Love is on the air

With Valentine’s Day next Monday, it’s a chance to celebrate radio romances. Not the shady broom-cupboard type. The long-term type.

Working in the same industry must have its advantages, right?

A partner who understands the demands of your job, the rigors of it, the ups, the downs.

One radio couple, Cam St.Clair Audio Operations at SCA and Dani Torresan, Radio Lecturer at AFTRS have been together for 22 years and married 19. So, how did they meet and what attracted them to each other?

Dani: Cam was the cameraman when I was presenting the weather on Southern Cross Television in Tassie. He’d fix my hair before we went to air and was always sweet and so funny. He was only 19 at the time, however, and I was 26…so I didn’t think much of it! We ended up doing breaky together on Sea FM Devonport!

Cam: I actually met Dani a bit before this. I did a radio/media course in year 12 (which I failed) and met her on a station tour. I remember telling a mate: “Dani’s pretty hot, ay”. Then I met her as equals in the tearoom at Southern Cross… her voice melted me.

When did you decide to get married? And what was the proposal like?

Dani: I went to live in Europe for a bit in 2000 to work out what I wanted to do with my life. We decided that if, when I came back, we were still into each other, we’d get married. He proposed on South Stradbroke Island on an empty beach that we got to via tall ship. No phones back then, so I have no photographic evidence! We got married at The Gorge in Launceston in 2003. We renewed our vows after 10 years in a monastery in Italy. Romantic! I had to translate the whole lot because the priest couldn’t speak English.

Cam: I was on typically rubbish radio money, so I’m pretty sure the yacht ride over there was paid for with leftover crap from the Fat30 prize cupboard. The captain loved his Shakira CD and Big Day Out Tickets… Classic Gold Coast.

What do you do together for fun?

Dani: Op-shopping, garage sale-ing, fixing up our old house

Cam: Travelling (when we can). We’ve dragged our two girls from Argentina, Japan, NZ, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, all over the place. There’s honestly nothing more exhilarating than being lost in the backstreets of a small town in a foreign country, with your best friend.

What are the pros and cons of being married to someone in the same industry?

Dani: We appreciate how much fun it can be, but also the hours required to do a good job. I personally LOVE the goss! Cam, not so much. Best bonus: ACRAS night!

Cam: Being married means I’ve got someone to debrief with at the end of each day, but as we’re in the same industry, Dani understands. We have a voiceover business, so those “dumb husband/smart wife” conversational VO’s are bloody spot on. On the downside, I’ve found I have a worryingly low tolerance for those who don’t work in the media industry.

What is the biggest strength of your relationship?

Dani: We are an amazing team. Things I’m great at, Cam isn’t as much and vice versa. We are both pretty anger-averse, so it’s mostly trying to see who can make each other laugh the most.

Cam: Yeah, the teamwork. And the conversation. You know when you go out to dinner and see a couple sitting together staring at their phones in silence? That’s not us. I mean, we’re two ex-radio announcers. You can’t shut us up. Come to think of it, we must be really annoying.

Are you a radio couple? I’d love to hear your story. Email [email protected].