Ever wondered what you might do as a final act if you knew you were about to be fired from your job? It appears Channel 7 presenter Paul Burt had a plan for his last broadcast.
The weather presenter, who had been with the Australian channel for nearly a decade, was recently dismissed due to ongoing cost-cutting efforts.
On Saturday (July 27), Burt delivered the Queensland weather forecast for the last time, ensuring his exit was memorable.
During the 6pm news bulletin over the weekend, Burt started by saying: “Hello everybody yes, it is my last weather for the network tonight.
“Let’s get straight into it everyone because it’s the most important thing is your Sunday and not me.”
The 51-year-old continued with the weather report as usual. Later, programme anchor Samantha Heathwood honored his long-standing contribution to Channel 7.
She said: “Bertie, we can’t let you go tonight without thanking you for your passionate weather reporting over the past decade and a bit.
“I’ve loved your energy and our laughs and on behalf of our entire news team and I’m sure all of the viewers I’d like to wish you all the best for your next chapter.”
Burt then expressed his gratitude to viewers for their “trust, loyalty, and support” over the years in his nearly three-decade-long career.
However, Burt didn’t stop there, adding: “If I’d had the opportunity I wouldn’t have wanted to go this way. It’s what happens when you get sacked.”
Ouch.
The programme then transitioned to a montage showcasing Burt’s time at Channel 7, highlighting various segments since 2013, including when he saved a boy from drowning.
Burt recently shared with The Australian that he had just “55 seconds to say my goodbyes” after being notified the previous month that his contract would not be renewed.
He also told the Sunday Mail that he had been away for a weekend in Melbourne before being summoned to the office upon his return on Monday.
Burt said: “I felt instantly ill… I don’t have many weekends off so it put a dampener on everything. By the time I went into the studio when I got back to the coast, some of my colleagues there had already been let go earlier that morning, so I knew what was coming.
There was no leniency, there was no discussion, there was no ‘Is there a way we can keep going?’
Despite everything, Burt expressed his continued affection for the network, saying: “There was certainly some shock there initially, and embarrassment to have it in the news, but over the last few weeks I’ve taken a lot of heart from all the people who have come up to wish me well and say how much they enjoyed what I did, whether it was people down at the local boat ramp or Costco or wherever.”
According to Sky News Australia, Channel 7 has announced 70 redundancies so far. MEAA Acting Director Michelle Rae mentioned that they are “attempting to negotiate a new enterprise agreement”.