The Catch-Up: Five minutes with Chezzi Denyer

What do you love about regional NSW?

There is so much I love about regional NSW. Starting with the fresh air. I love the people who live in regional NSW. I love the passion we have for our area. I love the community spirit we possess.

I love the wide open spaces and being able to park right outside the grocery store or the hardware store. I love the beautiful local produce and wines.

I also really love the softer, slower pace out here. And my favourite thing of all would have to be the most beautiful colours of the trees that line the streets in Autumn.

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What was your motivator to move back to the Central West and continue working in the media industry?

When Grant began filming Family Feud which was one-week filming, then one week off schedule - we knew that was our chance to have a tree change we had wanted for so long.

To escape the city for the country. Grant had spent most of his childhood holidays at his family farm, and we had always discussed raising our kids in the country.

The central west was special to both of us, me because I was born here and much of my family and friends still remain here and Grant because of his fondness of Mount Panorama and racing over the years in Bathurst.

And so we made a good balance between being able to work from home in the Central West and also working from time to time in Sydney work for us quite easily.

Then when Covid hit, it became even easier for us to do the majority of our work from our home in Perthville.

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Balancing motherhood, your own work in the media and managing your husband Grant sounds like a lot of work. How do you juggle everything?!

I don't juggle very well and I certainly don't have anything balanced in my life that's for sure. When you have little kids, they always have to come first.. so everything takes a bit of a backseat from time to time.

It seems like some weeks it's the loudest child or issue that gets my attention and the rest just gets squeezed in. My life is more hectic and chaotic than I would like it to be.

I try really hard to do something creative that I love doing at least once a month. I don't have normal working hours either, I am always replying to emails on the run or editing videos while sitting at afternoon sport.

I just try to really get my prioritisation list perfect.. and that's always changing... but when I have a grasp on the deadlines I can work backwards from there.

But, there are many days where I drop all the balls... and learning to be ok with that has been integral for me.

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What is something most people wouldn't know about you?

Most people don't know that I trained with Steve Irwin to be a Herpetologist as I absolutely loved Reptiles when growing up. I always dreamt of combining my love of reptiles and TV... I had about 15 lizards as a child. I had several snakes growing up too, including a six-foot carpet python who I named Chelsea.

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"Tomorrow is a new start".. and I tell my kids constantly that no matter how hard today was and how scared you are that tomorrow will also be difficult, just know that every day is a new start. And everything feels so much easier to digest and work through after a good night's sleep.

For anyone new to the Central West region, or for those planning to visit, what are some must-sees or must-dos you would recommend?

You definitely need to drive around Mount Panorama in Bathurst and visit the Motor Museum and Dinosaur and Fossil Museum.

Then head off to Orange via Milthorpe and have a wander down the old streets. In Orange check out Lake Canobolas and do some canning, then check out some of the vineyards cellar door.

Also take the kids to Heifer Station Wines woolshed for some lunch and let the kids see the petting zoo...

Then you've got to visit Cowra and see the Japanese gardens and have a walk down Sakura Avenue.

In Parkes you just have to take the kids to see the dish..

And then of course you've got to head to Dubbo and see the zoo there. We spent two days there last holidays riding bikes around the zoo and getting up close with the safari animals. It was incredible

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