By Stephen A Russell
When beloved ABC weather presenter Nate Byrne presented the Star Observer’s 45th birthday celebration on the roof of the Victorian Pride Centre in fabulous outfits borrowed from the broadcaster’s extensive costume department, it was way past the early riser’s bedtime.
“I’m always willing to have a sleepless night to mark an important milestone,” he chuckles. “The Star Observer has been looking after our community, telling our stories, the ones that matter to us, for so long, so it was very worthwhile.”]
An out and proud face shining bright on News Breakfast, Byrne is reluctant to bask in too much glory. “I never planned to be any sort of role model at all, but I try, since it’s sort of happened by accident rather than by design, to take that role that’s been given to me seriously.”
Keen to point out that he’s far from the first queer person to present on the ABC, the ability to do so openly has come a long way since he was a four-year-old growing up in the beachside suburb of Mullaloo in northern Perth, setting his heart on the weather gig while watching storm fronts roll in. “I knew that grownups had to have a job, and as I saw it, weather presenters worked for about two minutes a day and then you’ve got plenty of fun to play,” he laughs.
At The ABC
Byrne’s career path didn’t follow a straight line to the ABC. “I’m a first-generation Australian from British parents, so while I didn’t have the world’s hugest transition, coming here, for a lot of first-generation kids, your parents, regardless of where they’re from, really want stability and security for you,” he says.
And so his ambitions of perhaps becoming an actor were heavily discouraged. Instead, he was convinced to join the Navy after a stint in the cadets, signing up in 2005. Byrne says that the Navy was surprisingly open-minded about same-sex partners. “Gay couples could be recognised with the same benefits as a straight married couple, and the Defence Force is a bit of a haven for a lot of people,” he adds, acknowledging that’s not everyone’s experience. “I realise that I was quite lucky.”
Coming Out
So much so that after serving in the Middle East, he felt comfortable enough to bring a previously unmentioned partner to a function. “I got bailed up in the corner by one of my colleagues shaking his finger at me.” Not out of anger, “He was like, ‘Why didn’t you tell us, we would have loved to have met him before now’.”
Studying physics before joining the Navy, once at sea, Byrne learned more about meteorology and oceanography. “That little bit of understanding is what pushed me back towards the weather,” he says. Leaving to do a master’s in science communication, after graduating he was encouraged by friends to apply for the ABC role, even though it specified that they wanted a journalist with a background in weather reporting. “I had gotten some great advice from that master’s programme, that if you see a job you’d like, call the number.”
The rest is history. Funnily enough, Byrne says breakfast television isn’t all that different from military life. “I’ve got to be at the right place at the right time wearing the right thing, fully briefed to tell you what you need to know and get the mission done,” he says. “I also got used to never having more than four hours’ sleep at sea because I had a shift in the middle of the night, so I’ve been quite well-trained.”
The Weatherman
Byrne’s so glad to call the ABC home. “New Breakfast is amazing. The ABC took somebody who had literally no idea what he was doing on telly and made the right space for me to learn and to figure it out. Once I’d gotten a hold of the basics, they let me stretch and reach and try anything that I wanted. Their mantra is largely, ‘What can we do differently that’s new and innovative?’”
That’s allowed Byrne to report from the heart of the desert, out at sea and from the Mardi Gras parade. He’s proud to represent, even if a series of happy accidents brought him here. “Even when I started on telly, I wasn’t talking about being on the rainbow spectrum somewhere or anywhere; I just decided not to bring it up at all,” he recalls.
“But it rapidly became apparent to me that I could do a lot more being a little bit noisy, out and proud, and how important that could be for the younger not-Nates out there. I also think a lot about the older gay guys who befriended me as a young fellow and taught me about what it is to be part of our community. It’s important to continue passing that on.”
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