AH95 - Corey Bell

Hello Awesome Humans! Joining us in the podcast studio today we have former Australian Rules footballer, Corey Bell. Corey was a rover for Southport when he was called up by Brisbane midway through the 1991 season with 16 disposals on debut against Richmond at Carrara. After his playing career ended, Corey continued to be involved in football as a development manager with AFL Queensland, as the Community Development Officer for the Gold Coast Football Club and now as the City of Gold Coast's Business and Investment Attraction Officer for sport.

Tune in today and listen to this week's totally Awesome Human, Corey Bell!

What is Awesome Humans?

Awesome Humans is a podcast by Brett McCallum. Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and all-round Aussie bloke, Brett McCallum has been in the IT business with his company Virtech for over 15 years, alongside many other ventures - with a range of successes and learning experiences along the way. In this series, Brett interviews all sorts of inspiring humans from varied backgrounds to share their stories with the world. Many of Brett's guests have an entrepreneurial background and an amazing story about their successes and failures along the way.
Podcast by Podfire.

Speaker 0 (0s): This is a Podfire production

Speaker 1 (2s): This podcast may have explicit themes and swearing and may not be suitable for children. The world is full of amazing people and once a week I get the opportunity to interview one of them. My name's Brett McCollum, and this is awesome humans. Good day guys. It's Brett McAllen. I'm your host of awesome Humans, the podcast that brings together some of the most amazing people on this awesome planet of ours to tell us their stories. We have a few laughs, sometimes a few tears, but most of all it's about them and who they really are.

Welcome to awesome Humans. Between myself and my guests today, we've played eight games of afl. We've had 82 kicks, 18 masks, marks, can't even speak. 32 Handballs. We kicked two goals and four behinds across an eight game career with three wins and five losses. Just to let you know, I didn't do any of that, so that's just my guess. My guest stands at five foot seven inches tall, weigh 62 kilos, and played the hardest game on the planet at a professional level.

Corey Bell's a former Australian rules football player. Yep, the hardest game on the planet. He played for the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Rules Football League. The afl, one of the smallest footballs to play in the AFL Bell was a rover for Southport when he was called up to the Brisbane. Midway through the 91 season, Bell had 16 disposals on Taboo against Richmond at Carra and appeared in seven more games for the Bears that year. They also won the Premiership winning team for the Reserve. Great Bell continued to be involved in football after his playing career.

Ended as a development manager of AFL Queensland. Done a bit here, done a bit there. I think he went to the West Coast. I think he went to Gold Coast. He's been everywhere, this bloke, but we're gonna hear about more of that today. He was a Gold Coast City Council, Sports Attraction Officer. We might go there a bit as well. And he's about to take on a new role with Next Level Racing, an awesome Gold Coast company. He's a legend and I'm very excited to have him in my studio today. Mr. Cory Bell. How

Speaker 0 (2m 5s): Are you, brother Brett? Thank you. Love the intro, mate. That is, I, I could listen to that over and over. That's as good as the intros get.

Speaker 1 (2m 13s): Thanks very much buddy. A way I always like to start this podcast is what's your first ever memory? How far back can you go?

Speaker 0 (2m 20s): That's it. What a ripping question. Thank you

Speaker 1 (2m 22s): Very much.

Speaker 0 (2m 23s): It goes back to, I was born and raised to 14 in Victoria.

Speaker 1 (2m 29s): What's the first one though? How far

Speaker 0 (2m 30s): Back? It probably goes back to my, say my first football game that I went to sat on the hill at Mora. How old? It's five, six year old.

Speaker 1 (2m 40s): You love footy then?

Speaker 0 (2m 41s): Oh, I think it's,

Speaker 1 (2m 42s): I didn't really understand it.

Speaker 0 (2m 43s): I think it's in my dna. Yeah. Is it? And, and, and my dad was a very successful sports person. Played basketball with Lindsay Gay in Victoria. A

Speaker 1 (2m 55s): Great

Speaker 0 (2m 55s): Man. Yep. And was a great cross country runner. And mom had a swimming background where she was a New South Wales swimming champion there. So there was a, there was a little bit of athletic cut through

Speaker 1 (3m 5s): Blood,

Speaker 0 (3m 5s): But no afl. And so for me, I think it was, again, I think it's just in your dna and, and I've got a son who's been quite successful in his career, we'll talk about a bit later, but I think it's either in you or it's not bred. And, and that was my first memories as a five or six year old on the hill at Mora. You know, I watched and Kilder in that seventies, eighties period. And if they got within sort of six goals of, of winning, you know, sadly for them at that time that that was like a win, you know, and you become resilient to enjoying the wins and, and when they got done.

But, you know, Quida Footy Club gave me such a great grounding, you know, for a lot of years till we moved away at 14.

Speaker 1 (3m 48s): So I like to jump around a bit. Right.

Speaker 0 (3m 50s): And I reckon I will too. Awesome.

Speaker 1 (3m 52s): I love it. So what's the best ever Corey Bell story? What's the go-to? You're in a, you're in a bar with the boys, we're having a chat and someone tells you a story and you've gotta go one better. What's the best ever?

Speaker 0 (4m 5s): All right. The, the best story that I've got is that in my first season of afl I was 60 kilos, 59 kilos. I'm certainly not that be Joggy. Yep. Maddy Campbell, who used to play with me, he said that, he said, If things don't work out, you'd go really well for Flemington on a Saturday. And, and we used to joke about that, but a, a really long story short is that Dave Matthews, who's the now CEO of, of gws Giants, he actually was sitting in the crowd in one of my games of AFL when I played down at Geelong.

And when we ran out onto the field, him and his mates were sitting there in, in the actual sort of grandstand. And I came running out looking like one of the oz kickers had followed out the team onto the, who's the special kid with the ball in his head, who's the little eight year old that thinks he's playing. And they all turned around at each other and Dave's a good friend and, and he wouldn't mind me telling this story. And, and so I run out, play it against the great Gary AB and you know, the Barry Stoneham of the world.

And Geelong had Ken Hinckley that amazing team at that time. And Gary bought Aking. It was, it was a real super pretty special team. Yeah. And what was unbeknownst to me was that they were sitting there going, Who the hell is Corey Bell? That become a bit of a war cry between these guys and, and they're all mates and, and so anyway, yeah, fast forward life, it's, it's a small world out there.

Very small. Dave became my boss in the AFL in 19 97, 98. And we were, I was working at Redlands in my first job outta uni and, and I was a development officer and we, we'd run the, the biggest oz kick in Queensland and he wanted to come up and see why it was so big and why we'd been successful. And anyway, his phone rang and he was with myself and the state manager Dean Warren. And he said, Look, I just gotta go for a sec. And he took the call and he didn't come back for about 10 or 20 minutes.

Anyway, he come back and we sort of overlaid and showed him what had happened. And what had happened was that each time they'd ring each other, they'd say, Who the hell is Corey Bell as part of their thing? But the funny part of the story that I didn't know, Brett, was I'm standing next to Dave so he couldn't say that. So he was around the corner laughing his head off for 20 minutes till he could because

Speaker 1 (6m 41s): He is next to Cory

Speaker 0 (6m 42s): Bell. That's right. Oh,

Speaker 1 (6m 43s): That's

Speaker 0 (6m 43s): So good. And then he finally got composed and then, you know, we've been friends for 20 years and that's where that came from.

Speaker 1 (6m 50s): When did you find out?

Speaker 0 (6m 53s): I think it was a few years later at a Christmas party where we'd had one or two beers and he said, Do you remember that time where, cuz I left Redlands and then went to work for the AFL and we're at Christmas party in Queensland. And he said, Remember that time where I just rudely disappeared for 20 minutes? I said, Yeah, yeah. He goes, Well you wouldn't believe it. My mate rang and said, Hey, you didn't say, who the hell's Corey Bell? And Dave said, That's cuz I'm standing next to him. So it's, it's a long-winded story, but it's what are the chances of that? And and I'm in some fun way, so proud of that that

Speaker 1 (7m 25s): Oh, without doubt. So you got this group of blokes that are always answer the phone, Who the hell's got?

Speaker 0 (7m 30s): Well yeah. And, and so, so, so good. It's a fus and that was a little bit of a story in our AFL circles.

