PACE MAN - PAT CUMMINS
Australia’s most famous bachelor, Tim Robards, has fallen in love with the romance of winemaking.
The key partnership in his life, besides his magnetic wife, Anna, is with Shun Eto - the co-founder of the award-winning wine brand, Elle Rosé.
Named after Tim and Anna’s eldest daughter, Elle, this pretty, light rosé has already won gold at the prestigious Australian and New Zealand Boutique Awards. Even more impressive, it was included in a blind tasting of 100 wines, and this was only the first time it was put to the palette.
Far from merely being a celebrity ambassador, Cummins is an owner of the business and super excited about the benefits of PACE, especially about giving kids an alternative to sugary beverages.
He’s seen the way that sugar has an immediate effect on children just by observing his three-year old son, Albie, before and after a sugar hit.
Cummins has been working on PACE for a “a couple of years” and has been involved in every aspect of its development – from the choice of ingredients to its packaging.
“Right from the start, our intention was to produce a sports drink that had zero sugar, natural ingredients and have a great taste,” he says.
“That’s why I partnered with Nexba, as they have a good, sweet blend with a natural sweetener that’s available in all of their drinks.
“I love that PACE tastes great but it’s also filled with all the good stuff including amino acids, probiotics and natural ingredients but minus the calories. That’s huge for a sports drink,” he insists.
He wants to educate all of us to stop reaching for loaded drinks following an exercise session or even just when we’re thirsty.
“You might be doing a workout to lose weight but then you’re putting the sugary stu into your body which does the opposite,” he points out.
“It basically renders your workout useless.”
PACE, which is a clear drink far removed from the lurid colour of most sports beverages, is available in three flavours – lemon lime, peach and watermelon. It’s sure to be the look and the taste of a long hot Australian summer.
Pat Cummins will of course be in the thick off it but he’s also involved in a few projects that have taken him into the very heart of Australia.
Shortly after he and his wife, Becky, welcomed Albie into the world, Cummins became a UNICEF Ambassador as he wanted to do something positive for indigenous children in some of Australia’s most remote areas.
He flew to Borroloola, in the Northern Territory where the Indi Kindi Program is supported by UNICEF in partnership with the Moriarty Foundation. Led by local Aboriginal women, Indi Kindi integrates education, health and wellbeing for children in isolated townships.
“Education has always been important in my life,” Cummins explains. “My mum Maria was a teacher and I also had the opportunity of gaining a university education but it’s something that can’t be taken for granted.
Currently available online and at specialist wine retailers, it’s also on the wine lists of some of Australia’s most stellar restaurants for further exclusivity.
Tim Robards has always taken a scholarly approach to everything that he takes on, delving into each area and learning as much as he can about it.
So, it is with his acting career, and life as a chiropractor, which are his day jobs, along with being a high-profile influencer. By his own admission, he’s spent a fortune on acting lessons, and it seems to have paid off. This year he has scored a major film role on the Gold Coast, but he’s not ready to disclose any details about that yet before the official announcement.
It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey.
‘Last year was really tough,” he admits.“I went eight months without an audition. Then I was down to one of the final two for a couple of big roles, but both times it went to the other guy.”
Still, there was plenty to keep him occupied with the birth of his second daughter, Ruby, as well as giving Anna his support as she runs her business Intu Wellness - the collagen powder supplement, that has already been featured on the front cover of Australian Life.
This month, the family will take some well-deserved time out with a short break at the luxe Hayman Island Resort, which will coincide with Valentine’s Day.
“We’re hoping to get a babysitter for a special night out,” he says.
The Queensland resort will be the perfect setting to celebrate each other and all they’ve achieved so far. No doubtafine bottle of luscious Elle Rosé will crown the occasion. Cheers to that.
“We’ve rolled out the solar panels to various clubs around Australia and we want to keep expanding. It’s something that I’m really passionate about,” he explains.
He believes that cricket can lead the way on climate solutions and create change that benefits everyone.
“We want the next generations to experience the joys of our planet and to continue to play cricket now and into the future,” he says.
After all, it wouldn’t be the same if cricket was only paid indoors in floodlit, air-conditioned stadiums. It would then become a sanitised version of an iconic sport that is part of our culture. One that goes hand-in-glove during a typical Australian summer.
As well as the many projects, he continues to juggle, Cummins still has plenty of ambitions for his own career. He wants to represent his country as an Olympian when cricket is reintroduced in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. (It was played in the 1900 Summer Olympics but with only two entrants).
“I’d love to be in the thick of that, especially having just witnessed so many amazing achievements from the Australian Olympic team,” he says. “It would be huge to represent Australia and I think I have a chance in 2028 to get into that side.”
He concedes that he will be 35 then, and no doubt, there will be lots of younger cricketers vying for the crucial spot in the Australian Olympic team.
In the meantime, Captain Cummins is also teaching us another valuable lesson, which is around self-care and having the courage to prioritise our own health and wellbeing. He’s currently on an eight week break away from the crease, so he can replenish himself in preparation for a high stakes summer of cricket. It takes real guts not to bow to the pressure of always having to show up.
Cummins and his family will no doubt spend time away at their farm in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales where they have a herd of just nine cows.
“I have very little clue about what I am doing, so the boys take the piss out of me and call me a pretend farmer,” he says. He’ll probably make time to enjoy plenty of PACE to stay hydrated.
Pat Cummins is not only an inspiring cricket captain and owner of PACE, but also an extremely well-rounded man, who deserves every accolade he receives. The Australian Prime Minister should be so lucky.
