Before he was a big name in sports, Peter V’Landys was a student at the University of Wollongong. Photo: NRL.
A migrant kid in Wollongong to head honcho of Australia’s two biggest sports – Peter V’Landys has come a long way over the course of his career.
The NRL and horse racing boss credits his parents’ hard work and his time at the University of Wollongong with setting him up for success.
Peter migrated to Wollongong from Greece with his family as a young boy and remembers his dad working from 6 am until midnight at the steelworks, and his mum pulling 7 am to 7 pm shifts in a cafe.
He said his parents showed him the importance of hard work and education.
“Mum and Dad worked so hard, they could never come to watch us play sport or anything like that,” he said.
“But they came to see my graduation. They were enormously proud when I got my degree.”
It was a tough slog for Peter, who said he wasn’t a natural student, although he tried hard.
He also worked at the Unanderra Hotel to support himself through his degree.
The university celebrates 50 years of tertiary education in Wollongong this year, and Peter credited the unique culture at UOW with getting him through his degree.
“It felt more like family than uni, and that was lucky for me because I would have been the worst student ever,” he said.
“If I got a pass I used to do cartwheels – even the subjects I repeated I didn’t get a credit.
“Despite that I was treated equally; we were all treated like high distinction students.
“If I was just an afterthought in class I probably wouldn’t be where I am.
“But the tutors and lecturers were all very professional; you didn’t have to be the greatest star of all time as long as you tried your hardest they would support you to make your way through.”
Peter graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in accountancy.
On top of the pride he felt seeing his parents at his graduation, Peter said the uni gave him other gifts.
As a migrant kid in Australia, growing up in Wollongong wasn’t always easy.
“You were seen as a stranger; you weren’t seen as being Australian and you had to work hard to become an Australian,” he said.
“That’s not being critical of the Aussie kids because they were intimidated by new people coming into their country as much as we were intimidated by them, but it did make it hard for migrants to become part of the community.
“And kids being kids, they say what they think.
“But the uni helped the town become more cohesive and attract a lot of people from Sydney and other places.
“It was somewhere you could meet new people, people who would be the decision-makers of the future.”
One life-changing experience Peter had at UOW was shared by another prominent alumnus, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.
In a word – girls.
“I went to an all-boys school, so sitting next to a girl on my first day of uni was quite a striking thing,” Peter said.
“I was intimidated!”
Reflecting on the number of prominent alumni the uni has turned out Peter said he wasn’t surprised many of them had made a name for themselves.
He said there was something unique about the uni, and the city, that brought out the best in people.
“Being from Wollongong does toughen you up a little bit, especially the ones who went to UOW from public schools,” he said.
“You’re not as fragile as the others, and it does encourage big personalities.
“I think Wollongong as a city assists people in being themselves.
“It’s much bigger now of course and certainly more prestigious, but it still punches well above its weight.
“I always pride myself on my time at UOW because I think it is one of the best – you get everything you get at the other universities and you get the friendliness and that value of treating everyone equally.”
His advice to students – or anyone – today?
Hard work, hard work, and more hard work.
“If you’re a normal student and you work hard you can achieve things you’re probably not expected to do,” he said.
“The university is a magnificent platform, and it will change you, but you still have to work hard, not only at university but in your career.
“Hard work always brings lucky breaks, and if you don’t work hard it doesn’t matter how lucky you get.”
