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Before becoming one of the best known news presenters on Queensland television, Rod Young was a radio announcer, a house-husband, helped run a sheep and cattle property and worked for Telecom (now Telstra).
He was born in Brisbane but grew up on the Gold Coast, where he lived with his grandparents while his parents ran a sheep and cattle property in Meandarra, on the western edge of the Darling Downs. He studied Arts at Queensland University and met his wife, Karen Berkman.
While studying and working for Telecom, Rod signed up for a radio announcer's course at 4BH in Brisbane. The manager of 4BU in Bundaberg saw Rod's potential and offered him a position. He started working at 4BU in 1975 as an announcer on the evening shift.
Later, Rod worked as an announcer for 4AK in Toowoomba and 2GO in Gosford, NSW. Rod then left radio for several years to work on his parents' sheep and cattle property. When the property was sold, the Young family relocated to the Gold Coast.
Rod began work with the ABC in the late 1970s, where he remained for three years doing live announcements between programs, reading radio news and some mid-evening television news.
In the early 1980s, Rod left the ABC so he and Karen could travel overseas for three months. Three months turned into a year, before they returned to Australia to start a family. Rod played house-husband for two years after their first child was born in 1983, then returned to the ABC as weekend weather presenter.
Within a year, Rod was presenting the ABC's weekend news bulletin. The following year he moved to weekday news and stayed until October 2002, when he left the ABC to join Kay McGrath as co-presenter of Seven's weeknight news service in Brisbane.
Rod and Karen have three children and live in the Gold Coast hinterland. Spending time at the beach is the Young family's favourite form of relaxation. Rod loves music, particularly blues and rock 'n' roll. He also enjoys taking long walks.
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