It was these qualities that saw the father-of-four recognised yesterday as the south-west’s Father of the Year.

The second annual event attracted more than 600 entries from across the Warrnambool and Moyne region, with Mr Heyward bestowed the title after a glowing nomination from his 10-year-old daughter Abigail.

Abigail listed fishing trips, visits to the park and beach, story reading, help with homework and piggy-backs as the favourite things she loved doing with her dad.

“He makes me feel secure, just because he’s always there and loves me,” her entry read.

A financial adviser with NAB, Mr Heyward and his wife Ruth have sons Luke, 17, Isaac, 15 and twin daughters Abigail and Katie.

“We love to get out and do things together as a family,” he said yesterday.

“This is a great event. It is a great thing to recognise all the good fathers out there. I feel very privileged to be nominated as the winner.”

His family won a weekend package to Melbourne, including accommodation at the five-star Hilton South Wharf and passes to the aquarium and zoo.

Other category winners received $100 Bunnings vouchers, with the children getting $200 into a savings account with South West Credit.

Jason Harris won the prep to grade three category and Scott Flook was chosen as the grade nine to 12 winner.

Organiser Ian Cairns, from Brophy Youth and Family Services, admitted the positive response to the award had provided the judging panel with a dilemma — how to select the winners from hundreds of stories and hand-drawn depictions of fathers and father figures.

“In one way, we’re always sorry to have to have to say that one dad deserves this title over another.

But it’s also very heartwarming to see that this many kids think so much of their father or father-figure.”

The three category winners were chosen because of the simple and genuine examples the children gave for why their father deserved the title, Mr Cairns said.