Speaker 1 (7m 37s): I love that. Do they still do it these days?

Speaker 0 (7m 39s): I don't know. I dunno. I haven't talked to Dave for a while, but hopefully they

Speaker 1 (7m 44s): Do. Oh mate, that's so good. It's not my cousin. We always answer the phone. Hey motherfucker. Right. And no matter where they are, like she's in the middle of a big photo shoot with Coco motherfucker, Hey motherfucker. And she's going, Hello, are you at Worker?

Speaker 0 (7m 59s): So there's a good example of That's so funny. Who the hell,

Speaker 1 (8m 2s): Oscar, I'm gonna answer my phone now

Speaker 0 (8m 4s): And, and I reckon if I can add Lib a bit and not put words in their mouth, I reckon the, who the hell might have been the magic word as well. So

Speaker 1 (8m 13s): There's no rules on this podcast. You can say magic words.

Speaker 0 (8m 16s): It'ss. All good. I'm trying to have Eddie Kitty.

Speaker 1 (8m 18s): Oh God. So where were you born?

Speaker 0 (8m 20s): Born in Glen Waverly. What hospital? Yeah, Glen Waverly Hospital. And grew up basically, from what I can recall down in Cranburn, so down in the southeast Gippsland area and you know, it was pretty rough and ready sort of area at the time what mum and dad emerging. So, So basically mum and dad had started a business where they did, they were the first ever in Victoria to do childcare supplies in a mobile van in the eighties.

Oh wow. Now you go, there's a million of them. But back in the eighties, dad was pretty innovative Before that he actually won the salesman of the year for a company called 3M, nationally. Wow. Big company. Yeah. And mom and dad got to go travel to Fiji for a week and again back in the eighties. Pretty cool. And as kids, you know, we got left at home. We, we didn't make the cut and No, of course not. And I was really proud of dad and mom cuz they both worked really hard and, and that was probably my first inference to going, my dad's a really good salesman and great was, you know, relationships and mom was as well and they started this business.

It was hugely successful. And then we were holidaying up here every school holidays. We loved the water. And so my three brothers, sorry, myself and my two brothers, the three of us would sit in the back of the van and we'd hammer up here for school holidays. We had a little apartment, we'd go water skiing back in the van on the Saturday, back to school Monday and did that each holidays to the point where,

Speaker 1 (9m 55s): So was that 2000 Ks, isn't it?

Speaker 0 (9m 57s): Yeah, it is. And and that was back in the day where you just couldn't afford to fly five people. Of

Speaker 1 (10m 1s): Course not you. And it was the old skinny road as well. So it would've took you like a know two days

Speaker 0 (10m 5s): To get it. Dad was a freak. He'd did the 20 hour run and he just, I got the, got this and they're Oh. And we're talking to him and, and you know, mom and dad bought the three of us up. Great upbringing and, and lived in the water. And then mom and I found a house, you know, on Helens Vale Road just here on the Gold Coast that was on acreage and on a little river and couldn't believe the price cuz it was so different in Melbourne. Yeah, of course. And long story short, talked dad in to the five of us went. Yep.

We're they bought, they bought the house, sold the business, sold the unit, and sold their house in Melbourne in about 30 days. Wow. And next minute I'm going to school at Kumba High here on the Gold Coast.

Speaker 1 (10m 47s): So what was your first school you went to? Down

Speaker 0 (10m 49s): In C Yeah. Cranberry Primary. And then Cranberry School.

Speaker 1 (10m 52s): Were you, so you you come up here in high school? Yeah,

Speaker 0 (10m 56s): I was in grade nine. So it's, it's a funny age to move states, you know, when you, when you're in that, that middle, where

Speaker 1 (11m 3s): Do you fit in the three?

Speaker 0 (11m 5s): I'm the oldest. The oldest, Yeah. Of two others. And you've met my other brother Trav? I have,

Speaker 1 (11m 9s): Yeah. How old's Trav? What's the

Speaker 0 (11m 10s): Difference? Tra boy's three years younger, so, And then my brother below that's Gavin. So I had Trav and Ga easier to remember. There you go. And he's another four years, we're seven years apart, so seven years between two years. Yeah. So, and you know, ripping brothers just great, great boys and, and all God on Great. All love the footing. Life's good. Love

Speaker 1 (11m 32s): School. Good. So do you remember back in primary school?

Speaker 0 (11m 34s): Yeah, I do. I do remember primary school a bit. And I'll tell you why, I'll tell you, I'm gonna go into a lot of footy stories here, but I went to a school where, again, back in that day, Stda are popular now in a, you know, great club. But back in the day there wasn't a lot of Saint Kda supporters. Certainly not at our school. Yep. Even how Plugger was there. Yep, that's right. And so my brother and I, we had a guy called Trevor Barker who was a super staffers and kilter war number one long blonde hair.

He came out to do a clinic at our school and our PE teacher was mad and killed her and so we mum and dad become friends and we were all friends or whatever and we lived in the Hawthorne district so you were only allowed to have the team out that was in your district. Oh, okay. So the Hawks had been out, done clinics before and that was awesome. And a few of my mates actually went on to play for Hawthorne at nine under nineteens and re's level out of the region. And yeah, there was this one super clinic where the PE teacher, Mike, his name was actually organized Trevor Barkett to come and do a bit of a clinic more as a, as a thank you to him and my night.

So long story short there, my brother and I, the only kids in St. Kilda gear end up in the photo with Barks and the PE teacher and that made the front page of the paper. Yeah. And just fast forward 30 odd years, I've still actually got the photo, which I'll show you Brett. Yeah. And, and and, and it's really special cuz sadly Trevor Barker, you know Yeah. Lost, lost his battle with illness in the mid nineties and was a one club player that, that could have, you know, potentially gone to other clubs and whatnot.

And again, I'll fast forward really quickly, but we sort of kept a bit of a relationship when we moved up here to the Gold Coast at 14, when the Saints played here at 15 Barks was actually, I think the team manager or he had a gm, a footie roll or something with St. Kilda. So we obviously the family, like let's go watch them in Brisbane, watched them play. And then we stayed back after the, the game and caught up with him and he remembered the family and, and sort of remembered us.

And then, I didn't know this, but he tracked my career through the state program. So I was, I made the state team as a 15, 16, and 17 year olds and played in, in the till cup. Yep. And I had made no rep sides in Victoria and so I'm skipping Ford a little bit here through Grand Final Day. But I was fortunate enough to play in AFL Reserve, Great Grand Final in 1991 that year I actually went on and won the best and fairs for the res and played with the likes of the Sean Hearts and Maddy Kennedy's of the world.

Oh yeah. Super proud. I was 18 I, I'd, I didn't know what was going on. I, I'd had some guys yelling out in the crowd who the Hell's Corey be and what I, it's a pretty cool story this cuz we'd had a big night out. I was only just legally able to drink probably nine months. We had a big night out, just made the flight, everyone's celebrating. It was a pretty big deal here on the Gold Coast. Oh would've been that the Bears had won this premise ship we played in front front of 70, 80,000 people. Wow.

At Waverly. The angry Anderson year. Yeah, yeah. And anyway, we're flying home and I thought, oh I'll just duck down to the toilet. We're about third of the way through the flight and all my mates at the front and anyway, there's this guy with blonde hair sitting there and he goes, Hey Corey. And I'm like, No way. And it's Trevor Barker. Wow. And he's on the plane flight to the Gold Coast with the couple other players, Michael Roberts and Jeff Colling and Gary Colling, sorry.

And say couple of the Saints boys, they were coming up to have a, you know, couple of weeks or whatever Monday.

Speaker 1 (15m 29s): Yep.

