Photos: Emily Chalk
Sam Wallace won’t be needing any special presents this Father’s Day because he’s already had the amazing gift of a month’s holiday with his family in Europe, thanks to his grandfather Len Wallace.
“When my grandparents Len and Bodil passed away, they left some money to my parents,” says Sam. “It was always their dream to show us the world. They put that money aside to make sure it happened – a great achievement in itself! It was amazing that they held onto the money despite how life can gobble it up.
“Mum, in particular, wanted this for us all. She wanted to base the trip around Italy because she loves it there.
“I know my grandparents would have approved wholeheartedly. They were never able to see the world, working hard their whole lives. To know we used the money this way would have filled their souls with joy.”
Sam, his sister Amy, and parents Barry and Judi were able to have the holiday of a lifetime, travelling to countries, including Greece, Italy and France.
“There were 11 of us and we really did have the time of our lives,” he enthuses.
Len was a welder, Barry, 76, a roofer, and Sam, 43, is a presenter on the Coast FM Breakfast show alongside Jason Reeves and Toni Street. He jokes that he received a “hard time” from family for being the only male Wallace without a “real job”, who just “talks between songs”.
But on a more serious note, he says, “There’s no way we could have afforded that trip, so I feel like it was the ultimate Father’s Day gift for me. It was amazing.”
It’s just two weeks after their dream break when Sam, his wife Sarah, 41, son Brando, five, and twins Sienna and Cosette, three, catch up with the Weekly. Looking healthy and happy, it’s clear they’ve enjoyed the Northern Hemisphere sun and lots of swimming.
The family toured together for a month, starting off in Dubai for three nights before heading to Venice.
“Turning up there was like I finally, for the first time in my life, felt like a rock star,” tells Sam. “We were cruising through the canals in wood-crafted Riva boats that the city is famous for. You can imagine George Clooney on them – but this time it was the Wallaces!”
The family then went to Rome, a villa in Tuscany for a week, then Athens, followed by a 10-day cruise which went to Greece and the Greek Islands, Istanbul, Turkey, Italy and the South of France.
“It was truly the most incredible trip,” shares Sam. “And Father’s Day makes this super-relevant because there were four generations of Wallace men involved in that trip. My grandfather Len wasn’t there, but his spirit was, and then there’s Dad, me and Brando.”
At times, Sam and Sarah admit it was a bit of a struggle, contending with three kids, a massive pram and a heatwave.
“The Parthenon and the Acropolis in Athens were pretty rough,” says Sam. “That was at the end of the day. We’d had a huge day already – it was three o’clock when we got to the end and it was steep. But we said, ‘This is what we came for.’ So, in 42 degrees, we carried three kids to the top of that thing.”
Adds Sarah, “What made it harder for me is that it’s not somewhere you want to rush. But we raced in, took the photos and raced out.”
Sam says they had a similar experience at Pompeii. “If Mount Vesuvius had erupted again covering Pompeii, we would have been fine because we did it so fast!”
The popular broadcaster was passionate about documenting his travels on film through his social media. Although he has shot and edited his work for more than 20 years – since he left kids’ show Sticky TV – he decided to refine and master his skills during the Covid lockdowns.
He explains, “Instead of watching Netflix, I worked really hard watching tutorial after tutorial on using cinematic cameras and editing. I’ve always had the ability to present. But now I’ve taught myself to shoot, edit and to do production, so I can do the whole thing.”
But his family wasn’t always happy to be in front of the camera and shared to social media. In one hilarious video, the former weather presenter asks his dad on camera, “How are you liking Greece?”
“It will be great when you turn that thing off!” his father quips back.
“He likes to play the grumpy old man,” Sam says. He adds that it’s done with humour and that really they’re very close.
While their travels required high fitness levels, Sam and Sarah were well prepared. They had trained hard for their special holiday, each working out at the gym for an hour a day and watching their diet.
“We decided that it was time we stopped drinking every day. It had become a bit of a habit to get us through the evenings. Being present for the kids, getting dinner, bathing and bed is a lot,” says Sam. “We also got back to the gym and worked on our fitness.”
It was certainly worth the effort. Holidaying with three young children in Europe required they were both on their game.
