Snapshot: Peter Andrew
Occupation: I’m the IT manager for Familycare Visiting Nurse, out of Stratford.
Family: I’ve been married to Andrea Von Amelunxen for 14 years. We have one son, Gregory, who is 10 years old. I have two grown children in New Zealand, Nicky and Chris, and my grandchildren Chloe, Emma, and Taylor. Nicky is expecting another child in April.
Pets: I’m a cat person. The house would be buried in cats, if I had my way, but Andrea is very allergic to them. So we have two budgies, Fancy and Henry, and a bunch of fish.
How long have you been in Newtown? I’ve been here since I came from New Zealand, 14 years ago, and Andrea has been here longer. I met her at a conference in Baltimore, and it got so it was cheaper to get married than to keep flying back and forth from New Zealand.
What do you like to do in your free time? I read a lot, and I’m a member of the Newtown Choral Society. I did sing with an opera company in New Zealand for five years, and was usually the understudy for the baritone lead. I’m interested in aircraft. When I have time, but not for a long time now, I love to build model aircraft. We like to attend shows. Big Bad VooDoo Daddy at the Ridgefield Playhouse is the next we plan to see.
Do you have a favorite book? My taste is eclectic. The genre I prefer is the thriller/mystery genre. But a fantasy author I particularly love is Terry Pratchett, who is a very entertaining writer.
Do you have a favorite travel destination? We came back from ten days in Paris this summer, and I love that city. I should mention our house we have at Loon Lake, in the Adirondacks. We spend a lot of time up there throughout the year, especially in the summer. Fifty paces from the water, and sometimes it is tough to come home! A lot of our travel time is spent going to New Zealand to visit family. I’d love to explore more of Europe.
What is the best thing about Newtown? I like the whole atmosphere. It’s what you think of if you think of a quintessential New England town. I also see the way the community all fits together, on the same page.
Who has been the greatest influence in your life? I’d have to say one of my singing teachers in New Zealand. He encouraged me to go on singing, and told me I had the potential to do more. He pulled strings for me, and got me in to the opera company, starting me down that particular track. I still sing and have done solos in various area concerts — but more Broadway stuff, which I also really enjoy singing.
Do you have a personal philosophy? Treat other people the way you’d like to be treated yourself.
Do you have a guilty pleasure? Wine. I’ve got a reasonably comprehensive wine cellar at home. I grew up in a winemaking region of New Zealand, and we always had wine with meals. I developed an interest in it as I got older. I keep an eye out for good deals on wines that keep well. I did buy a pairing of three consecutive years of a wine, which was fairly expensive. I forgot to bring wine up for a dinner one night, so Andrea went down to get some. She took one of the pairings. The next time I went to the cellar, I found a hole in the trio. It was my fault, for forgetting. I go get the wine now, every time.