Broadcaster Mark Leishman and his wife Jo Raymond are feeling a bit nostalgic. When the Weekly arrives at their Auckland home, our presence jogs Jo’s memory of a photoshoot held 21 years ago – a favourite snap still hangs proudly on their office wall.
“I can remember that picture being taken like it was yesterday,” says Jo, holding the framed photo that features younger versions of herself and Mark, as well as their then one-year-old son Paddy and beloved pooch and Tux Wonder Dogs icon Dexter.
Our photoshoot with Jo, Mark, Paddy & Dexter taken 21 years ago still hangs in the family home.
Today, Paddy (21) is a grown man and has, in fact, departed for his big OE to London the day before our photos are taken. With their middle child Molly (17) in her final year at high school, and youngest daughter Rosie (11) slowly but surely growing into an independent woman, it’s a new phase for Mark and Jo, underpinned by his appointment as breakfast host on new radio station Magic.
“When this opportunity came up, I looked at where I was professionally and personally, and thought, ‘It’ll work out really well,'” Mark explains. “The stage we’re at with the family means they’re not relying on us as much as they have been.”
Mark now fills the 6am to 10am Magic in the Morning slot on the station, playing music from Elvis to the Beach Boys, as well as newer hits from the likes of Michael Bublé and Sol3Mio.
The role is in addition to presenting the news on Country TV, working with Jo producing the ANZ Young Farmer Contest TV series through the couple’s TV production company Dexterity Productions, and co-hosting Holden Golf World, which he took over from his late brother, Phillip.
During the last few years, as Phillip battled a brain tumour, Mark would cover as presenter when Phil was unable to. Both Leishman brothers loved golf, and Mark says it was “nice to be able to keep that legacy” in the family. Two years on from his older brother’s death, at 61, it’s still hard for him to talk about Phil, but he confides, his voice tinged with sadness, “You’re always thinking about him.”
The passing of his fellow broadcaster brother Phillip two years ago was tough. “It’s amazing how often it just crops up in your mind.”
Having hosted The Breeze’s afternoon show for the past nine years, this will be the first time Mark has had to tackle the early morning rise since co-hosting i98 FM’s breakfast show with April Ieremia in 2000.
“The last time you did it was when you went grey!” jokes Jo (52), throwing a look at her husband of 24 years, who is now completely silver. “And when was that again?”
“Probably at the turn of the century – a long time ago,” Mark adds with a laugh. “One thing I always remember about breakfast was the siesta in the afternoon. This time around, I must remember to say ‘Oh, I’m tired’ and get away with a little power nap!”
Yes, he’s sporting a few more grey hairs than during those Wonder Dog years, but joking aside, there’s no denying the 58-year-old has aged well. A journalism graduate from Wellington Polytechnic, Mark began his on-air career in the newsroom at Radio Avon, Christchurch, in 1977, when music was played on vinyl.
“I’ve worked through the eras and it’s been interesting to see how technology has changed the industry,” he tells. “It was really fun back then, cueing up the record, and now it’s still fun but it’s all in a computer library and controlled like an iPod essentially.”
Music has always been a big part of the Leishman family. There’s a constant battle between parents and kids for car radio dominance, but Mark admits they don’t mind too much, because through their children, they have been exposed to an array of artists, and vice versa.
The music-loving couple say their children keep them young. “We never want to be too old to go to any concert.”
“The interesting thing is Paddy, who has become a singer-songwriter himself, loves soul bands of the 1960s, which is an era I’ve always played a lot. It’s amazing how it has rubbed off on him. And, in turn, Jo likes a bit of Bruno Mars,” Mark reveals.
“The kids get us along to see their favourite artists when they visit,” Jo chips in. “We never want to be too old to go to any concert! Mark’s bosses have been very complimentary that he’s kept up with the times, and I think still having teenagers will do that to you.”
Having a younger family has been the secret to keeping Mark and Jo young at heart. With in-house techno-guru Molly to educate them about the perks of social media, Paddy to introduce new music to the family home and Rosie keeping them “standing on the side of a hockey or soccer pitch on Saturday mornings”, the proud parents are grateful they’ve taken their time.
“We’re lucky that their ages span a whole decade because you get a sense that there is a really short amount of time left before they’re all grown up,” Jo tells with a smile.
Mark and Jo with kids Paddy, Molly and Rosie (centre) on a family holiday in Hong Kong this year.
With both parents in the media industry – Jo was head of programme marketing at TVNZ before becoming a TV producer at Dexterity Productions – it seemed only natural their children would be interested in the performing arts. All three have participated in musical theatre and drama productions, and taken parts in local TV shows. Most recently, Molly landed a role as Robyn Malcolm’s daughter in Agent Anna and will appear in the Sir Edmund Hillary TV biopic Hillary.
There’s a lot of passion for the creative arts in this household, but the Leishman kids have also seen first-hand their parents’ up-and-down struggle in a competitive industry.
“If anything, it has taught our kids to take rejection. They’ve learnt not to take things personally – there could be any number of reasons why you don’t get an acting job,” Mark shares.
Jo adds, “They’ve seen how it can be all on one minute, then all off the next – it’s so fickle. Wonder Dogs was cancelled, after 10 years, during one 20-minute conversation where it was like, ‘I think we’ve had enough of the dogs.'”
Cancelling the show was a decision that shocked its dedicated audience, marking the end of a Kiwi institution, although nearly a decade later, Mark still can’t shake his title as “the Dogfather”!
“It’s where I get the most recognition,” Mark laughs. “And people still ask about Dexter!”
Mark with TV favourite DJ.
Although Dexter passed away in 2000, Mark and Jo are still very much the “dog people”, with two golden Labradors, Buddy and Mickey, ruling the roost. But Dexter will always be remembered fondly in their hearts as the face of Tux Wonder Dogs and a big supporter of the Blind Foundation’s guide dogs.
“When Dexter died, it was a really interesting time. It was a very public death, but for us, it was like losing a family member,” Jo recalls. “It was so strange. We had only a small window of time before it became everyone’s grief.”
It was, in a number of ways, a similar experience when Phil passed away. Tributes flowed from Kiwis whose lives had been touched by Mark’s big brother. Today, Mark is often reminded of his grief.
“It’s amazing how often it just crops up in your mind,” he says. “Watching the Cricket World Cup, being hosted by Laura McGoldrick – who is Phillip’s goddaughter – was hard. The number of times we said, ‘Oh, Phillip would have loved this.’ He was so into all that stuff.”
Like Mark, Phillip was a loving husband, to Michelle, and dad to three gorgeous kids, Harry (22), India (20) and Lily (18). “To a degree, I think I remind them of Phil – we sound similar on the phone,” Mark tells. “Indi will ring up from Otago University and just have a chat, which is nice.”
Adds Jo, “Phil’s kids and ours get a lot of support from each other, and he would be really thrilled to know that. They’re equally supportive of Mark and they think the new Magic role is really cool.”