Speaker 0 (15m 30s): And so anyway, there he's on this flight and he says one of the boys, Oh mate, can you jump over there? I want to catch up with Corey. So the guy I'd idolized all of my life as young, young Trevor, the great Trevor Barker is on my flight home. I'm probably one of the best 24 hours of my sporting career. And all he wanted to do was talk about my career the last three years cuz he'd followed me. Isn't that amazing? From Yeah. Which I didn't know that. And so anyway, we get off the plane and mom and dad are there and my wife have, you know, 27 years Kel, who was my girlfriend at the time, they're all there and mom and dad's face and my brothers, when

Speaker 1 (16m 10s): You hopped off with

Speaker 0 (16m 11s): You, we walk off with bark going, what? Like a, you've just won the grand final and B, you've dragged box with you. So, so that's a really special story Brett, that I've probably not told too many people because I know it's just a fate thing. Yeah. I'm not overly mega spiritual or anything, but I so don't believe in that fate stuff. And, and that was just fate that

Speaker 1 (16m 36s): He's pretty amazing in someone you've idolized someone that, that you've looked up to as a footballer and then you get to share the moment. That must have been pretty

Speaker 0 (16m 44s): Awesome. And the cool part was not oh, high five, Hey what on in your flag? I was, Hey mate. And

Speaker 1 (16m 49s): So hey you bugger off, you come and sit

Speaker 0 (16m 50s): Next to come and sit here and let's chat about hey mum, dad going and all that cool stuff, you know? That's

Speaker 1 (16m 55s): So good. How old would he have been then?

Speaker 0 (16m 57s): Bs Oh, he'd be,

Speaker 1 (16m 59s): He'd be 10 years older than you, wouldn't

Speaker 0 (17m 0s): He? Yeah, he'd be mid thirties probably. Yeah. Mid thirties I would've thought. So that's pretty cool. So anyway, it's just a, it's just people that know they're 40 would know Trevor Barker and, and would think that's a pretty cool little story. Say, you know, things like that stay with you forever,

Speaker 1 (17m 16s): Brett. They do mate, they do people that touch you in different ways, like as and make, it's all about the heart, isn't

Speaker 0 (17m 21s): It? Yeah, totally.

Speaker 1 (17m 22s): And then when someone sadly passes away in the nineties from illnesses makes even that little bit more special I think.

Speaker 0 (17m 30s): And then that and Kda people and it rocked the footy weld and you know, there's people I think that had just met him. He's just a, he was just a great guy and he and he just, he just, he was some kda like he, you know, he, he was in in that eighties period. Like we just, we'd, we'd go to the footy and we, we watch Sunday nineteens play, then we watch the Res and we watch the seniors mama pack sandwiches and you, you know, that was your

Speaker 1 (17m 56s): Mom go to the footy too?

Speaker 0 (17m 56s): Yeah, she was into it. Yeah. She's a great footy mom. And the thing is, we watch all day on the Saturday and as I said, they do it tough and then we go and play Sunday and you, you almost want to just play your heart out because like a redemption in your head, if that makes sense. Without doubt, Without doubt. But, you know, loves and kilda like that was great. But then when I come to the Gold Coast, I started a barracking sort of allegiance to Brisbane. Yeah. And, and had all of those things of like, oh, how good would that actually be to play?

I fell for Brisbane and that happened three years after moving here.

Speaker 1 (18m 34s): So were you were 17 when you seven or 18 when you made your debut boot?

Speaker 0 (18m 38s): Yeah, so what basically what happened was there was 10 of us from the Gold Coast in the Teal Cup side and and escorted 25 and 10 of us got invited to top up the final 10 spots for the Bears over the summer. So they had a list of 50 20 would go and play in the pre-season answer cup. They had 30 left over, they need another 10 to top up for 40, 20 on 20. Yep. Series of six practice games. And for me I always thought, oh this is just great. I got the jumper, I got the shirt I'm running man, with guys like David Bae, Roger Merrit.

Yeah. Alex Chenko, John Gases. Brad Hardy won a brown low. Yeah. And I'm thinking, you know, this, this is a pretty cool experience. Like if this is where the end of the train tracks are, that's fine, I'll take this. And I think cuz I was so relaxed and even in awe a bit, I didn't, I wasn't overly worried too much about where it went.

Speaker 1 (19m 32s): Were you smart or were you quick or what were you you were relaxed.

Speaker 0 (19m 37s): I'll say this humble. There's a lot of things that of course a lot of things I didn't have Brett, I could barely bench 80, you know KG

Speaker 1 (19m 44s): Only weigh 60.

Speaker 0 (19m 45s): Yeah, Yeah. But I could, the color things I could do, I could run all day. So the cross country background of dad, I was good over 20 meters and terrible over a hundred. Me too. I think I was the slowest at Brisbane.

Speaker 1 (20m 1s): I went around over three Ks I

Speaker 0 (20m 3s): Reckon and I was pretty handy at that. Yeah. I think, I think in the day I used to run, my best time ever was 1449 for 5k. So that's three minutes a K. So that's hooking. And the the third part I think that I had, which Rodney e who was my re's coach and not a bad coach and was a good coach and had a lot to do with my career as Norm Dare did and, and Robert Wells did is he just said, Go and play. Just go and find the footy, we'll back you in.

And so it's funny how they coached, they coached a little bit around me to be offensive and not so defensive I could tackle and I could hold my own. But they're like, we don't, we got other blokes that can do that. We, we want you to go and do what you you did. And so, you know, in the grand final I had 28 possessions, which was the most in the game and was able to play my role Yeah. Of winning enough footy for us, you know, to, to go on and win the grand final. Was

Speaker 1 (21m 0s): That your first ever grand final win?

Speaker 0 (21m 2s): No, I was, I was fortunate enough to have played in sides where we'd had success and and that's good teammates and good coaches. Correct. Yeah, of course. So that's a good feeling though. Yeah, it's a great feeling. And I think one of the things I really was good at was getting myself up for really big games. So we played in state of origin game Queensland played Victoria B in 91, so the middle of the year when I was debut and I played those eight games, they actually picked me for the Queensland side and it was a bit of a, what I'd call a quasi Queensland side, if you'd lived here for two or three years, you were allowed to play.

Yep. So Roger Merritt played Brad Hardy, a few of those sort of guys that had played, you know, other states and Mark s Ashcroft was coming through, you know, who's a he who's a good mate and, and taught me so much. And there was a lot of us young Queenslanders in that team, Steve McLuckie. And we were able to get ourselves up that day. Norm dare coach Jess Rodney Eed was the runner. So it was a almost a bit of a shuffle around of the bears. Yeah. But we all knew each other. And Vic, the Vic B came team came up and Jim Stein's played that year.

Wow. And he won the brown low that year. So he was emerging to the point where he won the brown low, but he wasn't in the vic a side. And so I think

Speaker 1 (22m 18s): The brown low winner didn't make the big A

Speaker 0 (22m 20s): Side. Yeah, yeah. But that's how strong their second side was. And they rightly so, I think if there was betting in the day would've been a dollar and five or dollar and 10. They just had so much talent there. And and long story short, we, we just hung in all day and we ended up on a really hot July's day at the GABA with the old dog track. We, we actually ended up winning the game. Oh really? And and for me that, that, again, I didn't know what had happened while I was just, you're in the heat of the battle. The next minute we've pinched the game and that's amazing.

To wait to win a men's state of origin game, you know, is is is massive. And one of the coolest moments of that was the Vic team sort of mingled with us after the game cost over a bit in the change rooms and, and a gentleman by the name of Bob Skilton come over and you know, Triple Brownlow medalist good bob. And he goes, Goodday son. And I'm like, oh my god, that's Bob Skilton. And so I just wanna say I thought you were great today and you know, you did ask little blokes proud and and well done.

I think you got a great future. And I, again, when they come to you with that, that's pretty, that's pretty cool. Like my AFL career only went over two or three years and to have those special moments was, was really cool.

Speaker 1 (23m 35s): So Oh, without the be the fact you've had an AFL career. So it's simple. As I mentioned at the start, we've done all that stuff between us. You've done it all. But I did none of it. But anyway, hey, let's get away from from footy for a minute. Yeah, it'd be good. You said dad was a basketball player? Yes. You're four foot three. How tall? Four foot. Nothing. How tall was mum?

Speaker 0 (23m 53s): No, Mum and dad. Sort of quite, I'd say shorter in stature. So dad, dad was point guard. Yeah. And Lefthander and just all I remember is watching him and he just didn't miss, he just, Do

Speaker 1 (24m 5s): You remember watching him

Speaker 0 (24m 6s): Play? Yeah, he, he just put the ball up and, and he'd take a split second. I'm trying to think who he'd be liking basketball these days, but, and he just, he just had this really nice action and a really good eye. Yeah. And, and he just would drop him from anywhere. And

Speaker 1 (24m 21s): So what level did he play at?

