Touring Car Masters competitor Andrew ‘Fishtail’ Fisher — who won the Domestic Trophy Race at the Winton event — made Deniliquin High School one of his first pit stops.
The visit was organised by PDHPE teacher Anthony Michael, who said the students benefited greatly from his talk.
‘‘We had Andrew speak with Year 8 and 9 students as it linked with what we’re doing in PDHPE,’’ he said.
‘‘He talked about things like drugs, alcohol, relationships and how important it is to make good life choices around these subjects, drawing from life experiences of his own.
‘‘The kids also enjoyed the car he brought and were taken aback by how loud it was.’’
Andrew, who drives a classic Ford Falcon GTHO in the Touring Car Masters Series, delivered a dynamic multi-media presentation to students called ‘Life Choices’.
‘‘It is a fast-paced presentation, which includes our racing highlights,’’ he said.
‘‘Often, who we are has more to do with our circumstances and influences than what we want for ourselves.
‘‘The only way to break free from this is to make a cognitive decision to go in a different direction.
‘‘I challenge the students to stop and think about who or what they want to become.’’
Over the past decade Andrew has spoken to more that 300,000 young people about topics like smoking, drinking, drugs, social media, relationships, road safety, values and beliefs.
He has also spoken to many inmates at gaol, hoping to get their lives on the right path.
‘‘I combine my experiences in life and on the track with facts and statistics.
‘‘They appreciate the honesty and openness and, of course, having a replica race car that we bring along as part of the program doesn’t hurt.
‘‘I am there to challenge them to leave the past behind, they have obviously made some poor choices, however they need to focus on who they want to become and work hard towards that if they don’t want to be part of the statistic that sees 65 per cent of offenders re-offend.
‘‘With the inmates I challenge them to have the courage to choose the legacy they want to leave behind. I truly believe everyone has a value to their life.’’
