Accountant Andrew Webb likes to raise money and break stereotypes.
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The dad of three reckons he's not very good at running, swimming, dancing or singing - but, he has somehow become very good at "lifting up heavy things and putting them back down again".
So on Saturday, using what he describes as a "niche" talent for endurance weightlifting, he decided to find out the answer to the question: how many kilos can an accountant lift in an hour?
The answer turned out to be exactly 55,827.20kg - just 1890 kilos less than the Guinness World Record he was trying to break during an official attempt at the Black Diamond boxing ring in Wollongong in NSW's Illawarra, where he trains.
"If I had just lifted up and down 27 more times I would have made it," Mr Webb said.
"However I wasn't disappointed, because I couldn't have done any more."
"I had a good schedule, but I got about half way through and I was struggling. I had a really bad cramp in my hip. But I kept plugging away, I got a fraction behind and I couldn't quite make that up again. It wasn't through lack of trying and I made it all the way through to the end of the time."
Despite coming a little short of the record, Mr Webb managed to raise $27,800 and counting for the Aspect South Coast School, where his eldest son Callum attended.
"They've always been a cause very close to my heart," he said.
He has been hoping to attempt the record since earlier this year, but got waylaid first by a bout of COVID-19 and then a knee injury.
"I played Rugby for many years, and I've always done a bit of weight training - I'm not very good at a lot of other things but I am good at lifting up heavy things and putting them back down again, repeatedly," he said.
"The sport of endurance weightlifting is a pretty niche talent, but it's one I have a natural affinity for. I stumbled across this [record] in the old Guinness book and I thought, I reckon I could do that."
"I came painfully close - and I might have another go at it one day, but I'll see."
Mr Webb's efforts captured the attention of several Wollongong community leaders, and were lauded on the floor of the Australian Parliament on Monday.
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Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes said she had been delighted to watch the attempt of the "pretty damn cool" local man.
"He was aiming to crack 60,000 kilos, or just on one tonne per minute ... in an hour," she said.
"That's five reps of 70 kilos every 21 seconds."
"Andrew was supported by his amazing family and it was an absolute pleasure to get to know his wife Jade Webb and their gorgeous children Callum, Charlie and Molly as well as Jade's mum Lesley Reynolds and her brother Jeremy Reynolds who kept Callum amused on the day."
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
