Leigh Sales' top 7.30 interviews of 2016.

By Leigh Sales.

One of the great things about my job is that it allows me to meet lots of different people for all sorts of different reasons.

For some of them, it’s one of the best days of their lives, if they’ve won an election or an Olympic medal.

For others, it’s one of the worst, if they’ve unexpectedly found themselves caught up in some sort of traumatic event.

Almost every interview is interesting in its own way. For me, it’s the ones that leave me feeling energised and engaged that tend to become the most memorable.

Here are my favourites for 2016:

10. Neill Duncan, a one-armed saxophone player and an inspiring Paralympics advertisement

Some of us at 7.30 had seen and really enjoyed a promotion for the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

I started noodling around online, reading some of the back stories of the participants and came across Neill Duncan and discovered he was Australian.

Duncan agreed to do an interview with us to talk about how he’d lost his arm and also come to be in the Paralympics ad.

He was a great guy and he had a sad yet incredibly uplifting story.

It was a real treat to get to meet him.

9. Renee Zellweger being Renee Zellweger

I didn’t really have an opinion of Renee Zellweger one way or the other before I met her for our interview.

I wasn’t really looking forward to the interview as, for some reason, I expected her to be brittle and unfriendly.

She was exactly the opposite.

From the second she walked in, she was incredibly warm and charming and charismatic.

She lit up the whole room and the crew all loved her.

I just wanted to hug her at the end, she was so sweet and adorable.

8. Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten – the first campaign interviews

Both the party leaders came on 7.30 twice each during the election campaign, sitting through more than an hour of interviews altogether.

I think submitting to media scrutiny is an obligation for elected officials, nonetheless, I did really appreciate them both giving so much time to 7.30.

Millions of Australians watched those interviews.

I thought both of their first interviews particularly summed up the key challenges for each man: for Mr Turnbull, the suggestion that he wasn’t meeting voters’ expectations and for Mr Shorten, the accusation that he couldn’t be trusted.

7. John Olsen, Australia’s grand old man of art, who refuses to slow down

Another person whose great passion for what they do is inspiring and engaging.

When he said he wanted to draw something for me, I was just so thrilled.

The retrospective of his work was absolutely beautiful too, it was just a pleasure to be in his company and to look at his art.

6. Anthony Albanese reveals the emotions behind finding the father he had been told was dead

His personal story was just so interesting.

It was riveting to hear him talk about never knowing his father and then unexpectedly finding him so late in life.

Great to talk to a politician on air for once as a human being, not as a politician!

5. Helen Garner’s observations on everyday life

Another person of whom I’m a gigantic fan.

Whenever I see Garner I try to act normal but inside, some part of me is always squealing IT’S HELEN GARNER!!!

Her new book, Everywhere I Look, is masterful, like everything she writes.

4. Rising AFL star Moana Hope, and Western Bulldogs president Susan Alberti

I just couldn’t have loved this pair any more really.

Such an unlikely duo but both so passionate about AFL and seeing women getting a shot at playing professionally.

I really admire Moana Hope’s drive and commitment to her sport but also to caring for her sister who has special needs.

Sue Alberti is wonderfully warm and supportive, exactly the sort of person you’d want in your corner.

3. David Astle talks about the words of the 2016

The word wizard is always one of my favourites.

He is so enthusiastic about his subject and always wildly entertaining.

We chatted about the Oxford Dictionaries words of the year and he seemed to enjoy “throwing shade” on me.

I would happily have this guy on the show once a week.

2. Paul Keating and John Howard reflect on what a Trump presidency may mean for Australia

Not together, of course. Big dogs don’t share a kennel.

But they both agreed to come on 7.30 for separate interviews the day after Donald Trump was elected as the next United States president.

They are so different to each other yet both uniquely skilled communicators.

It was fascinating to hear their well-argued but entirely different takes on how Australia should respond to Mr Trump’s election.

I could have spent double the amount of time on both interviews, they were so interesting.

1. Neil Finn and Nick Seymour on Crowded House returning to the Opera House 20 years after the landmark farewell concert

Like so many Australians, I can chart most of my life to the soundtrack of Crowded House.

I was nervous to meet these guys, as sometimes it’s best to not meet people of whom you’re a massive fan.

There’s always the risk if they turn out to be unpleasant, your enjoyment of their work might be soured.

That was far from the case with these guys when we sat down together a few days before the first of four concerts on the Sydney Opera House forecourt, the site of their amazing farewell concert in 1996, one of the greatest cultural events in Australian history.

Days at work don’t get much more enjoyable than this.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.