“I’ve always been a journalist,” John Leach said.

“When I was six I used to do the household newspaper; I’d write a paper and give it to everybody in my family.” 

But after 13 years, at the end of this week he will be retiring from his position in the ABC, “for the time being”. 

“I have always loved the idea of telling people what’s going on,” he said.

“It has been a wonderful experience meeting people from all walks of life, they all have interesting stories to tell.

“When I read the news people’s faces are flashing past in my head so it’s like I’m talking to real people who actually exist, not just an empty room, and it feels like I’m engaging with people.

“But I’m looking forward to not having to wake up at 3am in the morning!” 

He began his career in journalism aged 18 working for a radio station on the Gold Coast, although his family was not happy he had chosen a career in media.

“My mother thought I’d become a long-haired beatnik, someone who wrote poetry and other shameless material!” Mr Leach said. 

A highlight of his career was in 1978 when he won the Commonwealth Press Scholarship and went to work in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

It was after the Vietnam War and asylum seekers were travelling from Vietnam and Cambodia by boat and landing on the Malaysian coast. 

Mr Leach got close with some of these asylum seekers and gave his information to the Melbourne Herald, breaking the story in Australia. 

After a stint as the editor for the Queanbeyan Age, he was asked to become manager publisher of Southern Publishers, which owned the Bega District News and Imlay Magnet. 

He started with a staff of eight, but over 20 years built the numbers up to 130 printing 14 newspapers and three magazines before he left in 1999.  

Mr Leach will be farewelled on ABC South East at 8.30am on Friday.