Long standing Rotarian and member of our Club, Andrew Daniels, passed away on 10 June 2022. Andrew is the father of fellow member, Mark Daniels.
Andrew was born on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus in 1944. Andrew and his family left Cyprus by ship in 1950 and arrived in Sydney 6 weeks later at the beginning of 1951. Living in Kingsford and later Maroubra, he attended Daceyville Public School, South Sydney Junior and Maroubra Bay High Schools, completing his Leaving Certificate in 1963.
School life was difficult at first, with having no English and, in the 1950's, being from a foreign culture, it was difficult to fit in. With an inner toughness and resilience, Andrew was a quick learner. This stoicism is something he kept all his life. With a fascination for history and technical subjects, he began his pursuit of knowledge, a trait that would continue for the rest of his life. Andrew excelled at sport, and with his size and speed played rugby league all through high school, playing full back from first year to second row in his final year. He also played cricket, rugby and soccer, but rugby league was his first love. It was the toughness of sport that encapsulated his disposition. In his final years of school, he made Sydney and NSW representative sides, was a school prefect and made fierce friendships that he held and cherished throughout his life.
After high school, Andrew attended Sydney Technical College studying Civil Engineering and Surveying, and then the NSW Institute of Technology to study Architecture. He secured his first full-time job with the Water Board when they needed a second rower for the inter-public service rugby league competition.
Andrew met Georgina in 1963 and they married in 1968, and had two sons, Michael in 1971 and Mark in 1974. Andrew and Georgina and their family celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2018.
In 1992, Andrew became an accredited building consultant and expert witness. In 2001, at the age of 57, he returned to university and completed his studies to become an Arbitrator, and later a Mediator. It was as an expert building consultant where he excelled. Using his vast knowledge of building, Andrew appeared as an expert witness for clients in court, never losing a case in 20 years. It was the work he enjoyed - the challenge of the argument, putting the knowledge of his craft to the test, all in pursuit of helping people.
Andrew was motivated in helping people. He demonstrated this by his commitments and efforts with Rotary. He joined Rotary in 1978 with the Rotary Club of Alexandria, and later the Rotary Club of Botany, later to become Botany Randwick. He received the Paul Harris Fellow award for his contributions to serving the community. He introduced his son Mark to Rotary in 2001 and in 2022 at his last Rotary meeting, he presented Mark with the same award for service.
Andrew had a great love for his 4 grandchildren, Andrew, Angela, Andrew and Isabella, two daughters-in-law Gilda and Tina, who meant the world to him. He was proud of their achievements and was always encouraging and supportive. He took interest in their interests of sporting endeavours, art or collecting and loved nothing more than to take them to museums to buy books to encourage their learning.
Andrew had a great fascination for history and politics. A self-learner and immense reader, he obtained a detailed knowledge of Ancient Egypt, Greece and theology. He could debate with certainty on any topic at an in-depth level. He loved sharing his knowledge with others.
None of his achievements would have been possible without his lifelong loving relationship with Georgina. After 59 years, he always loved and cherished her, and up till his last moments his concern was about leaving her alone.
Andrew's family and friends have described him as a loving, strong, determined, loyal friend, a mentor, a teacher, a family man who never gave up on himself or his family. Most importantly, after all of his achievements, Andrew was foremost a loving, supportive and devoted husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, who will be forever remembered and greatly missed.