when you introduce extra people to the show,
it all goes a bit crazy. But yeah, we came
(04:53):
to accept that as just the Sunrise way, that we
did stuff things up, and we owned it when we did,
you know, and we've stuffed up a lot of stuff
over a lot of a lot of times.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You just turn it into entertainment, don't you.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah, that's right. Well as so long as you laugh
it off and be honest with people that you made
a mistake, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Well, last day at sunrise tomorrow. I doubt it will
be the last time we see you doing something, perhaps
some kind of special project, because I can't imagine you're,
you know, being gone from this world for good. But
in the meantime, enjoy your motor home.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Will do. I'll take you for a ride around perfect.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Fantastic, that'd be good. And yeah, drop in when you
need some petrol money.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Mate, do all right soon?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
That's great. There you go, twenty two years on the
one show. That is amazing. Yeah, thirty years, becoming unheard
of in these turbulent times. Well done, Brett's yes, well done.
Time to hang up there, I mean back a bit.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
The reason he's lasted that long like that is because
he is dead, said such a nice guy. What you
see is what you.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Get, and that's authentic. That's what we want.
Well. After an extraordinary twenty two years as sports anchor
on Australia's number one Brecky program Sunrise, in thirty years
with the Seven Network, Mark Barretta has decided it's time
to make a change and he is signing off from
that role tomorrow, but right now he is with us.
Good morning, Mark Barretta.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Lisa Russell, How are you morning, Barrettes good?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
How are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
A real mixture? I'm part sad, part excited, a bit
of everything. It's hard to leave because it's been such
an incredible part of my life for so long. But
it just feels like, after twenty two years of those
three am wake up calls, it's time to do something else.
I think you can see my challenge.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Twenty yeah, well twenty two years there, But I mean
you and I be getting up early for a long time.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I think it's as you
well know, it is tough on the body, and I'm
sort of looking forward to just seeing a different side
of life. And I find too, you get anxious about
it at night, the night before each night, and you
know they're trying to get to bed early, and can
I get enough sleep? And don't drink too much and
all those things. I just, you know, I just want
to try something different. And my mum's have been crooked.
(01:16):
I need to spend some time with her, and I
need to see a bit of Australia. So I'm going
to get a little camp a van and head around Australia,
head your way and enjoy the Pilger and all those
beautiful parts.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Of w A pop in for a visit.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I would love to, so I'll do that.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
We always need someone to read the sport here from
time to time.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I might need the petrol money. That's going to be great.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Weekn throw you a couple of dollars a week and
a couple of dollars. So Mike, are you mentally are you?
Are you emotionally prepared for tomorrow? Because that is such
a long stint. You know, they're going to make a
fuss about your mate.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think it's unavoidable. Yeah, no, I'm not. I was
thinking about it this morning and I started to get
a bit, you know, just a little bit emotional about it.
But yeah, it's hard to believe it's sort of this
time tomorrow. It's after all the years, and I guess
it's all consuming, the breakfast thing. You know. We've been
in a battle for twenty two years to try and
be and stay number one, and you just don't stop
(02:12):
thinking about it. You're always looking for a new angle
and then a better interview and something else to do,
and all of a sudden that all switches off. So
it'll be quite different. And it's also the friend to
two things that it's the colleagues you work with that
makes you make in work, but also, as you know,
the connection with people outside, you know, the people who
you talk to each day, and that's been really special.
(02:32):
You know, retirement's a wonderful thing because people are really
nice to you and they say good things when you're
for your funeral, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
You know they're going to make a big fuss tomorrow,
and I know you don't like the big fuss unless,
of course, all the TV fame has changed you. No,
I didn't think it had.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Sporting moments, you've been involved in a few, What what
are the ones that really stand out?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Oh, gosh, I lived here.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Sport in general.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Yeah, so let me just scan through thirty quick years.
Can you do that? There's so many good ones. It's
hard to Kathy for I got to host the seven
telecast of the Olympic Games that the night in twenty
twenty fifth of September, the night Kathy Freeman ran her
four hundred meters Okay, and yeah that was Yeah. So
in my mind, my career peaked twenty five years ago,
(03:25):
so that was that was great. But then it's something
that's the interview. It's it's the people you get to
talk to. Like for me, people like Roger Fedderer, always
a really special person to talk to and just such
a humble, lovely guy. You know, you can see why
that that guy was such a great champion. Lewis Hamilton's
another one who've I really enjoyed. And a lot of
people give Lewis a hard time, but I under found
(03:46):
him to be incredible and a guy one of those
guys who when he walks into the room, the whole
room just stops. You know, he's got such an aura
and presence. For me, he was he was one of
the great ones. But yeah, we've had some had some
good ones. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
So tomorrow is well, it's not your last day technically
with the network, but obviously it's the last day with Sunrise.
Do you cast your mind back, Do you remember what
it was like when you walked in for the first time?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yeah? Absolutely, coss Cossy gave me the coach talk, like
he's done so unsuccessfully at Port Adelaide. He said, look,
when you walk into the show, he said, you leave
your ego at the door, you said, He said, you
are who you are. Some people won't like you, hopefully
most will and you'll keep your job and you just
(04:30):
but you can't not be who you are, you know.
And he made it very clear from day one that
you are who you are and you've got to be
true to yourself and you say what you think and
you know, it's just the workout, all right. So it
was pretty pretty good advice. It was dawning. I think
we had a million stuff ups on that first morning,
because you know, when you introduce extra people to the show,
it all goes a bit crazy. But yeah, we came
(04:53):
to accept that as just the Sunrise way, that we
did stuff things up, and we owned it when we did,
you know, and we've stuffed up a lot of stuff
over a lot of a lot of times.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You just turn it into entertainment, don't you.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah, that's right. Well as so long as you laugh
it off and be honest with people that you made
a mistake, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Well, last day at sunrise tomorrow. I doubt it will
be the last time we see you doing something, perhaps
some kind of special project, because I can't imagine you're,
you know, being gone from this world for good. But
in the meantime, enjoy your motor home.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Will do. I'll take you for a ride around perfect.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Fantastic, that'd be good. And yeah, drop in when you
need some petrol money.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Mate, do all right soon?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
That's great. There you go, twenty two years on the
one show. That is amazing. Yeah, thirty years, becoming unheard
of in these turbulent times. Well done, Brett's yes, well done.
Time to hang up there, I mean back a bit.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
The reason he's lasted that long like that is because
he is dead, said such a nice guy. What you
see is what you.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Get, and that's authentic. That's what we want.
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