Red Symons on hard year: I’ve had dark days
RED Symons opens up to Page 13 about a year of hard slog, where he had a life-threatening fall and was dumped by the ABC from the breakfast radio job he loved doing for more than 15 years.
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A YEAR of hard slog has ended for TV and radio star Red Symons. He had a life-threatening fall and subsequent brain injury, and was dumped by the ABC from the breakfast radio job he loved doing for more than 15 years. The question “Why?” remains unanswered.
He sold his Fitzroy North family home after he and his wife, Elly, separated, and his eldest son’s lifelong cancer battle reared up again.
But yesterday, while en route to see his analyst — he goes twice a week — Symons told Page 13those dark days were now behind him.
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“Given I had a near-death experience, I parted with the ABC and my darling son had a life-threatening situation, I regard it as auspicious that today is the first day after the winter solstice. The days will get longer from here on in.”
Symons is a man of many faces. There is the sneering gong-thumper from his time on Red Faces in Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
There is the impossibly smart Symons, the naughty, funny or at times prickly Symons. There is the cross-dressing guitarist from Skyhooks. There is the breakfast broadcaster whose loyal ABC listeners tuned in dutifully every morning to hear his observations on the world. But the Red Symons Page 13 talks to is more contemplative.
Three weeks ago, son Samuel, 27, received some long-awaited good news after he underwent more treatment for a recurrence of an aggressive brain tumour, diagnosed when he was four.
“The result has been very good,” says his father. “However the simple truth is, and anyone who has cancer knows this, it never really goes away.”
Symons, 69, said seeing his son grow up with the disease had changed the family. As a four-year-old, Samuel had no concept of mortality. At 27, that has changed.
“It’s not the same now, for any of us, once you reach a certain age you have a concept of mortality,” says his father. “And that can nag at us all, I think. But he is cheerful and that is the most important thing.”
Symons contemplated his own mortality after last year’s fall.
“You consider yourself immortal. As it turned out, I considered myself immortal past what is technically retirement age. And it made me introspective about that.”
He has since taken up fitness and swims every morning. “You reach an age where you might as well start doing it. I’ve led a fairly sedentary life and been an indoorsy type.”
Page 13 was cheeky enough to suggest the new fitness regimen could also be down to a new relationship. Symons is enjoying spending time with doctor and author Karen Hitchcock.
“We are very dear friends,” Symons says carefully. “We are both going through significant changes in our lives, she in her way and me in mine. We enjoy our company together in this moment.”
While he still doesn’t know exactly why the ABC dumped him in favour of young presenters Sami Shah and Jacinta Parsons, he has moved on.
He says the six-month break has given him time to reflect on what he doesn’t want to do — insisting that we will never hear him on radio playing songs from yesteryear.
Last week, he returned to the airwaves, with former rival station 3AW snapping up his immense talent after Neil Mitchell made him an offer he didn’t refuse.
The pair will chat fortnightly on Mitchell’s morning show after Symons signed on the dotted line a few weeks ago.
“I’m in the habit of driving the radio thing all by myself, so I must remember I am Neil’s guest,” Symons says.
They sound as if they have been riffing on air for years, talking about everything from pets dying to hard-rubbish collectors.
Symons says he believes the decision to pull him off breakfast at the ABC was down to the bottom line. He hints at a seismic change at the public broadcaster following the departure of former head honcho Mark Scott.
“I’ll say something dangerous now,” says Symons. “I think in media, there is a tendency for the old people who actually know what they’re doing to be relieved of their positions so you can get younger, more exciting and cheaper people.”
As a showbiz stalwart, Symons says he accepted the ABC’s decision, even if his listeners didn’t and fled the ABC breakfast timeslot in droves.
“I’m not waiting in the wings for some big career. I’ve had sufficient success in my life,” Symons says.
“The good thing about having success is you don’t worry about having it any more.”
With the bucket list pretty much ticked off, Symons is off to see his analyst.
His loyal listeners are glad he’s back, and so is Red.
“I’ve started again,” he says cheerfully, “and that’s how I’m choosing to look at it.”
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