ANDREWS, Gareth Eliot Tremayne AMGareth Andrews
Gareth Andrews, former AFL footballer, businessman, media writer and commentator has devoted much of his later life to charitable pursuits. Significantly, he founded the 'Life Again Foundation' in 2013, a registered 'Not for Profit' organisation empowering men to face the challenges of mid-life and make the appropriate changes to help them navigate their way through this period.
Gareth had a long football career, first playing for the Geelong Football Club in 1965 and moving to the Richmond Football Club halfway through 1974 where he played in a Premiership that year. He played 136 games including the 1967 Grand Final with Geelong and 31 games with Richmond. During this period he was joint founder of the VFL (now AFL) Players' Association.
Several years after finishing his playing career with Richmond, he became Chief Executive of the Club in 1978-79. His association with football continued as an ABC commentator from 1980 to 1989 and as the Sunday Age Football Analyst from 1989 to 1997. He was Vice-President of the Geelong Football Club from 1998 to 2013 during which time Geelong won 3 Premierships. He is a Life Member of the Australian Football League (AFL), the Australian Football League Players' Association (AFLPA), the Geelong Football Club (GFC) and the Richmond Football Club (RFC). He is also a Director of the AFLPA Players Injury and Hardship Fund and the GFC Foundation. In 2013, he was awarded the R J Hickey Award for services to Australian football.
After his football career, he pursued various business interests including executive health and fitness in the early 1980s and the importation and distribution of fitness equipment in the late 1980s. He also owned and operated a number of successful property businesses.
His involvement in community activities has been a prominent feature in his life. He has been a member of the Methodist Ladies College Foundation, the Scotch College Foundation and, as a board member of the RMIT and Monash 'Global Reconciliation Program' has assisted in reconciliation both in Australia and overseas. He has chaired the Victorian Division of 'Lord Taverner's, a charitable association supporting indigenous, disadvantaged, deaf and blind young people to play cricket. He has been a Committee member of CASSE working with aboriginal people in Central Australia addressing mental health problems and assisting to establish healthy futures, independent of Government financial support; a Director of the 'Northern Journeys Foundation', assisting indigenous people to develop empowering social and activity networks; and is a Director of the Board of 'Project Rozana' which raises funds for health services and the treatment of critically ill Palestinian children in Israeli Hospitals.
Gareth Andrews attended North Geelong State School before his enrolment as a day student at Geelong College from 13 February 1958 to December 1964. At College, he was a McArthur House Prefect in 1963, and McArthur House Captain and School Prefect in 1964. In 1963, he was awarded a Fen and Roy Pillow Bursary. In 1964, he was awarded the Dr Gus Kearney Memorial Prize for all-round ability and service to the College.
His sporting achievements at College were comprehensive. He came 2nd in the Under 16 Athletics Championship in 1962. The following year, 1963, he was the awardee of the J H Campbell Trophy for the Under 17 Athletics Championship. In 1964, he was equal second in the Open Athletics competition and awarded the 'Norman Morrison Cup'. For three years from 1962 to 1964 he was a member of the Athletics Team, the 1st XI Cricket and the 1st XVIII Football Teams. He was also a member of the APS 1st Football XVIIIs in 1963 and 1964 and the APS 2nd Cricket XIs in 1964. He was the APS leading goal kicker in 1963 and 1964. The 1963 and 1964 College Football XVIIIs were the best to be fielded for many years and proved this through winning the APS Premiership in 1963 and coming co-equal in the Premiership competition in 1964. It had been 31 years since College had last achieved an APS Football Premiership.
In keeping with his participation, he was also a member of the Athletics (1963, 1964), Cricket (1963, 1964) and Football Committees (1964). He was also Cadet Unit Officer in charge of 3rd Platoon in 1964. Gareth left College to study at University and play professional football.
His grandfather,
Arthur Tremayne Andrews (1872-1932); father, Vautin Hilary Andrews (1914-1975); and brothers, Charles Tremayne Andrews, and Kenneth Tremayne Andrews (1944-2003) were also educated at Geelong College.
In recognition of his achievement, Gareth Eliot Tremayne Andrews was inducted into the Old Geelong Collegians' Association (OGCA) Notables Gallery at Geelong College on 27 October 2018.
At the King's Birthday Honours in 2024, Gareth was made a Member of the Order of Australia: "For significant service to the Australian Football League as a player and administrator, to men’s health, and to the community."
Sources: G Andrews; The Weekly Review 15 November 2012; The Age (Melb) 17 September 2013; p12; The Age (Melb) 26 March 2017 p29; https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/3026605