Local Bloke… Shane Byrne from Clovelly

By James Hutton on June 12, 2018 in People

Get in shape with Shane!

Clovelly’s Shane Byrne moved to Sydney as a young fella and has called the Eastern Suburbs home ever since. He shares his local favourites with The Beast…

How long have you lived here? I grew up in Taree and Forster and moved to Sydney with my parents at the age of 7. I’ve lived in Clovelly for the last 18 years, with a few short stints spent living in BrisVegas and The Netherlands – for work, not play!

Why do you live here? Cloey is the little gem of the East. It still manages a community feel, which I love to be a part of.

What’s your favourite beach? I have two: Bronte, if I want to jump in the waves and have a body surf, and Clovelly – the Amalfi Coast of the East – for a dip, a few laps of the bay or a snorkel with my kids to check out the blue gropers.

What’s your favourite eatery? Uyen Vietnamese restaurant in Charing Cross – hands down the best Vietnamese in Sydney. The food is amazing and the owners (Richard and Vi) even more so. We have been going to their restaurant for over 20 years and the food never disappoints. Local’s tip: get the rice paper rolls with prawn and pork – amazing.

Where do you like to have a drink? With two kids aged 11 and 13, I spend most weekends travelling all over Sydney attending sporting events, which means that my favourite destination is home for a few sherbets. The Charing Cross Hotel is a pretty cool hangout these days and has a great selection of beers on tap.

Best thing about the Eastern Suburbs? The beaches – what else would you choose?! Being able to run down and jump in the water any day is a privilege I never take for granted.

Worst thing about the Eastern Suburbs? The traffic, it sucks! It makes getting anywhere in Sydney stressful.

Do you have a favourite sporting team? My sons’ AFL club, the Moore Park Tigers. I have played basketball most of my life so I love watching the NBA. The Aussies playing in the US at the moment are doing amazing things.

What music are you into at the moment? I listen to anything from Metallica to Enya, and I don’t mind some of the new artists at the moment, but my go-to list would be a bit old-school: Live, Midnight Oil, Fleetwood Mac, INXS, Simple Minds…

Who is your favourite person? My beautiful wife and two kids, and a shout out to my business partner, Nic Monteforte.

What do you get up to on the weekends? If I have a morning to myself I will go up and have a workout at the best gym on the planet, Gym 115 (corner of Rae and Avoca Streets, Randwick). Living in the East, the best way to start the weekend is going for a walk and a swim, it’s such a great hangover cure!

What do you do for work? I just opened Gym 115 in Randwick after working in the fitness industry for 25 years. Late last year the opportunity to take over the old Black Belt Pro site became available. We offer everything from small group classes, like HIIT and boxing, to cardio, and free and machine weights. We also have a great wellness space offering yoga, pilates and BARRE classes. Come up and check us out, we believe we have the best offering around.

What’s your favourite thing about work? Working in the fitness industry means I need to stay healthy – not Superman healthy, but heart and body healthy. That’s a pretty good benefit to get from your work.

Do you have a favourite quote? “It’s not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.” This has gotten me through my working career so far.

Any other words of wisdom for readers of The Beast? “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to take a look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Wise words from the great Ferris Bueller.