Sunrise presenter Mark Beretta pays tribute to former reporter Nathan Templeton after sudden death
Geelong-born Sunrise sports presenter Mark Beretta has remembered his former colleague Nathan Templeton, who was found dead in Newtown this week, as a “beautiful human” who “touched the lives of so many”.
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Geelong-born Sunrise sports presenter Mark Beretta has remembered his former colleague Nathan Templeton, who died this week, as a “beautiful human” who “touched the lives of so many”.
Templeton, 44, was found unresponsive on Tuesday afternoon on a walking track along the Barwon River in Newtown.
It’s understood the father-of-two suffered a medical episode.
Templeton, who was raised in Geelong and lived in Newtown, was a popular reporter for Sunrise and 7 News’ sports team.
Beretta, 57, worked with Templeton while he was Sunrise’s Melbourne correspondent and said he was “always determined to get the facts and tell a good story”.
The pair had known each other for more than 15 years, meeting while Templeton, affectionately known as Tempo, was a journalist at Network 10.
“He was a really good, knockabout bloke,” Beretta said.
“He had a great way of getting along with people and he never lost that country charm.
“He had a bigger view of the world.
“He wasn’t just chasing the headline the next day, he was thinking about people’s welfare.”
Beretta said Templeton became known for his raspy voice.
“A few executives thought he didn’t have the voice for TV but he overcame that with hard work and his ability to tell a great story,” he said.
“It became his trademark.
“You could hear when Tempo was on (TV) and a lot of people’s ears would prick up because they knew it was going to be a quality story.”
Beretta said Templeton was an “exceptional guy” and an “amazing professional”.
“He was a beautiful human,” he said.
“He loved Geelong and he loved the (Geelong Cats) footy club.
“He always made the point of talking about Geelong.”
Beretta said his time courtside with Templeton at the Australian Open was “always good fun”.
“We also covered a number of Olympics together,” he said.
“He was always up for a bit of fun and a laugh.”
Beretta said Templeton “touched so many people’s lives”.
“What he leaves behind is a better sports media industry,” he said.
“He was disarming, comfortable, lovely guy to be around and that’s what we’re going to miss the most.”
Templeton’s sister-in-law, TV presenter Gorgi Coghlan shared a touching tribute to social media on Wednesday night.
“Rest now Nath. Your beautiful boys will grow up knowing how much you loved them and we’ll share our happy memories of you with them forever,” she wrote on Instagram.
Sunrise host Natalie Barr choked back tears live on air on Thursday morning after the program honoured Templeton with a video montage, highlighting his most memorable moments on the show.
“We know you had more stories to tell. We are sorry you can’t tell them,” Barr said.
“Thank you Tempo for brightening our lives.
“We are so fortunate to have known you and worked alongside you.”
Originally published as Sunrise presenter Mark Beretta pays tribute to former reporter Nathan Templeton after sudden death
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