Page 13 - Irish Examiner USA

aussieexaminer 13

G’Day From IRISH

Downunder EXAMINER

|

Mike Bowen With all The Latest From Irish-Australia December

ith Christmas and a brand Terry was born. On 4th ly get an opportunity to do what had been raised and I just can’t everythingmyself,sales,writing, 25th,
newyearuponus,Iwould December 1963 I was born, later I felt passionately about working understand the devastation that
Wliketowisheveryoneasafe dad and mom decided the fami- in the TV industry. man brought on his fellow man directing and accounting. You
andhappyfestivalseasonandmay2020 ly should return home to I spent the next three years in that place. Honestly no words name it, I did it. It was also a
filming, editing, producing, 2019
bringyouhappinessandgoodhealth. Youghal where my other four learning the craft and then could really describe it. It looked very challenging environment
I wrote some time back that siblings were born. It was there moved to Channel 7 in like hell on earth. with the climate reaching as
gold doesn’t always make itself in the playgrounds of Youghal Melbourne where I spent anoth- After that, I had five assign- high as 50+degeees.
known to the unsuspecting eye, that I began to think of adven- er year. An offer too good to ments in Afghanistan. The first In 2009 all the hard work
sometimes you have to dig tures and the world beyond. refuse then came as of producer was two days after 9/11, and brought me a lucrative deal with
below the surface to find it. Just When I was growing up, of the top Australian morning two other assignments in Iraq Qatar Gas, one of the largest
because you don’t see it doesn’t Youghal was a small sleepy show The Bert Newton show later on. I saw the extremes of companies in the country. They
mean it’s not there. town in the south east of Co. on Channel 10, where I stayed humanity in those hellholes asked me to make 25 in-house
How do we define gold? Is it Cork that came to life every for five years. That’s where you from the extraordinary cruelty videos and everything changed
a shiny rock? Is it good health? summer when the steam trains and I met the first time and have to the enormous kindness. from then. Resolution
Or could it be an amazing jour- brought thousands of Cork fam- remain the best of friends. It opened my eyes to a lot Productions have since then
ney of transforming one’s life ilies thirty-two miles to the sea- During my time at Channel more than I could ever have won 18 Major International
many times over that makes a side resort to recharge their bat- 10 I met just about everyone imagined. After all that I think I Awards, including 5 Platinum 5
story gold? teries after the harsh winters. I who was anyone that appeared was in badly need of a change in Gold and 1 Silver.
I’m going for the later, as a only ever wanted the ice cream on the show. I remember well my life. The Company is now the
writer I am always looking for as I was never one for swim- on one occasion I asked you to In2004IreturnedtoAustralia largest in Qatar and I am looking
goldintheformofextraordinary ming or laying on a beach; why come in to meet Tom Jones where I took up a two year posi- atopportunitiestogrowmorein
people who have done extraor- would I, when I could lick on who was appearing on the tion with Sports Brand, based in the Middle East. The Soccer
dinary things and this story, is my ice cream and read my show. Doha in Qatar preparing for the World Cup tournament will be
GOLD. Beano and Dandy comics. After the show while having 2006 Asian games. When the here in 2022 and that should
Back twenty five years ago, At the age of sixteen, I went a few beers in the bar nature project finished the team bring great opportunities for
give or take a day or two while I to sea as part of a two man fish- called you and it also called returnedtoAustraliaandIdecid- Qatar and also for Resolution.
was with the Furey on one of ing team for two years on a six- Tom. You both headed for the ed to stay on. MB: I know like me, you are
their many Australian tours they teen-foot boat. Later itchy feet gents as you were leaving the This was when my life takes a regular plane hopper going
were doing a spot on the coun- took me too New York as an gents there were a group of another twist, I saw an opportu- back to Ireland.
try’s then most popular TV eighteen year old where I spent ladies waiting outside for an nity where I thought I could KK: I bought the old railway
show with host Bert Newton. four years looking for that some- autograph and you informed the make an impact, making corpo- station-master’s house overlook-
Before the lads took up their thing that would help me fulfil girls thatyouhadseenproofthat rate films here. The idea came to ing the beach in Youghal a few
positions on the set a fresh faced my dreams. Tom’s voice was much bigger me when I realized there were yearsago.I’vehaditmodernised
lad introduced himself to me, When I could not find that than some other parts of his no local firms doing this kind of and it’s my heaven on earth, so
“Hi, I’m Kirby Kearns I’m the something special, I decided to lower body. work as all came from outside. that gives me even more incen-
producer.” I think I replied head for to Australia and see As Tom emerged, he was Outsiders had to fly in and tive to spend time there.
something like what Eddie what life there might have in confused with the outburst of out of here and sometimes MB: I remember when your
Murphy might have said, “get store for me? laughter, from his adoring fans. accommodation had to be sup- mom and dad came out to visit
out of here, you have an Irish While walking down a street plied for the crews, creating you in Australia, I drove them
accent.” in Adelaide one day, I met a girl Mike Bowen (MB): Yes, I extra expense to their budget. around the Grand Prix track in
“No mate came the reply, it’s who I had met some time back well remember the astonished Knowing that, I set up my Albert Park, your dad was so
a Youghal accent” followed by in a bar in England while playing look on Tom’s face. own company Resolutions thrilled and your mom was so
an outburst of laughter. pool, she whipped my ass and Production Qatar. Setting up the nervous.
Fast forward to 2019 as Kirby won every game we played. Yep KK: Itchy feet again took me company was a tough challenge KK: Dad passed away seven
and I talk about the polished bar she cleaned me out of all in my on another journey, this time as there was a lot of red tape years ago and he always talked
of gold that is the Kirby Kearns pocket; the girl was brilliant with across Asia covering the PGA involved. You have to be pre- about that day. He told every-
success story. the cue. We reunited over a cup GolfTourforayearbeforemov- pared for the red tape that one in Youghal that he was the
of coffee in the nearest café and ing to London to take up a posi- comes with doing business in only person from Youghal that
Kirby Kearns (KK): In 1956 wedding bells soon followed. tion with Associated Press the Middle East. The goalposts ever drove around a Formula 1
Kirby’s mom Maureen was On the 18th of June 1989 the Television News based out of can change a lot in terms of the Grand Prix track, and starting
migrating to Melbourne, day our daughter was born, life London as a Cameraman work- law surrounding business and from the pole position.
Australia from Ireland and met took a dramatic change. It was a ing in Hostile Environments. things move quite slowly. Kirby is another Irish success
Kevin Kearns from Youghal in magic day seeing her gorgeous People can also be put off by story that we can all be proud of.
Co. Cork who was a petty offi- face and to make things even This is the part of Kirby’s story the fact, that you must have a In 2016, I was privileged that
cer on the migrant ship Orieana. better it was the day I found that makes his face cringe, while Qataripartnerwhoowns51%of Kirby was one of 27 friends who
As the story goes, dad jumped what I was looking for, a career telling me of the enormous carnage your business but this isn’t as travelled from overseas to
ship and married mom a couple in TV. that he saw in those hostile places. restrictive as it sounds. Ireland to attend my premature
of months later and settled I was invited for an interview KK: I spent three months in These are balanced by a can wake.
down to what they thought at Channel 7 in Adelaide for a Mitrovitzy in Kosovo where do attitude and an air of opti- Until next time, be good to
would be their last move. job as a trainee video editor. I there were open graves and bod- mism where anything is possi- those who love you and Slainte
In 1961 my eldest Brother was utterly blown away to final- ies everywhere, Villages that ble. For the first two years I did from Downunder. C