Brydon, thanks for giving up some of your time from your job on Channel 7's The Chase Australia as one of the Chasers.
We'll speak about your role in the popular quiz show shortly, but I note with interest that you were born at Camperdown.
What are your memories of your early years?
My parents had a dairy farm not far from Lake Bullen Merri. It was a wonderful existence. We milked about 200 cows and spent a lot of time outside.
My dad spent nearly 60 years on the farm but when his children couldn't commit to the heavy work load which is required on a dairy farm my parents sold the property and moved into the town of Camperdown.
What was your schooling like in Camperdown?
It was good. I played a lot of sport when I was at school; mainly footy, cricket and table tennis after school. Table tennis used to be played at the Camperdown showgrounds.
My involvement in table tennis came about because my dad David played the game. He was a handy table tennis player.
We used to play table tennis against various other sides around the district, including some from the local churches which had sides. Strangely, I found table tennis a very physical game because of long rallies.
I was lucky enough to win the singles champions title in A-reserve one year.
I still remember a man called Finley Lucas. He loved his table tennis and filled numerous administration roles in the sport in Camperdown.
I still played competition table tennis when I moved to Melbourne at the age of 18.
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Brydon, you mentioned cricket and footy as other sports you played when growing up. How did you perform at those sports?
I was just fair. I played school footy but I was easily brushed aside in contests. I was quick and could hit a target with the footy, but I was of small stature which never helped my chances.
I liked playing cricket. I played junior cricket for Bookaar Cricket Club. We used to play in the old Mount Emu Cricket Association. I can remember we were premiers and champions in the under 16s back in 1996. I went on to play seniors at the club.
They were great times. We had some very good players like Aaron Hewitt, Scott Riseby and Brent Hewitt.
Can you remember what your highest score was playing cricket for Bookaar?
I got 85 not out in a senior game one day. Sadly, I ran out of batting partners as we only had 10 players turn up for the game.
I got five wickets bowling leg spinners against Mortlake in another game.
I suppose it was that interest in cricket that helped you in your job with Cricinfo?
Yes, I loved working as a journalist with Cricinfo. I was there for 11 years. The job saw me travel all over the world to report on cricket.
One of my favourite grounds to watch cricket is the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, South Africa. I would have to describe it as the most picturesque cricket ground in the world in my opinion.
I was lucky enough to watch cricket World Cups, Ashes tours. I witnessed some incredible Australian cricket history working for Cricinfo, and none more so than when Australia was dismissed for 47 runs in the second innings against South Africa at Cape Town.
Spin bowler Nathan Lyon ended up being the highest scorer with 14 runs for Australian in that remarkable game of cricket.
I was also at Christchurch in New Zealand when Kiwi cricketer Brendon McCullum made the quickest century in a Test match against Australia in 2016.
Brendon only needed to face 54 balls to make the whirlwind century.
The job with Cricinfo saw me travel the world. I was extremely fortunate because I was not married and I had no children at that stage of my life.
I can remember doing stories for Cricinfo's website and more than two million people would read them when the World Cup games were on.
People from India just love their cricket and they have a huge appetite to know what's going on with cricket around the world.
How did your love of quizzes come about?
It would have been in 1990 and the Camperdown scouts had a trivia night and my parents and my siblings attended and we won.
I can remember just loving watching quiz shows on the television. I was obsessed with them. I took part in a program called Million Dollar Minute - it was like Sale Of The Century. I was the first player to get to $300,000. The next year, the show got axed.
Channel Seven got in contact with me about Chase Australia. I auditioned for the show, and six years later I'm still one of the Chasers on the program.
Can I ask how you remember all the things that you do?
I do a lot of study. Read a lot of books and I'm always trying to refresh my memory. I consider all the study similar to a sportsperson. You've always got to be training your brain. It's all about a lot of study and a lot of time. The show and the study can all be mentally exhausting.
For my first five years on the show it was done in Melbourne, and last year I travelled up to Sydney for the show. This year, because of COVID, we're not sure where the show will be shot. There are some times we may film three shows in a day.
I often write down some practice questions regarding anything that may be happening. It's all about memorising what is happening. It's a challenge to remember so many things. I can always remember the first time I was on The Chase Australia as a Chaser six years ago.
There was a team of four contestants and they won $102,000. It's a record amount of money to be paid out on the show. One of the four was a man called Scott O'Keeffe, and funnily enough he has strong connections to Warrnambool.
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