Speaker 0 (24m 23s): Yeah, I think at that Victorian level, as I said with Yeah, with the Lindsay Gazes of the world and Yeah, he, he, yeah, he, he loved his basketball and he could play And did

Speaker 1 (24m 35s): He like footy?

Speaker 0 (24m 35s): Yeah, he he mad on footy. Yeah. And he got a really good footy brain dad. Like he, he saw trends that I couldn't see that he taught me things. You always were coached by your coaches but then the

Speaker 1 (24m 49s): Parent, you always get coached by

Speaker 0 (24m 50s): Your dad. The parent meeting and on the way the car, I remember one of my games I think in my first AFL here and I'm like, Oh dad, did you see that goal and how, how was my third quarter? And he goes, Yeah but you missed this and missed that and that and you gotta work on that. And I'm, you know, I'm going, Okay. So he dad was great cuz he, he was the most proudest person in the planet but kept it real as well. So,

Speaker 1 (25m 16s): Which you gotta

Speaker 0 (25m 17s): Do. I've tried to pair it the same way with it. Yeah. Without being the Grinch, I've tried to, you know, be your biggest, both your kids biggest fans

Speaker 1 (25m 26s): Without doubt.

Speaker 0 (25m 27s): But then be also honest with them without crushing them if you like. No, for sure. I think that's a good balance.

Speaker 1 (25m 34s): Oh mate. Without doubt. And these are great things we learn from our parents

Speaker 0 (25m 37s): And I know you do that, you do a bit of coaching with the ice

Speaker 1 (25m 40s): Coach, the kids and I just tell 'em how it is. I'm pretty blunt, pretty brutal. Oh dad you see that three pointer shot? Yeah. What out? The six you missed. He's a little dick anyway, give him a smack. No, don't do that. We always encourage, we, we parent by encouragement.

Speaker 0 (25m 55s): Yes we do. We do. So but

Speaker 1 (25m 56s): Sometimes it's a very tongue and cheek encouragement, but that's okay too. And where our mom was a swimmer you said?

Speaker 0 (26m 2s): Yeah, Mom was really, really good swimmer and taught swimming lessons and all that sort of stuff and she's, she's super athletic and, and yeah just, I don't know enough about what she achieved if you like, in there.

Speaker 1 (26m 16s): She's from New South Wales.

Speaker 0 (26m 18s): She'd lived there for some time. Like

Speaker 1 (26m 19s): So More than we like you.

Speaker 0 (26m 20s): Yeah, that's right. That's right. South Wales. But yeah, she's, yeah, she's got that little bit of sort of pedigree there if you like as well, which is cool cause I think that's, my son doesn't like swimming. Yeah. But he used to go into all of the school swimming races and go real close and beat squad swimmers and you know, everyone's going that and I'd go, Mate, why don't you take this out? And he goes, Oh I just, yeah, he loves his footy and he loves surfing and he loves adventure sports.

He's four wheel driving and all that stuff. So,

Speaker 1 (26m 55s): Which is good. He gets that off his dad.

Speaker 0 (26m 58s): Yeah, the, I'm not real mechanical Brett if I'm honest. I'm so the fact that he's done a Ford Ranger up and got the tent on the top and all that, I'm pretty proud of him. But I think there's my bit of my dad and my brother coming through there.

Speaker 1 (27m 11s): No, that's a good thing. So when you're back in school, you good, bad ugly jock nerd one, are you,

Speaker 0 (27m 18s): This'll be really corny, but probably just a nice guy. Just, I think it's not corn

Speaker 1 (27m 24s): Until

Speaker 0 (27m 24s): Out I think, I think, I think I was little I'd blonde hair and I was just everyone's friend and I think that was my way of not getting bashed or you know, especially in the day. Yeah, flush your head down. The tall cray man was tougher. Oh yeah. Like Cranburn crayon was tougher than Kumar KU in a day. And Scott Sutlers a good friend who went to the school and he, you know, and others, you, you, a lot of us were first and second year of Kuah high opening.

So it was almost a bit like a private school even though it was a high school. So, Yeah. Yeah. So we were a bit lucky in that regard where Cranburn High was a great school, but yeah, you just had to sort of be on your guard a little bit more there, so,

Speaker 1 (28m 12s): So did you ever, did you always just wanna play footy or did you have a, I'm gonna be an engineer, I'm gonna, what was your career

Speaker 0 (28m 18s): Of choice? That's a good point. When I, when I was at Cranburn I was actually pretty smart in that crew. I was in sort of math and physics and different things and I had wonderful teachers and Cran High was a great school and really enjoyed my time there. And when I came up here, again I'd, I probably thought, oh well if, if I'm in a strong or low cohort that'll tell me. But all my levels transferred so I was in good math classes and physics and whatever.

So I sort of thought, well I love sport and that's what I want to do, but if that falls over then I sort of want plan B with, with school and want to get a good score. And I actually repeated school so back, I dunno if many do it now, but back

Speaker 1 (29m 3s): That was

Speaker 0 (29m 4s): A thing. It was a bit of a thing and, and my 18th year, the second year of school was when I played afl. So I was still technically at, I'd do school till 10 o'clock at on a Friday and then, you know,

Speaker 1 (29m 18s): So you were still at Cumba when you were playing for the launch? Yeah,

Speaker 0 (29m 20s): I was. Oh wow. That's so every second Friday I'd fly down and the school were great. You know, they'd really look after me to, to do all that. And I got the tea score in the day that I needed to get into university the second time around the first one I didn't and some of that was because my footy was going so well and so, you know, there's only so many else. Yeah. I'm

Speaker 1 (29m 42s): Gonna be a footy player dad.

Speaker 0 (29m 43s): Yeah, that's it. So, but you, Yeah, that 18th year of my life was good. I, I got a good score at school, went into uni and I was playing NFL footing.

Speaker 1 (29m 52s): Is that when you met your miss?

Speaker 0 (29m 54s): Yeah, I did. So we never dated at school. We

Speaker 1 (29m 57s): Oh you went to school together

Speaker 0 (29m 58s): Though? Yeah, we did. Yeah. And we were in a big group of friends and I think we were affectionately known as the sport os so there was sort of the netball girls and the, and the and the, and I'll say the rugby league guys and I was the outcast as the AFL player. Afl yeah. But what was good was that the guys that played league who were all good mates of mine and good touch football players, they came and tried AFL cause they're like, we like you, there must be something in this that, you know, they used to give us to us about the shorts and all that sort of stuff. And, but they came and tried it and, and SATs and about six other mates from Lee back from Commonwealth Bank Cup or whatever it was in the day they were stars against Kera and all that.

But they come and try afl. We went on and were runner up in the state at Carra in the state final.

Speaker 1 (30m 46s): We did the exact same thing in high school in year 11, Year 12, all of the rugby and the league players come across cause we're all AFL players. What's cool the entrance high school Oh yeah. On the central coast. But we, so we made the, the final, the state final and it was half the team had never played afl. We had basketball players in there. We had all these different guys but they were just such a good group of mates. Yes. Like you're saying with SAT and that and the fact that they all just wanted to play for each other. We had three guns, we had three really good guys, but at the same time is for everyone else.

Play your position, hold on. That bloke don't let him pasture. And they were just all over

Speaker 0 (31m 24s): It. That was us. And that was so good. And I remember to the day, I dunno why I can't remember what I did last week, but I'd remember sat going, What do you need me to do? I go, You're coming in the middle with me. Another one of my mates was, You were

Speaker 1 (31m 36s): Over.

Speaker 0 (31m 36s): What's that? Yeah, just follow me. Yeah. And I said, I need you just to tackle and block. And we had a big tall guy that was a prop Ford. Yeah. He was actually, he would've been a good AFL player in the day. And I said, All you gotta do is just get this ball and hit it as hard as you can. And, and there was a couple, we had a good team, sort of had a half hour team and played a bit of club and, and the other half was all leaky and, and we just gelled beautifully and and how's you feeling isn't Yeah, it was really cool. And we got beaten in the final by literally I think it was Mary Mac High beat us and a lot of my mates who was in state system, we all played against club, were all at that school and they were just too talented.

