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The Team
Our host, Sofie Formica, is joined each week by 4KQ radio
personality Laurel Edwards, gardening expert John Hawkins,
camping and caravanning expert Martin Bowerman and ex-AFL
football star Richard Champion.
Host - Sofie Formica
 The
Great South East host, Sofie Formica began
her television career at the age of 14 and hasn’t looked
back since. Her resume boasts appearances on Wombat, Saturday
Disney, Now You See It (as Australia’s
first female gameshow host), Just Kidding, Home
and Away, and she was an original member of The
Great Outdoors.
In 1995, Sofie moved to Los Angeles and worked as a reporter
on Extra, a national entertainment magazine show. During
this time Sofie interviewed many Hollywood celebrities including
Bruce Willis, Meg Ryan, Nicole Kidman and the cast of Friends.
With her profile rising, in 1999 Sofie was hand-picked by
Oprah Winfrey and appeared in a 13 part series Oprah
Goes Online.
Since that time, Sofie has taken a hiatus, returning to
Australia with her husband Scott to raise their twins, Jack
and Jessica and daughter Emily. Sofie returns to the screen
as host of The Great South East, and couldn’t
be happier!
You can catch Sofie each Sunday afternoon on The Great
South East.
Laurel Edwards
Laurel Edwards was always destined to be
a performer. Born and bred in Brisbane, Laurel started singing
and performing while still at school. She was still a student
at Balmoral High School when she started working part-time
for the Seven Network's popular children's show Wombat as
well as participating in Seven Telethons.
From 1987 until 1989 Laurel co-hosted Nine Network's O'kay
for Kids with Tony Johnston. She began working for
Radio 4KQ co-hosting the breakfast timeslot with Kim Mothershaw
in 1992, and has been with the station for 13 years.
In 1997, Laurel Edwards was a part of the original team
that saw the first The Great South East episode
go to air, and she has remained an integral part of the show
ever since.
In 1996 Laurel married Troy Cassar-Daley, and they and their
two children, Clay and Jem, live in Brisbane.
John Hawkins
John Hawkins began his career in the nursery
industry 25 years ago.
Over the years, John has developed three major nursery garden
centres based in Brisbane. During this, John was the youngest
person appointed President of the Queensland Nursery Industry
Association from 1978 to 1980, and was instrumental in establishing
major educational courses for horticultural training in Queensland.
John has also featured on local gardening shows, firstly
with the ABC’s Gardening Show, and the gardening
segments of Healthy Wealthy and Wise.
In the mid 1990s, John had his own one-hour television gardening
show titled Hawkins Style on Network Seven.
John now displays his green expertise on The Great South
East, every Sunday.
Martin Bowerman
 Martin Bowerman has traveled the
world, the majority of the time carrying a tent and
fishing rod.
Martin's great-grandfather was a ships captain working
up the Queensland coast, and received a commendation
for rescuing sailors from a freighter at the turn of
the century.
He first started work as a journalist with The Courier
Mail, and a few years later left to work in London
and backpacked his way, with a tent of course, through
Europe, Turkey and Morocco.
He is an accomplished author of fishing and camping
books, and brings his knowledge of these subjects to The
Great South East each week.
Martin lives on the Gold Coast and is married with
two children, Melissa and Scott. |
Richard Champion
 Richard Champion or ‘Champs’ as
he is better known, has had a football career
spanning 14 years, including 10 years with the Brisbane
Bears / Brisbane Lions before his retirement at the
end of the 2000 season.
Richard has a multi-talented personality, always prominent
in the club's off-field activities and, in 1998 won
an AFL Talent Show on Network Seven for his marvelous
impersonation of Jimmy Barnes.
That singing talent was put to good use when Champs
competed in the popular Channel Seven program “It
Takes Two”.
You can also catch Champs on a variety of radio shows,
but he really shines on The Great South East each
week.
There is no challenge that Champs has backed away
from and his competitive nature and high level of fitness
make him an obvious choice for tougher assignments.
Champs loves golf, and intends to call Brisbane home
for many years to come with his wife Anne-Marie and
daughters Georgia and Grace. |
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