Ross Stevenson (born Ross Campbell; 25 August 1957) is an Australia radio presenter on

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

station 3AW. The lighthearted breakfast news and gossip show, ''Breakfast with Ross & Russel'', is one of Australia's most successful radio shows.

Career

He attended

Trinity Grammar School, Kew , motto_translation = Act Courageously , established = 1902 , type = Independent, single-sex, day and boarding school , denomination = Anglican , chairman = Simon Gip ...

, in Melbourne, where he was

Dux ''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...

of the college. Stevenson's initial career was as a lawyer at

law firm Darvall McCutcheon and then at

Slater & Gordon Slater & Gordon Lawyers is a law firm in Australia. The firm was founded in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1935 by a barrister and solicitor from Irymple, Victoria, Hugh Lyons Gordon, and Labor politician Bill Slater. The firm is one of Australia' ...

. In 1985, while still a lawyer, Stevenson began his radio career on community station

3RRR 3RRR (pronounced "Three Triple R", or simply "Triple R") is an Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. 3RRR first commenced broadcasting in 1976 from the studios of 3ST, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Institut ...

where he partnered with fellow lawyer Denis Connell on a show called ''Lawyers, Guns and Money'', a reference from a

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", " Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Th ...

song ("Send lawyers, guns and money, the shit has hit the fan").Ross and shine , The Age 30 June 2002. Retrieved 19 April 2013
/ref> Denis Connell was known as "Donoghue", and together as "Donoghue & Stevenson", in reference to one of the most famous negligence cases that every legal studies and law student would have heard about in class. After four years building a cult following at 3RRR Stevenson and Connell were recruited by

3AK 3AK is the call sign of SEN 1116, an earlier the on-air name of a former Melbourne talk-back radio and music station, which, in 2003, leased its licence to sports network SEN 1116. A number of unusual events and precedents throughout the stati ...

and joined by anchorman Dean Banks. In 1990 they crossed to 3AW where they continued to build audience following. Connell was sacked in 1991 by program director Steve Price. For the following 10 years Stevenson and Banks established themselves and their style as a ratings success. In December 2000, Banks decided to retire; again leaving Stevenson to find a new partner. From 2001,

John Burns John Elliot Burns (20 October 1858 – 24 January 1943) was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was ...

joined Stevenson as co-host. Burns had previously been a regular Friday morning contributor to the show as the character, 'Sir Lunchalot', providing humorous restaurant reviews and tips on dining etiquette.The Interview , The Age 22 June 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2013
/ref> Burns retired in July 2020 and was replaced by Russel Howcroft. ''Breakfast with Ross and Russel'' is the station's top rating program and Stevenson is a highly regarded radio presenter by the public and by many of his peers. He is believed to be Australia's highest paid breakfast broadcaster and in 2011 signed a lucrative eight-year contract with 3AW.

Television

Stevenson is also known for co-writing the comic television series '' The Games'' with John Clarke which starred Clarke,

Gina Riley Gina Riley (born 6 May 1961) is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian, known for portraying Kim Craig in the television series ''Kath & Kim'', and for her work in musical theatre. Television and film Riley became a popular televis ...

, Bryan Dawe and

Nicholas Bell Nicholas Bell (born 15 August 1958) is an English actor who has worked in Australia for more than 20 years. He works regularly with the Melbourne Theatre Company as well as with all the major television broadcasters in Australia, most notably th ...

. ''The Games'' satirised the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG). They also co-wrote ''A Royal Commission into the Australian Economy''.

Awards

* 2011 Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRA) Winner Best On-air Team – Metro AM (joint winner with on-air partner, John Burns)

Personal life

Stevenson's partner is Sarah Fallshaw and they have a son and a daughter. He has two other sons from a previous relationship. In 1971 at 14 years of age, Stevenson was part of a choir which featured on the

Colleen Hewett Colleen Hewett (born 16 April 1950) is an Australian singer and actress. Hewett's top 40 singles on the Kent Music Report include " Super Star", " Day by Day" (both 1971), " Carry That Weight" (1972), "Dreaming My Dreams with You" (1980) ...

song "Day By Day" produced by

Molly Meldrum Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM (born 29 January 1943) is an Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent co-ordinator, on-air interviewer, and music news presenter on the former popular mus ...

. Stevenson is a keen punter, horse-racing enthusiast and owner.Celebs racing off to the bank , Herald Sun 8 November 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2013
/ref>

Interests

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...

References

External links

3AW

The Games

The Games on John Clarke's official website

The Royal Commission on John Clarke's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Ross Radio personalities from Melbourne Writers from Melbourne 3AW presenters 1957 births Living people People educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew Australian lawyers