Goodfellows manager Andrew Hodges.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Fate is one of the reasons the business has thrived during the years.
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Almost 20 years ago, Andrew Hodges followed the love of his life from the coastal suburb of Scarborough, Western Australia to the Victorian town of Shepparton.
That love just happened to be Graham Goodfellow’s daughter, Amanda.
When the pair met, Andrew was a qualified and experienced mechanic and was working in the mining industry as an expiration driller, a role he said was quite unique.
“We were literally out in the middle of nowhere drilling at times,” he said.
“Small crew, talking to no-one for days on end, how things have changed.”
Two decades have passed since then, and for those 20 years, Andrew has been an integral part of the Goodfellows team beside his wife Amanda and father-in-law, friend and Goodfellows owner, Graham Goodfellow.
“It’s been a wild ride,” Andrew said, as he then joked about the colour of his hair.
“It’s been great, but it hasn’t always been easy.”
Andrew recalled a moment where the business changed right before his eyes, it was a big one, but he had seen many changes over the years.
“I was out the front here at the office and saw an Ertech ute drive past,” he said.
“I knew they were a valued contractor to clients in the mining industry, because I used to see them a lot when living in Western Australia.
“So, I ran to my car and chased them down the road to find out why they were in Shepparton.”
By chance Andrew caught the vehicle at the old Shell servo where SAM is now located, and maybe call it fate, because what happened next kick started a huge element to the businesses ongoing growth.
“They were in Shepparton to find a company that could rent out a fleet of utes and we got the contract,” Andrew said.
“How that all worked out I will never know, but things really changed from there on in.
“The fleet grew instantly and still to this day it continues to grow.”
Andrew’s role across the company has seen him excel in every aspect of the business, his heart and soul has been poured into it alongside his wife’s and the pair has been managing it successfully now for more than 10 years.
When asked how his working relationship was with his father-in-law and business owner, Graham, he chuckled.
“I’ve always just worked for the man, and he is the boss,” he said.
“And Butch is a bloody amazing man.”
Goodfellows managers Andrew and Amanda Hodges.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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