Partner: Frey. Children: Sean and Cate.

Parents: Neville and Mary. Sibling: Madeleine.

Education: St Joseph's Primary School Warrnambool until grade two and then finished my education at the old Christian Brothers College Warrnambool.

Sporting highlight: Taking part in the National Rowing Champions at Wivenhoe, Queensland, in 1993.

Andrew, what memories do you have of your early sporting days in Warrnambool?

I played junior cricket with Russells Creek. My teammates included Leon Cameron, who is now the coach of Greater Western Sydney, and John McArdle who is a very successful horse trainer.

Leon was an excellent junior cricketer - a very good batsman and bowler. Leon gave away the cricket whites to chase his dream in football and he's been very successful on various levels.

John was a very fast bowler. We had a school reunion back in 2019 and I caught up with John. Both of us had a few laughs about John bowling his thunderbolts. I ended up playing A reserve cricket with Russells Creek. The highest score I made with the bat was 50, while the best figures I had with the ball were five wickets for 18 runs against East Warrnambool.

I also took part in cycling from 1981 to 1985. My best result was a second placing in the South West Vic Road championships in the under 14s in 1985.

Michael Lynch was the biggest impact on my cycling career. Cycling, similar to cricket, took a back seat once I found rowing. Speaking about impacts, my late dad Neville had the biggest impact on my life.

How did your involvement with rowing start?

Stephen King encouraged me to join the Warrnambool Rowing Club. I started training before taking part in my first regatta in the summer of 1987 down the Maribyrnong River. It was a novice four-event and the team comprised of Matthew Bell (bow), Gary Wallace, Jock Slessar, Stephen King (cox) and myself. We won and I came home with a pewter mug and I was really happy with myself.

I was hooked on rowing after that regatta victory.

It's a very physical sport because you're using all the parts of your body. People see how hard it is on a rowing machine, well, it's harder again when you're out on the river training or competing in events. I've been very lucky during my rowing career to have received great assistance from my teammates and people like David McDougall who coached me and Val Bertrand. She was very generous with her time and loaning me equipment in my early years.

Andrew, earlier you mentioned your dad Neville and the impact he had on your life. Can you please explain that statement?

Neville was extremely generous to people. He started the Garden Tyrepower business in Fairy Street in 1984 before selling it in 2002. Neville was really big on giving back to the community. He sponsored numerous sporting clubs and community groups through the business over many, many years.

He always encouraged my sister Madeleine and myself to give everything your best shot. I'm sure it's through Neville's giving back to the community that I've been heavily involved in sponsorship with my business the Yarmouth Group. It's a corporate advisory business.

Let's talk about other sports and in particular footy. Did you play much footy when you were young?

I played under 12 footy at CBC when I was in grade two. Brother Elmer was the coach. I suffered a bad back injury through footy when I had my legs taken out from me at training. I had to lay flat on my back for a fair while with the vertebrae-related injury.

The next year, I started running the boundary for CBC and then in 1984 I was invited to join the Warrnambool and District Football Umpires Association.

I was a boundary umpire for the association from 1984 to 1988. I was a boundary umpire in the 1986 Warrnambool and District Football Association. I was lucky to be umpiring as I got knocked off my bike a few days before the game and had a sore knee.

The highlights of my umpiring career were being the boundary umpire in the 1987 and 1988 Hampden league grand finals. Warrnambool played Camperdown in the 1987 game, while Warrnambool was against South Warrnambool in 1988.

The funny thing about the 1988 game was my good mate Leon Cameron was playing for South. I'll always remember there was a huge crowd up at the Reid Oval for that game. I went up and played at South Warrnambool in the under 18s and some games in the reserves before I gave it away after I got concussed, which saw me spend the night in hospital.

I did come back and play in the reserves for Old Collegians in 2002. There were strong links - that's why I played with Collegians. My good mate the late Stephen 'Jack' Kelson was coaching and my uncle Noel McNeil and his family have been connected with Collegians. I only played a few games with them back in 2002.

Andrew, I note that you have an involvement with the Greater Western Sydney Giants. How did that involvement begin?

I was living and working in Sydney from 2007 to 2009 and spent time talking to officials from GWS when they were forming the club which started in 2010.

I told the club I was interested in being a sponsor of a player and part of my criteria was for the player to come from the country.

It's worked out really well because I'm a foundation player sponsor to Jeremy Cameron. It's been a perfect fit as Jeremy comes from Dartmoor. He's an unassuming person who is also a top bloke and a great footballer.

GWS is a great club. Their links to Warrnambool and the western district are amazing. There's Leon Cameron as the coach and David Matthews who is the CEO of GWS - they have strong links to the area. David's mum was born and raised in Koroit Street, Warrnambool, and was one-eyed Warrnambool fan.

It's well documented how Leon started his senior footy career with South Warrnambool before going to the Western Bulldogs, Richmond and now GWS.