Hailey Renault
Features Reporter ABC Radio Brisbane
What’s your link to Townsville?
I moved from Canada to Townsville with my family in 2003. I finished high school there and went on to study Journalism at James Cook University where I met my soon-to-be husband.
Where are you now?
I’m currently a features reporter working for ABC Radio Brisbane. I write stories for the ABC’s news website and produce radio packages about the topics Brisbane listeners care about. My fiancée and I live in north Brisbane where it’s lovely and green — so different to Mount Isa where we lived and worked for the last five years. We’re getting married in May.
What’s your next project?
I’m planning a trip up a crane on a construction site to document what it’s like going to work 20 storeys (or more) in the air every day. There are so many cranes around Brisbane right now, I think it’s something other people have looked up and wondered about.
How did your time in Townsville set you up for success?
Townsville was a great place to grow up, make friends and study. Living there helped me learn all I could about regional Queensland and find opportunities in other beautiful and remote parts of the state. Studying Journalism at JCU also gave me a strong understanding of editorial principles, which help guide my news writing every day.