Peter Mitchell (born 14 June, 1960) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

television presenter. He has been the chief news presenter for

HSV-7 HSV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, its first and oldest station. It launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melb ...

of their flagship bulletin "''

Seven News Melbourne ''7NEWS'' is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are p ...

"'' since the year 2000, and prior to that, he was the weekend news presenter.

Career

Mitchell began at the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

in 1977 as a sport reporter. In this position he covered sports such as

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

and the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. In 1982, Peter became a general news reporter and in this position he covered many stories including Victoria's horrific

Ash Wednesday bushfires The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983, which was Ash Wednesday. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by hot ...

in 1983. In 1987, Mitchell joined the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

and became weekend news presenter. He held this position for 13 years until November 2000 when he replaced

David Johnston David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...

and

Anne Fulwood Anne Fulwood (born 5 February 1959) is an Australian-born former reporter, journalist and writer with a long association as a newsreader and current affairs host, she was born in South Australia's Riverland region and began her career in the stat ...

as the solo weeknight presenter. In 1997, Peter was the first news presenter in Australia to break the news, during an AFL match, that

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

had died.Peter Mitchell , Frankston City Council 1 February 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013
His journalism experience has also included writing a weekly column for the ''Sunday Herald Sun'' for two years called "Tee for Two" and publishing a book – the biography of Australian golfing legend

Peter Thomson Peter Thomson may refer to: * Peter Thomson (golfer) (1929–2018), Australian golfer * Peter Thomson (diplomat) (born 1948), Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations * Peter Thomson (footballer) (born 1977), English footballer * Peter ...

, a five-time winner of the prestigious

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

. In a ''Seven News'' bulletin that went to air in March 2018, Mitchell used some inappropriate wording to describe a murder trial which was ongoing; he subsequently apologised to the Victorian Supreme Court for his actions.

Award

In 2010, Peter was inducted into the City of Frankston ''Hall of Fame'' as a tribute to his strong link to the city and the significant impact of his work.

Personal life

Mitchell grew up on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...

, attending

The Peninsula School Peninsula Grammar, formerly The Peninsula School, is an Australian Independent school, independent, co-educational, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Day school, day and boarding school located in Mount Eliza, Victoria, Mount Eliza, Victoria ...

, in Mount Eliza. His father, Geoff Mitchell, was a councillor on the Frankston City Council in the 1960s and 1970s, served a term as the Mayor of Frankston (1970/1971) and also played football for Frankston in the VFA. Mitchell is a passionate

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

(AFL) fan and began going to watch them play, with his father when he was 5 years old.McKenna made me do it , Herald Sun 13 September 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2013
/ref> He is married to wife Philippa and they have five children together, Amelia, Ben, Lucy, Maisie and Harry and four grandchildren.

References

External links

Peter Mitchell's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Peter Australian television journalists Seven News presenters 1960 births Living people Television personalities from Melbourne People from Mornington Peninsula People from Frankston, Victoria