From a WA cattle station and gold mine to live radio in Whakatāne and seven years inside TVNZ’s Good Morning—Melanie Kerr unpacks how she “just had a go” and became a familiar Kiwi face. We cover advertorial hosting, big-money commercial days, the shift to social media, and the truly unhinged products she had to demo (hello, metal weight-loss belt and the infamous Wonder Whisk motion 😳). Plus: airport double-takes, on-set wardrobe… solutions, a brutal lesson in online bullying, and the immortal sign-off flub: “pureas dot com.

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On NZ’s infamous Crate Day, a routine sober-driver night flips fast. Broadcaster/funeral celebrant Melanie Kerr recounts how a friendly lift request turned into a mongrel mob confrontation, a king-hit that knocked her partner unconscious, and a street-side triage while waiting for police clearance. We get the wild backstory (a stolen Uber, a cop’s party, and a shirt-off metamorphosis), the sound of a skull on bitumen, and the aftermath: hospitals, court calls, and the eerie coincidence of a memorial post for another victim tied to the same offender. Mel also shares a later run-in at a rugby club—defusing tension with a hug… and a Justin Bieber gag. Heavy yarn, big heart, and a masterclass in staying human when it gets feral.

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TV/radio fave Melanie Kerr returns with a raw origin story: growing up Pākehā on the Māori side of the 1860s confiscation line in Ruatoki/Tāneatua (Tūhoe country). We unpack what that line actually was, how colors mapped to gangs (Mongrel Mob red, Black Power blue), why the primary school uniforms ended up road-worker orange, and what it felt like to be a blonde farm kid in a staunch community. Mel leaves home at 14, heads to WA’s outback (cattle stations, gold mines), then lands in Dunedin—a world of bagpipes, churches, and culture whiplash. Plus: the anatomy of Crate Day and a very Kiwi idea for “upgrading” it with an Aussie pool challenge… right before it all goes sideways. Proper history, proper laughs, proper true yarn.

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On this episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, Tooney takes us across the ditch for one of the wildest trips of his Army rugby career. From smashing the Navy at Sydney Football Ground to representing the Australian Defence Force in Wellington, the yarns roll thick and fast. Hear about training like a pro, flying into windy Wellington, and the goosebump moment when an Iroquois helicopter split the Anzac Day dawn fog. Add in hard scrums, Kiwi hospitality, drunken chaos in town, and even a naked streak through base, and you’ve got a yarn that’s pure gold.

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Ambassador Melanie Kerr joins us fresh from Dunedin’s K9MD lab, where specially trained dogs are being used in research to detect cancer via urine samples. We swap the “fluffy mic” mix-up story for a deep dive on how scent detection works, why negative results matter as much as positives, and what a real research session looks like (controlled, peer-reviewed, and nothing like a pooch sniffing your bits). We talk early detection, blokes avoiding checkups, and why this world-first program could one day sit alongside standard bloods—simple, non-invasive, life-saving. Plus: foster families, doggy buses, Labrador legend “Hogan,” and a shout to the mates who couldn’t make the trip. Raw, hopeful, and genuinely inspiring.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this ripper episode of Proper True Yarn Podcast, Knuckles sits down with Team Tooney Fishing to swap stories of being “professional amateurs.” From snapping rods and cooking engines mid-comp, to sinking tins while limping a sand-clogged boat back to shore, these blokes prove that looking pro doesn’t mean fishing pro. The yarns spiral into community spirit, near-disasters on the water, jerseys printed with the wrong bloody name, and even a charity golf day where the infamous “Moist Hole” stole the show. Packed with banter, blunders, and plenty of laughs, this one’s for anyone who’s ever fished, fucked up, and had a beer about it.

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In this wild episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, Tony takes us from army shenanigans to life-threatening moments on a C-130 Hercules. From dangling on a harness at 13,000 feet while filming freefall jumps, to getting blasted by Black Hawk downwash and even staring down a bull at Barkly Homestead, these yarns are equal parts adrenaline, danger, and Aussie humour. Strap in for laughs, near misses, and raw tales from nearly a decade in uniform.

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In this gripping Proper True Yarn Podcast episode, we dive deep into the raw realities of service life with Team Tuning. From a Chinook nearly torn apart by a rogue artillery shell that left a soldier with a permanent stutter, to the shocking story of a cook betrayed and killed by an Afghan soldier while on lookout, this yarn doesn’t hold back. Tony and his guest unpack the chaos of deployment, close calls under fire, and the trust-shattering moments that leave scars long after the uniform comes off. Beyond the battlefield, they explore the struggle of losing your identity when service ends, and how fishing, family, and new purpose can help light the way forward.

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Heath from Team Tooney takes us straight into recruit life — brutal drill sergeants, bent bedframes and hot-box humiliation at Kapooka, plus wild tales from job-specific training (including the maddening rules around weapons and helicopter licences). Raw, funny and honest: this one’s for anyone who’s ever wondered what makes soldiers tough — and what makes them laugh afterwards.

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