Matt Klitscher
Surviving the elements – and his competitors – to take out the Treasure Island: Fans v Faves crown will be hard work for former radio producer Dave Ward. But as he looks back on his life, tackling mind games pales in comparison to his brutal battle with depression.
“The toughest challenge I’ve faced is the pressure I put on myself and the depression that came with it,” tells the 45-year-old. “I got bitten by the black dog really bad.”
A few years ago, Dave, who works as a terminal supervisor at Port Nelson, was living on Auckland’s North Shore and working on the opposite side of the city. His commute could sometimes take two hours each way and his days became consumed by work.
“I’d wake up, kiss my boys on the head to say goodbye and go to work,” he recalls. “When I got home at night, the boys were already back in bed.
“Work just took all the time that I had to give. I missed a lot of my sons’ growing up and it put a lot of pressure on my relationship.”
Dave reached breaking point when he ended up in hospital twice with chest pains he later learned were caused by stress. He decided then and there that he wasn’t going to let his job or his depression steal any more time from him or his sons Murphy, 12, and Mack, 10.
“I talked to my two best friends and I said, ‘I’m not right.’ Saying I wasn’t okay was a really big thing. But my mates were fantastic. Speaking to them got me through it.”
Reaching out for help was life-changing. Dave ended up moving to Nelson and is now living a happy life with his kids and his new partner Helen. While it’ll be difficult to leave them for so long to be on the TV show, he knows they’ll be cheering him on while he’s away.
Winners are grinners! Dave with his fellow Fans teammates.
“The boys are stoked,” says Dave. “They can’t wait to tell their mates, but they’ve been sworn to secrecy. They keep asking me, ‘Are you going to be a celebrity?’ I say, ‘I don’t think so,’ but I guess we’ll see what happens!”
Landing a spot in the popular TVNZ 2 reality competition is a dream come true for Dave. He has watched every episode since it first premiered in 1997, preparing for the day he’d get a shot to play the game.
“To finally get the opportunity to have a crack at this is the top thing on my bucket list,” admits Dave. “For me, this is up there with standing at Base Camp on Mount Everest. I’m already looking forward to the first Fans challenge victory.”
Though you may not recognise his friendly face, Dave’s voice will be familiar to longtime listeners of Classic Hits – now The Hits – and Radio Sport.
Dave started his working life in shipping, but dipped his toe into radio when he was working in Samoa in his early twenties. He joked to a friend who worked at Radio Polynesia that he had the personality to be a radio host. He thought nothing more of it, until a few days later when his friend came back and said the rest of the team agreed. Dave began doing regular slots on the station.
When he returned to New Zealand a few years later, and was deciding between a place in the Royal New Zealand Navy and radio school, his choice was easy.
“I got accepted to both on the same day,” laughs Dave. “I thought, ‘Bugger it, I’ll go and be famous for a bit!'”
He worked at Classic Hits for years producing shows for the likes of Stacey Morrison and Paul “Flynny” Flynn, and also did rugby commentary on Radio Sport.
Eventually, the job began to wear on him and he felt it had become more about collecting views on social media than connecting with the community.
“My favourite memories were when I was producing the breakfast show in Blenheim,” he explains. “It was before social media, so you had to be a part of the community. I would get my head shaved on the back of a truck to fundraise for cancer or dress up as Santa and pay for people’s Christmas shopping or groceries. I think social media has ruined that part of radio.”
As he fights for the Treasure Island: Fans v Faves title, Dave is hoping to bring home the $50,000 prize pool for Te Kiwi Māia. The charity, which All Black legend Sir Wayne “Buck” Shelford also represented on the show, provides rehabilitation and mental health services for Aotearoa’s first responders.
“We’re doing what?!” Dave and teammate Katie Middleton get set for a challenge.
Though he isn’t a first responder himself, Dave has been the first person on the scene at a fatal car accident and it was haunting.
“It was horrific,” recalls Dave. “First responders deal with that day in and day out. Their normal day is what most people would say is their worst day ever. It’s crucial that we look after them.”
Watch Treasure Island: Fans v Faves Monday – Wednesday at 7.30pm on TVNZ 2.