But they, I remember after the game and go, oh my god, that's the toughest, hardest game of AFL I've ever played in my life. So, and that's, and I still talk about it when we catch up now we, he goes, Oh I'd love that belly when we played AFL and I learnt so much and I said, and I run this as a joke and take this as a gag. And I said, Oh it's good cuz we actually, I was able to teach you how to tackle and you've been how to to you know you've done it right.

Speaker 1 (32m 41s): Tim

Speaker 0 (32m 41s): Said you've been how to d off on that in the grand final whenever we have banner. But he could tackle, he taught me how well there's a cool thing he taught me how to tackle, which I was then able to take on my afl. But

Speaker 1 (32m 54s): That's the big thing AFL stuff up in. Right. And the Gold Coast is the worst for it. And that is the fact you see the Sydney Swans train with the roosters at least once a week will teach you how to kick you teach us how to tackle. Yep. Melbourne Storm exactly the same. They train with Collingwood and all these other, We'll teach you how to tackle, you teach us how to kick and that's what's changed the game of rugby league because they've actually come together and they can now kick a ball 60, 70 meters. Yep. Downfield even though it's a different shape and a different feel but at the same time is the AFL guys can now tackle properly because they've been taught by guys that tackle

Speaker 0 (33m 27s): For a little. Yeah, I remember Sean Hard, I remember did some kicking stuff for Be Bears at one stage there and way back in the day, Robert Walls and I think Wayne Bennett sort of got on well in the, in the early days and I remember we had a crossover day in what I'd call neutral sports where the Bronx and the Bears actually got together in Brisbane. Great. It was a great experience and that was a long time. That was, you know, 30 plus years ago. Yeah. And those guys were so athletic and good at their thing, but they had a respect for what we could do as well.

Yeah. And you run into some of them, you know, in places and, and you go, you wouldn't remember me but we did. And they go, Oh we remember that day and that was really cool and

Speaker 1 (34m 11s): They should do it over time. Like it's, it's such a, a unique thing cuz they're such different sports

Speaker 0 (34m 16s): And both sports have got their upsides if you like and things to bring the table. But the good best example I can sort of see of that is your likes of, and don't quote me on this, but yeah your Billy Slate has Gar and Kda for a couple of years. I'm sure that he would've taught things from the league world and and I I no doubt, like you were saying when he was at Melbourne Storm, he would've, you would've thought he'd been getting kicking coaches off off players and clubs and whatever as well. So it's, I love the crossover.

I think collaboration's my favorite word. You know this Brett. So you know the more the merrier

Speaker 1 (34m 52s): Mate. This year we had a really sad loss and that was Shane Warren. I know he was a massive and killed defend like, like you are. And at the same time he played a bit for St. Kda as well. Did you ever come across warning when he was playing or was that Cause it would've been around our time.

Speaker 0 (35m 8s): Yeah, they had, they had a development squad in the eighties and K they were really ahead of their time and I believe he was in that. Okay. And and I'll say I reckon I saw him play without remembering play. Yeah. But there was him and you, Craig, Devon Ports and all these guys that came through I think in the eighties. Simon O'Donnell, believe it or not, Shane was cricketer. Yeah, yeah. Was in that St. Kilda, you know, program as well. So they're the candidates that that I can remember, remember. But they reckon from what, from what I know from a long way away, they reckon he could really play footy as well.

Yeah. And, and loved it but just chose the cricket path versus it's interest.

Speaker 1 (35m 50s): And that's the reason I raise it is the fact that everyone, like I always played basketball in an nfl. Most of the guys either played basketball, afl, some played like AFL on a Sunday cause we always played Sundays, but they played rugby on a Saturday. And I coach this, this young kid in my son's team, his name's Ben, he got our MVP at basketball. He's an AFL player. Nice. This kid will make it. Yep. He's, he's just very, very talented athlete. You can just see by the way they've run up and down the court and that sort of stuff. Yeah. But he's a naturally gifted athlete. Like if you like guys like Warn O'Donnell, all that sort of stuff, they're naturally gifted athletes.

Speaker 0 (36m 24s): Yeah, well

Speaker 1 (36m 25s): And they can play any sport. So I find it really interesting and intriguing why a lot of these talent people out there aren't going to these kids and saying AFL's like come on

Speaker 0 (36m 36s): Let's, I I reckon it is out there. Yeah. I reckon it's out there. And I've got a quick story about sort of what we used to call, I worked for the AFL for 10 years and I was really fortunate. I, I worked in that Brisbane region across 2000 about two and seven before I come down to the Suns and I'll chat to that in a minute. But part of our role was Oskie school club footy and rep footy. And so come on home one Friday night o used to do the drive from the Goldie up based outta the Gabba and there was a game at John Paul College were playing someone in the APS school comp that we used to run.

And we had a kid who went on to play AFL called Jesse White that was at John Paul College. And so I thought I'll just call in, see how Jesse's going. He was about 17 and you know, we knew he was pretty much gonna get drafted but we just wanted make sure he was doing all the right things and and that sort of thing. So I get to the game anyway, the ball gets bought up and I'm like, Oh wow, gee, Jesse looks like he's got taller. Oh wow. He looks really athletic. He's just won the first three hit outs.

He's hit the ball to himself but he's missed his footer cut at times. Geez. Kickings gone off the ball and I, and I wasn't really good at watching games at Twilight cuz cuz of my eyes. And so I thought I'll just duck out the middle sail outta Jess, whatever. Anyway, I'm walking out and there's this big tall guy there and, and the da and the dad of this guy comes out and it wasn't Jesse's dad and I'm like, Oh okay this is, and as I got close it's good. It's not Jesse and I'm going Oh wow. And I'm like, Hey Matt, how you going?

He goes really good. Is everything right? I said everything's fantastic. I said, We've got this rep program we'd love you to come down and and try out. And the dad goes, Oh look I really like long story short, he goes, I really like you. We'll bring our boy down. The boy comes down, has two or three years in our system, ended up playing for Mount Grava in the under eighteens to just get his footy time up next minute, makes the Queensland team goes on and does some great things. And, and I'd run Mark Browning that night after the game and I'd said, I reckon we found one.

He goes, Corey, you ring every week and say you've found one. And I said, No Mark, I genuinely think with time anyway you fast forward that young boy with Sean Hamson. Oh wow. And Sean Hamson got picked up at pick 18 I think for Carlton in the draft, but probably more famously outside of his footy career has gone on to marry, you know, a me Gayle and have not only a wonderful footy career, but a pretty great life as well. And you're not wrong man. And we catch up, I've cross paths with him every now and then and we still have a laugh about he goes, if you hadn't sort of come out and said something, he goes, If you

Speaker 1 (39m 24s): I thought I was

Speaker 0 (39m 24s): Jesse White. Yeah, well cuz he was on a running scholarship and played soccer and so I don't know, he might've just drifted off. Yeah. So you talk about sliding doors, Brett, he gone onto running or soccer or whatever and it's unbelievable enough. I was just really proud of him because he, you know, it's probably if people saw how far back he'd come from and he just worked so hard and, and he listened. He, he'd sort of like planned the rock and go, Oh, what do I need to do? And I, we as coaching stuff say, Oh just pretend you're a sweeper in soccer or whatever. And he and he could do that and

Speaker 1 (39m 55s): He, he got that in his head. So

Speaker 0 (39m 58s): Yeah. And then he just, he just, his three years were amazing and he was in the state system and that takes him to another level.

Speaker 1 (40m 3s): So was Jesse on the field at, at the

Speaker 0 (40m 5s): Same time? Right, so Jesse was watching Jesse Jesse's at full for and kicked about six goals. But I'm You were watching it. I was still watching this guy just ringing Mark and just going see

Speaker 1 (40m 15s): Jesse's grown.

Speaker 0 (40m 16s): Yeah, that's right. And so I remember Jesse coming up towards the end of the game going, Hey Corey, like I'm, I'm down. How are Yeah, kick six. So, and they're both turn out to be wonderful young. They're probably older men now cuz I'm old. But, you know, ripping guys and and that was the other thing of our job was when those boys went to be men and went on to play AFL footy or even Q afl footy was a great achievement in my eyes. Whenever you saw them at the footy or out and about, they'd always come over and have a real respect for us as regional managers or coaches or whatever.

