Mr Neil Breen 

Journalist and Radio Host

Neil Breen had his eyes set on journalism ever since high school. When he moved to Brisbane State High School in grade 9, the great sports culture that surrounded him pushed him to become a sports reporter. He has many fond memories from his time playing rugby at Brisbane State High School, such as narrowly beating Ipswich in his last GPS season to finish 2nd on the ladder, a game that he still remembers to this day.

Upon graduating from State High, he went on to study a Bachelor of Communication and Journalism at QUT. He began his journalism career as a cadet journalist for the Daily Sun, an old Brisbane newspaper. He then worked his way all the way up from being a sports editor for The Courier Mail and The Australian, to editor for The Sunday Telegraph. In late 2012, he made the leap from working within the world of newspapers to becoming a senior reporter and presenter for the Nine Network. While he worked as a senior reporter and presenter at Nine for 8 years, he eventually moved to become the host of the 4BC Radio breakfast show in Brisbane, returning to work in the city he grew up in.

Neil is a widely celebrated and decorated journalist. He won a Walkley Award in 2002, an award that many describe as the pinnacle of achievement for Australian journalists, for his outstanding sports coverage at The Courier Mail. He also won two Kennedy awards in 2012 and 2018, both awarded to him for his outstanding journalism.

Even after his long and successful career in journalism, Neil still thinks of Brisbane State High School. In particular, he thanks the school for two things: for its outstanding sports culture, which played a role in his desire to become a journalist and for its diversity, which offered him a lot of new perspectives on the world.

Written by Liam Boman*

*NB: This alumni profile was crafted by a State High student as part of the school's student/alumni interview project during the 2021 Centenary celebration.