Fronting the news desk for much of her working life, Sandra Sully has reported on some of the biggest moments in history. But, as a cub reporter on her first big case in the early 1990s, the responsibilities of her job were brought into sharp focus.
Having circled the newsroom as a production assistant, Sandra’s role was to fetch papers, book travel and ensure everyone was where they needed to be. “But I did refuse to get coffee,” she confirms with a smile. “I don’t drink coffee. I’d think: you know how to make it, and the kitchen’s right there.”
After a few months, Sandra was tapped to support journalists working on the Fitzgerald Inquiry, investigating corruption in the Queensland Police. It’s where she fell in love with journalism and realised the responsibilities she had as a reporter.
“For me, as a cub reporter going down [to the courthouse] and seeing the Queensland Police Commissioner sent to jail [in 1991] was significant, because I saw journalism at its best. But, also, he was the father of my best friend in high school,” she recalls.
“It was a double whammy for me. It hit me that those who could be held to account, would be – they would pay a price.”
There are many more stories that Sandra, 60, says will “never leave” her, because most top news stories involve tragedy. Some days are much harder than others. Shortly after returning home from her honeymoon with husband Symon Brewis-Weston in 2011, Sandra reported on a young bride who was killed on her wedding day, alongside her brother, in a tragic helicopter accident in regional NSW.
“I could barely get through it,” she says of the story. “It was tough. Because the week before, I was her. It was truly awful. My heart ached for her family.”
Throughout her career, the acclaimed journalist has covered breaking news, disasters, deaths and historic events. But she’ll never forget the gut-wrenching experience of being the first journalist in Australia to break the news of the 9/11 attacks on New York.
“I was physically gulping,” she says of seeing the footage. “It was after 10pm and there was virtually no one in the newsroom except for Tim Webster and the Sports Tonight crew. The producer in the control room told me through my earpiece, and we watched the vision during the commercial break.
“I remember feeling as if an imaginary seatbelt had clamped across me and buckled me in. I had nowhere to go and I just had to do the best I could. It was going to make or break me, but I needed to do the story justice.”
The consummate professional, Sandra acknowledges the good comes with the bad, and it’s all part of the job. And, within the newsroom, there’s always space for a little laughter. As part of the nightly broadcast on Ten Late News in the 2000s, Sandra came on after popular chat show Rove Live, which often ran over. This soon became an in-joke.
“There was an ongoing exchange with Rove [McManus] where they would often keep me waiting, so they would cross to me, lying asleep on the desk, reading newspapers and so on,” she recalls.
“Rove would often send me texts saying, ‘I’m sorry, we just had such a good panel, I couldn’t wrap it up!’”
But the joke was unexpectedly turned on its head by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly.
“One night they had Billy on the show and they were running way over. Rove tried to wrap it up and said, ‘Sorry Billy, we have to finish. Sandra Sully is waiting.’ And Billy jokingly replied, ‘Who’s Sandra Sully? What does she have to say that’s so important?’”
Sandra thought nothing of it until the next day, when Billy arrived in the Sydney studio to do an interview.
“He saw me and said, ‘You’re Sandra Sully!’” she recalls with a laugh, adding that he quickly apologised. “Most people won’t know that he did that. And I was fan-girling the whole time!”
For so many Australians, Sandra has been a staple of the news for as long as we can remember. Whether we watch her deliver the day’s top stories or listen to her voice in the background as we cook dinner, she’s a trusted and reliable source. Even John Travolta is a fan!
“I was covering a Qantas event shortly after he’d become a pilot with them. He came up to me and said: ‘Sandra Sully! I watch you whenever I’m in town! Can I get a picture?’” She says she’s still bewildered by the moment!
Such acknowledgement from her peers, famous personalities and the general public is, of course, gratifying, but it is also a reminder that Sandra, who was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2024, is an Australian cultural icon – a word she finds both “uncomfortable and humbling” to hear.
“Iconic is not a word that sits comfortably with me. Generally annoying is what most people would say,” she jokes. “I didn’t know the OAM was coming when it did; I had no idea. But I do think anyone in my position should give back when we can.”
The acclaimed journalist attributes much of her success and longevity to what she does outside television.
“I think part of it [why she resonates with people] has to do with the work I do as an ambassador for SpinalCure Australia. And Hockey Australia, which I’m very proud of.”
For all the success Sandra’s had, she’s well aware of the many who came before her who weren’t allowed to shine. She says being a female figure in a male-dominated field “isn’t a perfect ride” but she’s proud to see changes being made over time. And, despite the so-called rivalries across networks, she’s proud to call many of her female colleagues friends.
“I still recall being in Thredbo [to cover the 1997 landslide], and there was off-air discussion between the networks that was aggressive and egregious – and irrelevant compared to what the community was going through,” she recalls.
“I had just come off air and was dealing with all that, as well as what was going on behind the scenes. Then, the lovely Ann Sanders [from Channel Seven] came over, grabbed my hand and said she was taking me for coffee. The sisterhood is ever-present.”
As the next generation of women look to their predecessors for advice and wisdom, there’s no doubt Sandra has blazed a trail to follow. She’s excited for what the future brings.
“It feels as if there’s still a long way to go [in the industry] because men are judged differently to women. But we’ve come so far,” she says. “The game isn’t easy, but I look around the newsroom and see women who don’t know, or think about, what previous generations have had to endure, survive and overcome. It’s wonderful to see women rising through the ranks.”
Three decades can bring many triumphs, trials and tribulations – does it all feel like an incredibly long time to Sandra? She says, on the contrary, it’s gone by in a newsflash minute.
“You never really think you’ve been around for as long as you have been,” she laughs. “When people say, ‘Wow, 35 years?’ my initial thought is: I’m so old!’
“But I’m also so grateful to be here. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and be happy.”
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