And, and sometimes sport, you know, is the glue that brings you together with people. It's not necessarily with what you do with 'em on and off the field. So,

Speaker 1 (41m 2s): No, it's very true mate. It's very true. One of the things that got me when I first met you was the way I I'm, I'm very similar to you in the way that I had the pleasure of being my wife when she was 17 and I've been married now for 26 years, 27 years.

Speaker 0 (41m 18s): And she's a lovely

Speaker 1 (41m 19s): Lady. Yeah, she is. And she's a lucky woman. I tell her that every day. No, but the thing is you speak openly, speak about loving your wife and lo and your family and everything to you is all about family. And that's something that, that means a lot to me cause it's exactly the same as myself. Like I, I laugh and I joke and I take the piss out of her on a daily basis, but at the same time is the fact that we've bought these little humans into the world and we've gotta bring 'em up. Like, but at the same time is we argue, we fight, but at the same we love each other dearly.

And I think one of the things that got me when we first started chatting was just how openly and honestly you spoke about loving your wife and that's really important to me is family, right? Yeah. So tell me the Kelly story.

Speaker 0 (42m 2s): The Kelly story. Well

Speaker 1 (42m 4s): Kelly, it started in high school. Obviously

Speaker 0 (42m 5s): Kelly and I met in high school and if people are from the Gold Coast, I'll know Kelly, she come from a family where her dad was actually one of the bosses of police on the Gold Coast. Okay. And, and her grandfather was boss of police before that. And so I sort of didn't know a lot of the history Queensland family mad into their league, loved the Bronx, blah blah blah, all that sort of stuff. And so for me, I came into this family most lovely family and Kelly, her sister and brother and they had partners and Kelly's dad was really loved to me as Kelly's mom was, you know, when she was here.

And, and just so lucky to come into a family like that, had a great family and then to come into the family. But if I'm honest, and we, we joke about it now cuz I'm 27 years into the, you know, into it. And, and, and the thing is is that, and, and Cal's dad says these, this at the w she goes, Oh, he goes, never seen Cal happier, blah blah blah. This young athletic guy always smiling, you know, jumping around, whatever, but he's from the wrong code.

And, and that was the joke at my wedding. But it was actually the truth and we all laughed and, and, and I got a wonderful relationship with Kill's dad and were

Speaker 1 (43m 26s): You shit scared when you first started got out? Cuz he was the head of police? Oh,

Speaker 0 (43m 29s): I'd be lying if I didn't say yes. So, but, but only from my unknown point of view. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He he's actually just such a lovely guy and, and whatever. But, and all and all of our friends at school would always say, you know, like if you get into trouble, you know, just drop Kelly's dad's name and that, that was sort of the gag as well and you know, if, if you'd been out drinking or having some fun and, but I, I'll circle back to Kelly, like why the love and admiration for hers there.

She's amazing woman. And, and as all my friends and family let me know, I'm batting way over,

Speaker 1 (44m 5s): I'm I'm hearing

Speaker 0 (44m 6s): Now way over like dead set heavyweight via lightweight. Yeah. So, but what Kelly's sacrificed in her life for let me Achieve with my footy and then with my career as well, I, I've, oh well even this year, you know, we'll talk to the sport officer role, but you know, I've been overseas three times this year and there's a lot of sacrifice. Of course there is goes on, you know, on the field or off the field with, you know, and you'd be the same being a business owner Brett, in the hours you keep. So for me, I'll always be in debt to her Yep.

For that. And my success is our success. And she's super talented lady. She, she's just a star. She, she teaches at a local school here, started a breakfast club for 20 kids. They have 150 turn up. I love that. She's secured 15,000 in funding, which you'll pay for the next two or three years. And it's all off the back of her beautiful nature. Just wanting to help other people and, and she's a prep teacher by day as well. So, and then we got two kids that have sort of spawned out that, that hopefully carry the values of, of both of us through that.

Yeah, for sure. So

Speaker 1 (45m 17s): So how did you ask her marry, Did you get down to ee was a is a good story or did you just go out

Speaker 0 (45m 23s): Baby? We, we used to go for picnics up in the hinterland and we just, that was, that was just our thing. That's what you do, isn't it? So, and I think it was up near where the hang gliders are at by tambourine or borough up that way or, and I, and I, I remember the day super clearly, but I don't know exactly the Exmark spot. There's probably a beautiful big house looking, but I know there was this beautiful freshly cut block of land on this corner of this block and I'd e marked and I'm like, cuz it just looked out it's probably next door to you Brett looking out across the Gold Coast, cuz I know you've got a beautiful view and, and anyway packed a hamper.

And I said, Yeah, we're just gonna have this picnic. And did she know? No, she didn't. Didn't she didn't. No. Well it's probably one of my regrets. The answer's no, and we've talked about this and part of why I didn't, and I've talked to the family about this, was I wanted to surprise her and I wanted it to come from me. And, and so it's a regret I have. I wish I had asked, but I know if I'd asked, they've through the Chinese whispers would got to us. So, and, and I'll tell you the end of the story and the joy that was in her mum's face when we walked back in at home.

So anyway, we beautiful picnic, did the one knee thing, got the most amazing Gold Coast sunset weather, and then I've got little bit of music on and some champagne. It's gonna Barry White and she's Yeah. In the background. And, and anyway she's Kelsey's saying, All right, well I'm ready to go. Like I'm ready to go cuz she's got this beautiful diamond ring on a finger and all she wanted do was show a mum. Yeah, of course. And, and her family. And so I said, Oh, but I've booked dinner at the Sheridan, like I'd saved about eight months wages for this dinner.

I said, let's go do that candle at dinner. And then, so anyway, and what gave it away, I think to her was I think I was quicker up the mountain than down the mountain. So in the car, and so coming down the hill, we get to share it in, you know, ke and I are pretty relaxed Cru eaters, she ate dinner about 10 minutes, right, Let's go. And then we get to Carol's mom and dad's place and I said, don't overdramatize this just, let's see if they notice because

Speaker 1 (47m 48s): Ring

Speaker 0 (47m 48s): On your finger. And I, and again, I hadn't, I hadn't asked and I, that'll live with me. Anyway, we walk in and I watch Kelly's eye mom's eyes and they're just about popping out of their head. And do you

Speaker 1 (48m 1s): Reckon they knew?

Speaker 0 (48m 2s): No, they would've had an inkling where they were heading that way. And, and anyway, then Kelly's got the hand up and she's like showing it around and, and it was a really special day for both of us, but for the whole family. And that's awesome. You know, like, and you know, again, had great role models in mom and dad and Kelly's parents that showed us what, you know, a great, great relationships are all about and came into a good family and, and you know, was from a good family.

Speaker 1 (48m 33s): So Yeah. No, that's awesome. I love that. And then you've got two kids. Yes. I know how much you love your kids.

Speaker 0 (48m 39s): Yeah, I do.

Speaker 1 (48m 40s): And now your daughter's left you and ditch you and run to another state.

Speaker 0 (48m 43s): She has

Speaker 1 (48m 44s): Hope she listens to this, but hope she feels really bad about No, she's on. Amazing. So talk to me, when were they born?

Speaker 0 (48m 51s): Who's first boy or girl? Brit girl. Britney Bell. She was born in 98. She's 24 now. And if you wanna summer up in,

Speaker 1 (49m 1s): Was there a surprise or was

Speaker 0 (49m 2s): It planned? No, it was planned. And, and you know, we had our kids young and, and we wanted to do that. We, we had a house and, and wanted have a kid young. And it's something that we absolutely wanna do. And, you know, pretty, if I can sum up in one word, is tenacious, Tenacious, Tenacious. That's great word. Like she in the business world. She's just so tenacious. Love it. Butter, wooden, mountain of mouth. Stunning looking like a mum. All the, all the things you go. Yep. I think there's one thing, but then there's this other part and I'll, and I'll talk to her story a bit.

She great at school. I skipped through that pretty quickly. Was one of the school captain leaders here at St. Stevens, one of the great schools on the coast. And she got offered an internship in her first or second year of university for the Comm Games in 2018. And so I think there was about a thousand or 1500 of 'em. She, long story short there, she basically did the 12 week program and about week 10 they called her into the CEO's office or the main, one of the, she was in the key office.

