Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions – Today's Paper.
Mark Handby has a long history with south-west football, winning premierships and helping in coaching roles. He goes Under the Auld Pump with TIM AULD.
or signup to continue reading
Born: Port Fairy on December 21, 1985.
Wife: Ashlea. Children: Gigi, Winter and Mack.
Parents: Bob and Judi. Siblings: Sarah and Petria.
Education: Port Fairy Consolidated School before going to Warrnambool Primary School for grade six and then Warrnambool College for my secondary education.
Sporting highlight: Playing football with my two brothers-in-law, Simon O’Keefe and Jordan Brown, at Panmure.
Where did your footy career begin?
I played with Port Fairy in the old Vic Kick competition and then Port Fairy’s under-13 side.
My family made the move from Port Fairy to Warrnambool when I was in grade six and I joined the South Warrnambool Football Netball Club, playing in the under-14s, 16s and 18s.
Brian Brown was our coach at the Roosters. We won five out of six premierships and ended up losing eight games in six years.
We had players like Brett Moloney and Mark Evans playing in those sides. I made the move to Melbourne to attend university and ended up playing footy there before going to Darwin.
I played for Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory. There were only four sides in the competition but I was gobsmacked by the talent some of the players had.
I made the move back to Warrnambool in 2010.
Did you play footy when you moved home?
Yes. I was split between playing for Port Fairy and South Warrnambool. I ended up making the decision to play for Port Fairy.
I still had fond memories of attending primary school in Port Fairy where Dean Dwyer was our teacher and I had a jumper with his number four on it, so I probably was always going to play for them.
I’ll always remember my senior debut with the Seagulls. We played Warrnambool. I ended up kicking a goal with my first kick.
Sadly, Warrnambool beat us by nearly 200 points and I injured my collarbone and hamstring.
To top it off, I broke my wrist in the second quarter. Port Fairy’s coach was Shane Threfall in the 2011 season and his instructions to me before the game were to tag Warrnambool’s Josh Walters.
Josh ended up having more than 40 possessions while the Blues smashed us. One of the recruits we picked up for the 2011 season was Melbourne’s Paul Wheatley.
Paul was a great bloke and did his best for us in his role as an on-field leader. The injuries took a toll on me but I came back to play for Panmure in 2012 and 2013.
What was your reasoning in going to play footy at Panmure?
My brother-in-law Simon ‘Tocka’ O’Keefe was coaching Panmure at the time.
Tocka thought it would be a good idea if I went out there for a kick. It turned out to be a great decision as we won the premiership in 2012.
We defeated Kolora-Noorat by four points. I’ll never forget I rated myself as a fringe player back in 2012 and at training on the Thursday night I was really worried if I would get a game.
Gary ‘Big Show’ Robinson and Chris Bant were star players for us in 2012.
Big Show booted 100 goals. We followed the 2012 flag win with another premiership win in 2013 when we defeated Dennington.
Tocka was a great coach. He was a great leader on and off the field. His teammates walked taller when Tocka was on the ground.
I think the 2013 season was a better one for me. I seemed to play more consistently. I thought my footy career was over at the end of the 2013 season with Panmure but I came back and played in round one for Port Fairy against Portland in 2015 when Brett Evans was the senior coach.
I had a few concussions during my career, so I decided to hang up my boots.
For the last three years, I’ve helped out Port Fairy coach Dustin McCorkell on the bench.
What was that experience like, helping Dustin?
I’ve really enjoyed it. On paper, the results for us probably don’t look the best but we’ve had a lot of injuries and we never had the chance to put our best side on the ground.
I think Dustin has done a great job and the future is looking really bright for the Port Fairy Football Netball Club going forward, on and off the field.
The club has appointed Tyrone Ross as the new senior coach for 2026. It’s a great appointment.
Tyrone joined the club in 2024. Tyrone is a quiet achiever who is very enthusiastic and is highly regarded by everyone at the club and I’m sure he’ll do a great job.
I’ve found one of the great things about being involved with the club is every Tuesday and Thursday night Adrian Hearn has taken a group of us for boxing classes.
Personally, I’m very fit and it’s all got to do with the hard work Adrian has put in to my fitness.
Mark, you’ve been involved in local football for a many, years. Who are some of the best players that you’ve seen play?
I’ll always remember Shorty Anderson and Ben Thomas at South Warrnambool when I was a youngster. They were both great players.
Sam Rudolph was an exceptional player and so was Dan Nicholson. Josh Walters, Simon O’Keefe have to rate up with the best and Tim McPherson was also very good.
Mark, you were appointed in charge of City of Safety at the Warrnambool City Council in April of this year after being heavily involved in humanitarian work, mainly overseas. What’s it like being back at council as you worked there previously from 2010 to 2018?
It’s great to be back working for the council. We’ve got a great team in place. There’s plenty of great things going on in this area. The thing I’ve noticed since coming back to the council after a stint overseas is how the city is growing.
Daily
Today's top stories curated by our news team.
Weekdays
Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation.
Weekdays
Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening.
Weekly
Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters.
Weekly
Love footy? We've got all the action covered.
Twice weekly
Stay in the know on news that matters to you with twice weekly newsletters from The Senior.
Weekly
The latest news, results & expert analysis.
Weekly
Going out or staying in? Find out what's on.
Weekly
Keep up with netball news from across the region.
Weekly
Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe.
Weekdays
Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more.
Weekly
Real local, smart property news for regional Australia
Twice weekly
Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday.
Twice weekly
Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over.
Weekly
Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner.
As it happens
Be the first to know when news breaks.
Daily
Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am!
Daily
Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!
Advertisement
Advertisement