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Botica keen on fresh start

After more than four decades of early-morning starts, one might assume mix94.5's Fred Botica is breathing a big sigh of relief and craving a sleep-in as he counts down to his final breakfast radio shift tomorrow.

Well, not quite.

"I've been doing breakfast since 1971 but it's never worried me getting up in the morning," the velvet-voiced 66-year-old told AAA.

"I think you're a product of your past. I started delivering morning newspapers at the age of nine and when I was in high school, because dad was a fisherman, I would empty the fruit-and-vegetable traps at the markets, which meant getting up at 4am.

"And then I got into surfing when I was about 14, so I always liked getting up in the mornings and in the end, it worked out to be a good thing for me."

Thankfully for his legion of loyal listeners, New Zealand-born Botica - a signwriter who "fell into radio by accident" in 1969 on pirate station Radio Hauraki and in 1986 moved to *Perth * where he dominated the ratings for 15 of his 21 years with mix94.5 - isn't calling it a day just yet.

While tomorrow's live broadcast from Mosman's restaurant marks the end of an era for "The Bunch" - featuring Botica, Lisa Shaw and Captain Paul Shepherd - Botica and Shaw will simply swap places with Dean "Clairsy" Clairs, Shane McFarlane and Kymba Cahill in the afternoon drive program (Shepherd stays with breakfast).

Shaw will be joined by workday announcer Tim Lordan until March when Botica - who moonlights as a voice- over artist for Channel 7 - returns from long-service leave.

The famously camera-shy radio man - he conceals his face in photo shoots to maintain anonymity and because of a "fascination with the theatre of the mind" - plans to relaunch with renewed vigour.

"When you go on holiday, it's amazing how the layers peel away from your day-to-day things and you can start thinking in fresh terms," he says.

As for how Botica - who has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Sir Bob Geldof, Rod Stewart and Neil Young - plans to enjoy his extended summer break, there is no shortage of possibilities.

Citing wind-surfing, the beach, golf, painting, listening to music, gardening and spending time with his naturopath wife Sam, children and grandchildren as ways to unwind, he will fly out to Bali next Monday for a one-week stay.

Botica, whose parents immigrated to New Zealand from the Croatian island of Korcula, might also opt to invest some time in his memoirs, a "work in progress" being documented in voice-to-text format because he's "not a typist".

"The family history is amazing . . . so many people have approached me to talk about my mother," he reveals.

"It's an ongoing thing and there seems to be more and more added to it as you dig deeper and deeper."