She wasn't sort of out of venues or whatever. So she had a pretty high level internship and they called her in and the lady said, who was a manager, said, Oh, we wanna offer you a job. We think you are so talented, you've, you've blown us away. We want you to run to the games for the next eight or nine months. And she said, Right, I'll get back to you. And so and so she gets home and we are chatting ke and I chatting and I said, How'd you go? She goes, Oh, I didn't offer a job today.

I said, Oh, did you take it like calm games? Like I'm mbs I work, I'm mbs. She goes, No, no, you've always said finish your degree and then take your job. And I'm like, every story has an exception to the rule. And this is one, What

Speaker 1 (50m 53s): Degree was she studying?

Speaker 0 (50m 54s): She did a double degree in bachelor business and Bachelor PR coms. Okay. So she's got a really nice mix.

Speaker 1 (50m 60s): Perfect opportunity to take a job at the Commonwealth Games.

Speaker 0 (51m 1s): Correct. Yeah. And so anyway, she goes back to work the next day and, and they said, Oh, how'd you go Brit? And she goes, Yeah, yeah, I'll take the job. And then they said to her, Oh, can we just ask why you didn't say yes yesterday? And then she goes, Oh, my dad's always said, you know, and I've taken his advice that you should always finish uni and then take your job. But we chatted around the table, I, and he said, What the hell are you doing? You should have took that job. So, and that, and I tell that story because she's had a, a few really good mentors in that system.

But you know, there's a lady Kate that's quite high up in sport that mentored her in 18. But then, you know, when we've just been overseas with two of your gurus, Chris and Adam, your staff that, that she worked on the last 12 months of the Birmingham games as well. And then you've just mentioned then she's two weeks into being one of the first staff employed outta the Melbourne office for the 2026 games. And so for me, I'm so proud of both my kids equally, I have no favorites, but I'm really proud of her journey because

Speaker 1 (52m 9s): I have no favorites. But I like her better than

Speaker 0 (52m 11s): You, but love 'em both cause they're both so different. Yeah, of course. And, and I'm just so proud of her because she's, she's been tenacious and she's, you know, her and a boyfriend packed up their lives 12 months ago. Do we

Speaker 1 (52m 26s): Approve

Speaker 0 (52m 26s): Of him? Ah, he's a legend. Yeah, absolute champion.

Speaker 1 (52m 29s): Put ring on it. Is that we're that

Speaker 0 (52m 31s): Yeah. And he, when you're ready and yeah, and, and he mightn't ask me either and I'm right with that as well. That's right. Cause I don't wanna give the surprise up, but that's their journey. I'm sure they'll, they'll sort that out. But she, she's well underway now with her career. Absolutely. And just, just really proud of what she's done and Yeah. Where she's going. And she, and you know, she's just a lovely young girl. She, she, she's like an old soul in a young body. So she can sit in a room with some 40, 50 year olds like us, Brett, and, and fit in beautifully and then run with young 20 year olds as well.

And, and I love that cuz she's got that nice balance.

Speaker 1 (53m 12s): So what'd you turn her room into when she left? Is it like a man cave

Speaker 0 (53m 15s): Yet? Well you've mentioned that next level racing's, the, the next step which we might get to, and my son who I'll get to, he said, Oh dad. He goes, goes one of those simulators in that room. Perfect. I've measured it. That's ready to go, dad. Yeah. So, so then there's the boy Yes. Mitchie Bell. So he's, he's again beautiful young man. What's the age difference? So Britney's 24, Mitch is 20 and he just a gorgeous young man.

Bitch Mitch. And, and yeah, I shouldn't say that. Mitch Mitchy boy, he's just, and he's had a rough year Brett as you know, and I'll get to that in a minute. Just, just a lovely young boy that, that that's quiet, unassuming, sharp as attack can sit and listen and just, you know, I'm a bit more out there. Bri's a bit more out there. Mitch is a bit like mom where bit more quieter, reserved and takes things in and you know, he, he's done really well. Got through school is in his fourth year of uni.

So he is into the final straight, what's he done? Bachelor business and a Bachelor of Sports development. Okay. So sport development, Griffith Uni do a bespoke course that's got lots of subparts that, that oh well sport if you like, wind out of their students sort of thing. So he's in a, there's a core group of 40 that sit in that and he loves the sport bit and he loves the business bit and he's, he's doing really well. He's plays some good footy too or he, he, he does.

And and I've always been conscious of any of our friends and colleagues that I've played footy with. We've all had that consciousness that, cause you've had that experience at AFL level or elite level, even a level below, you don't wanna heap that pressure on either your kids. No, of course Brittany and Mitch. And so, but I've always been super proud. He's biggest fan and we are really close, we're really close. He'll come to me in breaks and he'll go, Dad, what do you reckon? And and I love that cuz even if I go, I don't know mate, or I'm gonna give you the wrong answer, the fact that he has that opinion of me that's pretty awesome, isn't that he's awesome and he never got to see me play.

Both the kids were, I think Brit was two in my last year or whatever. So, so we are really close and contrary to the good banter that I get, Oh, what hopes he got, he has to play footy and you know, people say that he loves his footy, he's just obsessed with it. And, and I say that because he's been going really well. He is in the Sons Academy since he was 13 to 18. Had a couple of mates going to afl. He, he was sort of in the mix and gone on to play senior football at Broad Beach Football Club, which I'm doing a little bit.

He's done his acl. He did. And it was when I was overseas, you know, on a, the UK mayoral mission with the mayor and 26 businesses, which one was yours? And I don't know, it's just devastating that he did it. But it rips me even more the fact that I wasn't here to support mom and him, you know, when it happened I'd always, you know, I got through my career with no major injury. He's played for 10 or more years and you know, barely done a hamstring sort of thing and then still a serious injury at training was just, just devastating for him.

The positive is great support network around him with the Broad Beach Footy club. Yep. You know, and I'm gonna give Mark Evans a plug, even Mark reached out and hey, if there's anything we can do for Mitch back through the sons academy, even though he's exit. Yeah, that's awesome. Like that, that's what footy clubs are about. And and yeah, it's family mate. It is family. And and I love that and I acknowledge that and you know, he, he's got a good little career ahead of him and, and this I keep saying to him, it's a moment in time you'll get through. He's rehabbing really well and he's focused on finishing uni.

You'll probably take a little Europe trip with his girlfriend, you know, in that early part of next season when you know, and you get to eight or nine months with these things. Apparently you can wander come back a bit earlier. I think he's been really clever to just say, we'll head off for a few weeks and mind outta sight

Speaker 1 (57m 34s): So he doesn't actually try and do something

Speaker 0 (57m 35s): Stupid. Yeah. And then comes back in, he'll have finish uni back into footy and, and you know, he's only 21 years of age and

Speaker 1 (57m 43s): Still got years left

Speaker 0 (57m 44s): In him. Oh it's a pup. So, so as you can hear, I'm pretty proud of both the kids and, and my wife and, and live a blessed life. Brett, anything I do, you know, I'll turn 50 next year and anything I do going forward is absolute bonus. So

Speaker 1 (57m 59s): I like to call a legacy now. Like we're in a position where, good word, we're in a position where we brought the kids up. Like my, I've still got a couple younger ones, but still they're where we've done our major job. Yes. It's like, let's see what sort of legacy we can do or let's just do shit we enjoy now. Yep.

Speaker 0 (58m 14s): You say that and I always thought 18 in my head was the finish line. Like once they get to 18, here's the keys to the car. Right. We'll see occasionally for Christmas I reckon the elder, they get the busy what they wanna say. Yeah. Like it just, I, we just seem so busy. My wife and I are so busy and, and love that and love the chaos and the craziness. Like

Speaker 1 (58m 35s): You don't want it to change, do you really?

Speaker 0 (58m 37s): No. Well

Speaker 1 (58m 38s): The chaos is why we live.

Speaker 0 (58m 39s): Yeah. And and so your legacy calls a great one. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (58m 43s): So you're a man that's been in lots of different positions and I met you when you were at Gold Coast City Council. The irony behind that is that we both knew all the same people in different circles but had never actually bumped into each other. Which I still find amusing. But you've just now made a, a decision in life and decisions in life as you get a bit older are a little bit harder I reckon. You obviously went and did a few other bits and pieces with other businesses and then you had your little cushy job at council getting to travel around the world with the mayor and you've now decided bugger that sport attraction's no longer for me.

