For Angie Asimus, securing the “peak” desk role at 7NEWS Sydney is like celebrating a milestone birthday.
After decades of dedication and hard work, Asimus is moving to join Michael Asher as weekend co-anchor, marking an exciting new chapter in her storied career.
Watch the video above: A look back at the career of 7NEWS anchor Angie Asimus.
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“It’s that kind of work, it’s clearly over the top, and I never trusted it,” Asimus tells 7NEWS.com.au.
“I love news, and I could do it forever, but this is kind of a shock and it’s forced me to reflect on the things that have led to this moment.”
Asimus’ path to the anchor desk began in his regional New South Wales hometown of Gundagai, where his love of storytelling took root.
“I always liked writing. English was my favorite subject in school, so I guess I was always looking for a career where I could get paid to write for a living,” she says.
“I had a lot of work experience when I was in school. I experienced work in magazines, in publicity, and then I ended up in the newsroom.”
After moving to Sydney for university she moved to the old 7NEWS office in Martin Place, where she got her first taste of the energetic atmosphere of a live newsroom.
“I walked in and I couldn’t believe it was actually an office,” she says.
“There was a lot of color and excitement. And I loved the whole atmosphere of reacting to breaking news and everyone being out and about on the road, you never know where you’re going to end up the day.
“So after that, I thought, ‘Yeah, I’d love to do news.’
After a brief stint with Prime7 in Wagga Wagga, Asimus’ career took her to 7NEWS in Queensland, where she bid farewell to her family and boyfriend, now husband Chris Abbott, to face both the humidity and excitement of field reporting .
“I had never been to Far North Queensland,” she recalls.
“I remember my flight landing around eight o’clock at night, and the doors out of the airport opened, and this shock of heat hit me. I could not believe it.”
“And it came with a lot of other challenges… You’d have to bring extra clothes in the car because honestly you’d be just dripping wet every day and trying to look presentable.”
She laughingly recalls her early introduction to life in the tropics.
“One of my first stories was about a crocodile loose on the main road of the city. It was an amazing time there – it was really great,” she says.
As far as leaving his family behind, Asimus says his parents were always “really supportive and encouraging of whatever I wanted to do”.
“I think the first flight to Townsville was a challenge because I was leaving everyone behind, but I was very excited.
“My boyfriend at the time, who is now my husband, did not come with me.”
However it would not be long before Abbott would join them in Queensland and set off on “an adventurous journey for both of us”.
Asimus recounts the realities of the job, which are often not seen by viewers at home. “You see one thing on television but it takes all day to actually put an 80-second story on the news.
“We’re touring, we’re interviewing, writing, we’re cutting things.”
“And, really, you would never have guessed how long it would take to produce this amount of television.”
Reporting on Cyclone Debbie in 2017 became a career-defining experience for Asimus.
“We had to come to this area with very little information,” she recalls.
“And we were the only media team that reached there before the cyclone hit, before the roads were closed. So we really didn’t have time to get any supplies.
“We were trading Arnott’s biscuits with other people, trying to borrow petrol from boats as they were bringing their boats in… so yes, these are things I look back on and think I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m so glad I got through this.'”
Another day the journalist will never forget was covering the Lindt Café siege in 2014.
Asimus was on her way to work, which was just opposite the Lindt Café in Martin Place, when she got a call asking her to meet him somewhere else.
“We had to give up our newsroom and set up a temporary newsroom in our corporate offices in Pyrmont, and that was just days and days of coverage,” she says.
“I remember there was a lot of responsibility in everything we did.
“I’ll remember seeing those people running out of the building. And that flower monument that kept growing in one place – it was absolutely extraordinary.
While Asimus has been there for some key moments in Australian history, she remembers the “rewarding” work she has been able to be a part of.
When asked about the stories she is most proud of, she says, “I think it’s stories where we can use our platform to help people when someone Really need help.”
A special story of a one year old child grace mealy Who has a very rare genetic condition and whose family were asking for donations to help medical research.
Following Asimus’ story, funding was provided “thanks to the generosity of our viewers and others”.
The journalist says, “It will be life-changing for her, because now she will be able to find a dedicated researcher to really look at this condition, and it could really change her life.”
“It’s very rewarding and a privilege to be able to do this, it’s really meaningful work.”
In recent years, Asimus has continued to work as a reporter, presenting the weather and is also the mother of children Austin and Scarlett.
Although she is adding weekend news anchor to the mix, she will continue to present weather throughout the week.
Working with Michael Asher on the news desk is something she is thrilled about.
“We knew each other very well before this, because we had worked in the newsroom for many years,” she says.
“He has been very supportive of me in playing this role. And he’s obviously someone I respect incredibly in terms of what he’s accomplished in his career.
“So I’m really excited to be able to work with them in a different capacity, sitting next to each other on the news desk.”
Watch Angie Asimus on the weekend editions of Sydney’s 7NEWS live on Channel 7 and 7Plus from 6.00pm on Friday and Saturday evenings.
