Andrew Collins
After a working life that has included dozens of forays into finding his true niche - including farming pearls in the Arafura Sea to tour guiding on Kangaroo Island - Andrew is just a few years short of the once unachievable dream - long service leave.
In 2006 Andrew began broadcasting with Aunty in Broken Hill, talking sheep and underground mines as a rural and resource reporter. From there a stint as Country Hour presenter in Adelaide was followed with two years based in Darwin, dodging crocodiles and sucking up as bulldust, whilst working once again for the Country Hour.
Next stop was Karratha, the resources capital of the West, working as the regional content manager and breakfast presenter. After taking advantage of the Dampier Archipelago and the gorgeous waterholes of the Hamersley Ranges – Andrew departed with wife and new addition, Saffron – to take up the same position with the ABC in Albany.
The South Coast is now home, the Great Southern now his stomping ground and 6.35am is the time on weekdays you can hear him on the wireless. Just be warned there is a long holiday looming.
Latest by Andrew Collins
Flying doctor landing on Eyre Highway in dramatic Nullarbor rescue prompts calls for airstrip upgrade
There are renewed calls to upgrade the flood-prone Eucla airstrip after the Royal Flying Doctor Service performed a rare highway landing to evacuate a seriously injured patient on the Nullarbor Plain.
Restaurants will soon be required to tell you where their seafood was caught, under new country of origin rules
State and federal consumer affairs ministers vote to implement compulsory country of origin labelling of seafood in all hospitality venues.
Once considered unsafe for children and the elderly, this town now boasts WA's best tap water
Forced to drink bottled water for years due to health risks, locals in Cue now enjoy Western Australia's best tap water according to a panel of industry judges.
Thirty years ago, Kulin was staring down the barrel of obscurity. Then locals hatched a plan to raise the town's profile
As WA's Wheatbelt towns dwindled and disappeared in the 1990s, residents were concerned Kulin would meet the same fate. So they came up with an idea that would be the town's lifeline — an event that now sells out in under a minute.
Hikers brave icy conditions to take in spectacular sight of snow in WA
Snow has fallen on the Stirling Range for the first time this year, attracting a handful of delighted hikers.
Ocean swimming lessons ban, citing 'irrelevant' risks, could leave kids high and dry
Parents say ocean swimming is crucial to water safety in Western Australia and are angry that beach lessons have been cancelled due to safety risks such as gravel roads, poor mobile reception, and fish guts in the water.
Red Cross denies blood shortages in regional WA, despite cancer patient turned away
The Australian Red Cross's Lifeblood service strongly denies there are blood shortages in regional Western Australia, despite a cancer patient on the Goldfields being turned away from transfusion appointments for the second time this month.
With nowhere to donate blood across a huge part of outback WA, locals are pushing for change
Outside of the state's south, there's almost nowhere to donate blood if you live in regional Western Australia, but residents in Kalgoorlie-Boulder hope to change that.
Female truckies say 'absolutely disgusting' roadside loos are a 'health issue'
Drivers say the state of facilities in WA are so atrocious that there's a risk people will be deterred from joining the industry.
Eclipse-chasers warned of blindness risk as experts say glasses aren't protection
Health authorities warn against directly looking at the upcoming total solar eclipse in WA — even with eclipse glasses — due to the risk of permanent eye damage.
Federal police investigating 'suspicious packages' on capsized boat used by men found clinging to esky
The rescue gained national headlines last week when three fishers were found floating in the Southern Ocean clinging to an esky, but their capsized boat has since been found and Australian Federal Police are investigating.
Wake up call for FIFO workers as study finds lack of sleep reduces miners' alertness by 20 per cent
Researchers tracking the sleep of fly-in fly-out workers find most are "barely scraping" the threshold for adequate rest on days off — let alone days on shift — in the largest study of its kind.
Zebra finch builds nest in 'outrageous' place
A zebra finch has found a rather unique hollow for its eggs in outback WA — and one expert says it could become more common, as humans continue to destroy habitat.
'Red with crabs': Millions of Christmas Island critters begin annual migration
Red crab migration season has kicked off on Christmas Island — and experts say it could be one of the biggest in years, with up to 65 million crustaceans making the journey.
WA's most recent earthquake may have been a 43-year-old aftershock, scientists say
Seismologists say an earthquake that struck Cadoux on Sunday may be an aftershock from a magnitude-6.1 quake that hit the town in 1979.
What happens to a town when an industry it relies on ends?
In WA’s south-west, two towns are moving away from their major industries and while residents of one town see a bright future, the other is in limbo.
Broome's 'staircase to the moon' a unique combination of tides, location and cosmic angles
The effect captivates thousands of tourists, locals and photographers annually, but it takes a unique combination of low tides, mud flats and the alignment of the earth and moon to create a regular spectacle in Western Australia's north.
March of the southern hairy-nosed wombat seen from space as trails crisscross the Nullarbor
The southern hairy-nosed wombat might just have the perfect personality for life on the Nullarbor. Known for being "extremely funny" and "tough as nails" in equal measure, the once struggling species is now thriving in the vast, arid landscape.
'The car ended up inside the caravan': Police issue warning to drivers following caravan rollovers
Police are urging drivers to take care on the road after a spate of caravan rollovers in regional WA, with experts advising first-timers to seek instruction on how to tow safely.
Humble scarecrow could be out of job as 'smart' model nears market
The traditional scarecrow's days may be numbered, with trials of the next generation of "smart" scarecrow nearing completion.
This city is trying to embrace the bin chicken's cousin, but not everyone is on board
A regional council hopes to change attitudes towards the straw-necked ibis, cousin of the Australian white ibis or much-maligned bin chicken, in an effort to win over residents and visitors.
What would Australia look like without live exports?
ABC Rural takes an in-depth look at the issues surrounding a polarising industry that nonetheless contributes $1.8 billion in direct benefit to those at Australia's livestock farm gate.
Intense storm continues path of destruction as Wheatbelt towns turned into 'war zones'
Wild weather rips the roof off a primary school and flattens sheds in WA's Wheatbelt as a severe front that pummelled southern Perth yesterday wreaks a path of destruction through the southern half of the state.
Remnant of Cyclone Joyce rips through WA's Cunderdin as a severe thunderstorm
Winds of up to 126 kilometres per hour struck a small Western Australia farming community on Tuesday as ex-Tropical Cyclone Joyce moved into the far south.
Sub-par vandalism devastates golf course weeks before major event
Police are investigating the extensive damage to a regional golf course caused by chemicals sprayed over the greens just weeks before the club's major annual event.