I want to go out into the real world, get a job that I can make a little bit of a difference or have some fun. Yeah. So you go to a racing car simulation place, What the actual fuck come

Speaker 0 (59m 30s): On that's out there. So I'll backtrack. I had two stints at City Gold Coast. Yep. For five years. Two, two and a half year stints. Enjoyed every single day of them of course. So fortunate to be in the role you worked board mate. I was working as a sport traction officer and just so appreciative for the opportunity the managers I had the whole way through. I sort of got to that point at the end of this year where I suppose the way I look at things is five years turning 50, pretty energetic, but now's the time for me to hand the bat over to someone else to come in and do that.

And I'm sure they'll replace me. I said this at my going away last week that someone with a lot of energy and you know, probably more talented as well Brett, if we're really honest. Not

Speaker 1 (1h 0m 19s): Better looking though. You're an attractive man.

Speaker 0 (1h 0m 21s): Ah, it's the glasses. And so I think, I think for me, you come in, you run with that baton as hard as you can. Yeah, of course. I think I've done that Well when I started we didn't have a ranking in sport. We now the 26 best sport city in the world.

Speaker 1 (1h 0m 38s): Love that.

Speaker 0 (1h 0m 39s): I have probably contributed. And and Miller

Speaker 1 (1h 0m 43s): You missed the bigger one. Number one regional.

Speaker 0 (1h 0m 46s): Oh the regional. We're number one

Speaker 1 (1h 0m 48s): Regional. Hang on.

Speaker 0 (1h 0m 50s): Love that. Love the I love the applause too. Thank you very much. And that, and, and I need to context this. This is so many people that in the Gold Coast and you guys are part of that, that hierarchy. So many people have contributed to that. My job was just to try to enable that as the pig in the middle. You've done a great job to try to bring businesses and sport and venues and everything together and it's a really, it was a really cool job and it was really exciting to be part of that. And now's an a a chance for a new chapter for me where I'm pretty passionate about eSports and where that world's going and crossing over into sport and probably raised a lot of eyebrows with people sort of saying, what are you doing?

Like you, you missed a sport and you getting semi outta sport and more,

Speaker 1 (1h 1m 40s): Getting more into sport.

Speaker 0 (1h 1m 42s): My friends Yes. And that's what I'm passionate about to say. Well I'm really excited to be part of what I think's the next 10 years of sport. And this will be a bit out there call. But you know, we, we saw, you know, people, representatives from the Olympics go to Birmingham to watch the three days of e-sports and, and there's crossover now in the com games with eSports. There's talk through the media that there'll be some futuristic without it being pinpointed tied into the Olympics, all that of stuff.

Speaker 1 (1h 2m 15s): Los Angeles.

Speaker 0 (1h 2m 16s): Yeah, there you go. You

Speaker 1 (1h 2m 18s): Heard it on and Brisbane. Brisbane 2032.

Speaker 0 (1h 2m 20s): That's right. So I think if that all plays out in what's out there in the meeting, cuz that's not me saying that, that's of course what's out there in public. If that's all gonna play out in that way at some point in time, I'm really excited for the journey I'm going on with the guys at Next Level racing to try to be part of that. And, and you know, there's two amazing owners, hes and Tony that have, that have created this company 12 years ago and they, they see so much opportunity me to come and help them in their next phase and tie into all of that sort of stuff.

So,

Speaker 1 (1h 2m 57s): And to be honest, it's not just car simulation. So the, the bit that I find really interesting here is these guys have got deals with nasa, Ferrari, V8 Supercar, they've got all these massive Boeing Yeah. All these massive companies from a simulation point of view and, and the technology that they've got and they're based here on the Gold Coast. It's

Speaker 0 (1h 3m 17s): Like your business. Unbelievable. They're Gold Coast business. And and I think the exciting part is they're like me when it comes to the Goldie bit like self, we're so proud of the Gold Coast. So if we can help lift the Gold Coast profile through what our little, what my little role or their company's doing and the Gold Coast gets reputation and leverage off that. Well

Speaker 1 (1h 3m 40s): I've is the fact and that's the owner of the business is why would you have your headquarters on the Gold Coast? Have you ever been to the Gold Coast? Why wouldn't you? Why would you wanna live anywhere else in

Speaker 0 (1h 3m 50s): The world? He's right,

Speaker 1 (1h 3m 51s): He's right. And it's so true. It's exactly the reason we do it mate. I've been given opportunity to move all around the world with what we do and I sit there and go, no, I like living here. Yeah. It's about me and what I can produce. It's not about anything else. So let's get the best people in the world to come work for

Speaker 0 (1h 4m 7s): Us here. Yeah. And the go the Gold Coast is just such an amazing place and you know, as I said, I've been really fortunate in sport to work in it, work for the afl, the sons city Gold Coast. I had a small st as the CEO at Queensland Touch. You did? Yep. So I've been, I've I've had lots of touchpoints, whether it be business, government, mainstream sport and, and just so blessed, you know, and and so appreciative that, that I've been able to have that journey Brett, and, and now I've, this just feels right.

This just feels exactly where I need to go and, and yeah. Who, who knows where it could go

Speaker 1 (1h 4m 47s): Mate. It could go very, very far cuz it's the next big thing. Hey I could sit and talk to you all day as you know cuz we normally do. So what I gotta do when I wrap this up is a number of questions in a bit of quick fire. Ready. Love it. It's your greatest achievement in life.

Speaker 0 (1h 5m 4s): It's a bubble, but wife and two kids.

Speaker 1 (1h 5m 7s): Who is the person who has had the most influence on your career? Name one

Speaker 0 (1h 5m 15s): John Wither

Speaker 1 (1h 5m 17s): And why?

Speaker 0 (1h 5m 19s): I think when you see what he's achieved in life across multiple things. So son's chairman, 10 years Glink chair, I think he built the, the road at Toowoomba, you know, was the chair of that. And he's been across a lot of different things in the Gold Coast community to charity level, which I'm passionate about with being on the board of the Gold Coast Community Fund. I think he's just, yeah, career wise, he's just been the one, you know, for the last 10 or 15 years that I've known him that's had such a huge impact on my life and, and I hope he listens to this one day and realizes how much he's done that.

Speaker 1 (1h 5m 56s): That's awesome. Okay, quick fire, favorite food,

Speaker 0 (1h 5m 60s): Seafood, oysters and prawns.

Speaker 1 (1h 6m 2s): Favorite song

Speaker 0 (1h 6m 4s): You two? One

Speaker 1 (1h 6m 5s): Great song. Favorite place in the world,

Speaker 0 (1h 6m 8s): The Gold Coast.

Speaker 1 (1h 6m 10s): What's next for Corey Bell?

Speaker 0 (1h 6m 13s): I think next for me is, I think you touched on it, Brent, taking a little bit of stock of time. I, I'm not in a midlife crisis, I'll just put this on the record, but I, I turned 50 next year. I've come out of a real busy couple of jobs. I'm going into a real busy space and job area, you know, my kids in the next three weeks, my daughter turns 25, my son turns 21, I turned 50 and my wife three months later turns 50.

So we got all these milestone birthdays for some reason all jammed together. That's awesome. So I'll probably run one party cuz I'm a bit tired. Good idea. That won't have to you just

Speaker 1 (1h 6m 52s): Join wife.

Speaker 0 (1h 6m 53s): There you go,

Speaker 1 (1h 6m 53s): You're in the middle.

Speaker 0 (1h 6m 54s): Oh, happy day. So we might do that. We should and, and I think that little line in the sand if you want to call it is a nice chance to reflect, reenergize and you know, I've got the week off in between jobs this week and it's just a nice time this week and the next month just to reenergize and, and don't worry, I'll, I'll get those batteries back in and you know, the next cut of years I think's really exciting and yeah, just, just, I'm just simmering.

I'm just really, really re-energizing and really excited.

Speaker 1 (1h 7m 32s): Excellent mate. Well as far as I'm concerned, you're an awesome human. Thanks so much for your time today.

Speaker 0 (1h 7m 35s): Thank you mate. It's been a real pleasure.

Speaker 1 (1h 7m 37s): Thanks brother. Up by.