“There was a lot of pram-lifting and carrying. To be honest, Sarah has the best strength – she can hold a huge pram for ages, unlike me,” he laughs.
Although they ate and drank as much as they wanted on holiday, Sam actually lost a kilogram, much to the despair of his co-host Toni!
The couple were also conscious that just a year ago, Sarah was hospitalised with a serious illness. Flu turned into pneumonia and she had to be rushed to hospital. There, she was put on a breathing machine and later got sepsis. She was lucky to make it through and it was a wake-up call for them both.
Sarah’s illness took a big toll on the couple. Sam feels guilty because he had been away for a month just before she fell ill and she had been coping on her own with the kids.
“I think every mum has that moment, when they are teetering on the edge, and I just caught a bug at that moment,” says Sarah.
Sam adds, “Mums are on the absolute precipice of exhaustion the entire time. And I added to that because I shot a Tourism Australia campaign and was away for a month, so I put the whole thing on Sarah’s shoulders.”
It didn’t help that Sam and the children had the flu jab but Sarah, typical of many mothers, just hadn’t had the time.
She says it took about a month to fully recover, with daily naps in the afternoon, but she has bounced back well.
“How do you recover as a mum when you have three kids?” muses Sam. “There’s no time off, and no time to take to your bed for a few days and come right.”
Says Sarah, “This year, as soon as the flu vaccine was available, I scooped up all four of us and went straight to the clinic.”
Fortunately, the couple has family who are always available to help. Sarah’s parents, Jo and Ross Bowman, drove from Morrinsville on the day of the Weekly photoshoot to help wrangle the children. They were also invited to grandparents’ day at Brando’s school.
They will be very hands-on when Sam goes away again soon – this time for three months.
“This is really bratty, but I leave for Tourism Fiji with CoastFM in about four weeks,” he says. “Off the back of that, I fly straight out of Fiji to Seattle to promote Seattle for Hawaiian Airlines. And when I come back from that, I head over to New York for CoastFM with Toni.”
Meanwhile, Sarah has no complaints. For a start, it’s in term time and the children are at either school or daycare. She will also have Jo and Ross’ help.
“I’ll probably take them down to Mum and Dad’s farm for a weekend as well. After riding the camels in the desert, they decided they want to ride horses. And our cousins have horses,” she says.
The Wallaces are a tight unit, who work together to make sure their kids get the best they can, even if they have no social life.
“Honestly, in the winter, we just hibernate with the kids and going out is just too much for me, but Sarah sometimes manages to get herself out the door,” laughs Sam.
He admits that when he was a lot younger, he was a bit of a party boy. That side comes out at the end of the shoot when he supplies the entire crew with a drink before they leave.
“I think this is one of the advantages of having kids later in life. I never feel like I’m missing out on anything,” he says.
“There are a thousand ways to do parenting, but for me, I was super-ambitious and I wanted to have a good time when I was young, so I got all of that out of my system. I am very happy at home with my kids.”
The couple admit that as the children get older, it does get easier, especially with twins, but they are still very busy and focused on family. When asked if they think a fourth child might be a good idea, they both go quiet.
“We couldn’t even take on a kitten at the moment, that’s how at capacity we are,” says Sam.
He says his Father’s Day will begin in bed, as he does every Sunday morning after a long week of early starts.
“My favourite thing every week on a Sunday is having all the kids in our bed,” he shares. “You get to wake up with them, and you chuck something on the telly and have some food. And I don’t have a social life, so we might go for lunch or something with the kids.”
It will be a special day for Sam, who is embracing life with a young family. And he’s so thankful to his parents for raising him as they did.
“I feel incredible gratitude,” he confides. “They owned and worked hard together on a roofing business for 40 years to give us an amazing life. It wasn’t an easy business – it was a grind – but they did it for us. It’s a testament to their commitment. They stuck in that business and gave us an amazing life.
“Dad has always been my best friend and cared about my passions, even when he wasn’t into them. He spent weekend after weekend at cricket with me and he hated cricket!”
And now, young Brando is passionate about music and dance – an area Sam says he isn’t strong in. But determined to be the best dad he can, he feels great joy in seeing his son shine. It’s a full-circle moment for Sam.
“My dad was consistent, honest and always there for me, and now I’m committed to being just as dedicated to my own family.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
