People & Pubs

3 min August 22nd, 2022
Dads of AVC

This Father’s Day we want to shout out to all of the incredible Dads who are part of our team, regardless of the daggy one-liners or sometimes questionable fashion choices, you truly are a huge part of our community and we couldn’t do it without you.

Ahead of Father’s Day this year, we reached out to a few of the Dads in our crew and asked them what it’s like being a father and they nailed it. Have a read below…

Mark & Grace Westaway

“Being a father is a gift, there has been no greater experience than hearing my daughter say dad for the 1st time, watching her first steps, her first day of kindy then primary school. Let’s be honest she is no stranger to AVC and brownfield process, she even has a kids area at The Wallaby named after her.”

Meet Mark Westaway, one of our Brownfields Operations Managers.  Mark works with venue teams to deliver brownfield projects and loves nothing more than reopening a renovated pub to the local community.  The best part of seeing Mark do what he does best is when his love for his daughter, Grace, shines through at the same time.

Back in November 2020, The Wallaby Hotel was re-opened after a major makeover that Mark helped pull off, part of the reno was the addition of a new play area for kids to enjoy, named Graceland after his daughter. Imagine that? You’d seriously be the coolest kid at school!

Anthony, Emmy Lee, Kayden, Xavier and Xander Robertson

“Being a Dad means the world to me, it makes all the hard work at the pub worth it when you walk in the front door and have the children run up to you and say hello with a cuddle!”

A man of many talents, Anthony juggles being a Dad to four kids, Emmy Lee, Kayden, Xavier and Xander, and also being one of our State Operations Managers, which you could say is almost like being a Dad to some of our venues. He oversees the daily operations and supports the team of 4 venues in Queensland including Bribie Island Hotek, Taigum Tavern, Woodpecker Tavern and Bonny View Hotel.

Back in February of this year, Anthony and his wife Jess were the faces behind another one of our venues, Tom’s Tavern, which as part of a group-wide campaign donated $1 from every Parmi sold on Wednesdays to their chosen charity, and one that was extremely close to their hearts – the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Anthony and his family relied on RMHC for support during some of their hardest moments – when both the second youngest, Xavier, and then a few years later eldest, Emily Lee, were sick. We’re extremely proud of their fundraising efforts and that it has gone to such an important cause.

Ben & Harper Anderson-Glasic

“My role at AVC requires me to travel a lot with brownfields and acquisitions. I always look forward to coming home to hang with Harper and share the daddy duties with my husband Ash! Happy Fathers Day to all the dads at AVC!”

Lastly, meet Ben and his daughter Harper. A duo that’s better than a cold beer and pub classic after a long week.

As a first-time Dad and also our National Brownfield Operations Manager, Ben is no stranger to adapting to change and juggling work/life balance. When he’s not sharing cute photos of Harper, he’s busy launching renovated brownfield venues across Australia.

Ben works closely with our venue teams to guide them through the process of delivering a new brownfield project and has helped re-open venues like Coomera Lodge Hotel in Queensland and soon to be re-opened Telegraph Hotel in Tasmania and Bassendean Hotel in Western Australia just to name a few.

So, to all the Dads of AVC, thanks for being all-round legends!