“I’m still doing what I love” – Trevor Sinclair marks 47 years in radio

2UE Breakfast host Trevor Sinclair is in a reflective mood, as today he celebrates 47 years in commercial radio.

Given the notoriously unpredictable nature of the industry, it’s a remarkable achievement.

“I feel very privileged,” Trevor tells Radio Today.

“I’ve seen so many people come and go in this business. Some people have burnt out, others have just got tired of radio and moved onto other things or been moved out by management and have just given up.”

“I say I feel privileged because every time I pick up the studio phone or read a text message from a listener, I’m reminded of the fact that they choose to listen to me, and many of them have for over 40 years or more.”

Growing up in Sydney’s inner west, young Trevor was right into music and theatre.

He ended up being cast in plays and musical productions during his days at Canterbury Boys High.

“I was also a member of the school choir and the debating team, because I just loved public speaking, but I also had a huge interest in pop music and radio,” he says.

Trevor was a dab hand at compiling his own music countdowns.

“In my early days of high school, I’d conduct a poll each week of kids at school asking them to vote on the favourite songs of the week.”

Due to family circumstances, when Trevor left school, he went on to train as a chef at the Menzies Hotel.

The potential for a career in broadcasting became apparent when, in the mid-seventies, Trevor began doing some work with the Australian Theatre for Young People.

It led him to the studio (albeit a TV studio).

“I was introduced to Jeffrey James who was doing a weekly segment on Sound Unlimited for the Seven Network on Saturday mornings.”

“Jeff invited me out to the show one weekend, and that pretty much became a regular thing every Saturday.”

“I’d hang out with Jeff, Donnie Sutherland and Graham Webb, and it was on one those occasions someone said ‘Trevor, have you ever thought of getting into radio?’”

“That’s what got the ball rolling.”

Trevor attended Max Rowley’s Radio School for a few months in 1976.

By October that year, he’d landed his first job doing Nights at 2LF in Young.

In 1977, Trevor moved onto Afternoons at 2ST in Nowra.

The following year, Rob McKay – PD at 2CC, Canberra’s powerhouse station of the time – offered Trevor a position on Nights.

“I was like ‘Oh wow, here we go – my first capital city gig,’” Trevor remembers.

Shortly after arriving in Canberra, he was asked to audition for an afternoon music and lifestyle show called Connections.

“We had the perfect timeslot of 5:30pm,” says Trevor. “The show ran up to the local news on CTC7 and was quite successful.”

So too was Trevor’s top-rating Night show on 2CC.

It was in late October of 1978 that Barry Chapman got in touch and offered Trevor his first gig in Sydney at 2SM.

“I literally packed up everything and moved back to Sydney a fortnight later,” he recalls.

“As they say, the rest is history. Almost 45 years later, I’m still here, doing what I love.”

An accomplished voiceover talent, Trevor’s dulcet tones have been heard globally, from hosting inflight shows for various airlines to being the voice of the re-launched Easy Music 3MP in Melbourne.

Having packed plenty into nearly five decades on air, there have, not surprisingly, been many memorable moments.

“I’ll go with the good ones because I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of guy,” he smiles.

“That first job in Young, being the city kid moving to a very small country town for the first time. There were only 7,000 people there back then.”

“Working with pros like Rob McKay at 2CC and Barry Chapman at 2SM when the place was a ratings juggernaut.”

“My time working with Ron E Sparx, who took me over to 2UW as we launched ‘The New 2UW’ in 1980.”

Trevor also fondly remembers the time when Network PD Cherie Romaro kept him in the on-air line up during 2UW’s conversion to MIX106.5.

“Firstly on Drive, then onto my first full time Breakfast show in Sydney on MIX106.5, co-hosting with Jean Kittson back in the late nineties when we lifted the show from 3.4% to 7.6% in just a few months.”

Later, there were more fun times on Breakfast with Indira Naidoo and Dave Gibson at 2CH.

“My jaw would ache after each show because we had so much fun,” says Trevor.

“And literally now, working with the ACE Radio Network, doing Breakfast in Sydney on 2UE – the station Mum would always have on in the kitchen when I was a kid,” he chuckles.

“ACE has a small, dedicated, passionate team of people that have radio in their blood. It’s a unique and brilliant team to work with.”

And Trevor plans on sticking around for a good while yet.

“Embracing new technology and so many changes over 47 years have been absolutely exhilarating,” he says.

“I often think back to that young 20-year-old Trevor sitting in a studio for the first time and feel truly grateful to be still doing this.”