Australian Missionary News anchorman Mark Tronson initially asked him about his growing up years. Mark Brolly noted on how well to his "heart and soul" those years were. He grew up in Pascoe Vale half way from the city to Tullamarine Airport, which was very central to everything, he had a very comfortable family life, along with good parish and community experiences. He was taught by the Mercy Sisters at primary school and then the Christian Brothers in secondary school.
Mark Brolly explained how he loved history studies along with religious and political classes, these were years if fun and moreover he was even a reservist for the television "It's Academic" for high school students.
After high school he won a journalism cadet-ship with the Melbourne Age and attended RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) in journalism, and as a cadet he was sent on many different assignments from the police rounds to the courts, sport, community events and the like. It was great grounding.
He worked with The Age for six and a half years and then relocated to Western Australia in the mid-eighties giving two years to the Lord in full time service in a youth hostel with the Paletines, that ran a youth hostel for Aboriginal students who came from all over Western Australia. This was a wonderful experience which exposed him to a wide range of additional skills.
Mark Brolly then returned to The Age in Melbourne as a sub-editor followed by some years as their Religious Affairs writer. He was hungry within his soul for theological development and enrolled in the Ecumenical Faculty at the Uniting College in Melbourne.
He explained that this provided the full range of studies into the various Christian traditions which was a well spring of joy to his heart.
He finally took a redundancy from The Age in 2009 and shortly afterwards began with the Melbourne Anglican Media Unit working largely in their web ministry. He also freelances with a monthly article for The Tablet, a distinguished London Catholic publication and is also part time sub-editing for Melbourne's Herald and Weekly Times.
Mark Brolly said: "It's a full life."
This Mark Brolly interview can be viewed on YouTube.