Andrew was born on the 13th January 1937, the 3rd son of Sir Arnold Horace Santo Waters VC, CBE, DSO, MC. and Lady Gladys Eveline Maude Barriball in Birmingham. He had two older brothers Roger Norman born in 1931 and Anthony John known as Tim born in 1926

Andrew was educated at The Leys School, a Public School in Cambridge where he was a boarder. It was at school that Andrew first played hockey where they had excellent facilities. In fact, the venue was chosen in March 1952 by The Hockey Association for their "First International Trial". After leaving school Andrew went to the University of Birmingham to read Engineering and took up playing squash. He also played golf first at Sutton Coldfield and later at Little Aston Golf Club. However, during the 1955-56 hockey season Andrew was requested by his brother Roger, who was captain of the Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club’s 3rd team to play when they were short of players, Andrew joined the Club the following season, so began Andrew’s long association of 65 years with the Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club. Incidentally, he was also a very competent bridge player

On graduation from the University of Birmingham he joined R. M. Douglas, where their chairman was Sir Robert Douglas and a personal friend of Andrew’s father Sir Arnold and remained there until he had built sufficient experience to join the family firm of A. H. S. Waters and Partners, a consulting engineering firm, with his father and elder brother, Tim. In 1985 A. H. S. Waters and Partners joined Mott, Hay and Anderson, which subsequently became Mott MacDonald, following its merger of Sir M. MacDonald and Partners in 1989.
On the 5th September 1963, Andrew married Diana Mathieson of Boldmere, whose brother, Robert played hockey for the Sutton hockey club. The married couple moved to Leicester whilst Andrew was working with R. M. Douglas in the construction of the M1 motorway.
In the late 1980's whilst working for Mott, Hay and Anderson, Andrew and Diana lived in Hong Kong for 18 months on a major project installing a new sewage outfall to reduce the high level of pollution then present within the harbour. Incidentally the word Hong Kong actually means Fragrant Harbour, so it was an attempt to restore the water to be fitting with the name.
In 1956, Andrew decided to play hockey for the Sutton Coldfield Club on a regular basis and was an automatic 1st team player continuing to play in the 1st team for 6 seasons, initially under the captaincy of John F. Wheatcroft who retired at the end of the 56 - 57 season; incidentally John was an exceptionally gifted player and had had a trial with the England squad at Leys School in March 1952. During this period in time Andrew played under a number of 1st team captains, namely, P. Norman (1957-59), L.R.S. Copley (1959-60), K.W. Ivens (1960-61), J.F. Lester (1961-62) and J. Bell (1962-64). However, in 1962 Andrew had a spell in the QE Hospital following a head injury acquired in a hockey game. On returning to hockey Andrew played in the 2nd team under the captaincy of W.J. Cardall (affectionately known as Willey) for a number of seasons. Although a back injury did prevent Andrew from playing hockey for a couple of seasons, but he does recall a game at Kidderminster when he was about to score a goal, having got around the goalkeeper, who prevented Andrew scoring by breaking Andrews' stick!

A dispute between a number of hockey players who also played cricket, resulted in them leaving the Club to play their hockey with Kings Heath HC. However, after a 6-year absence the renegades returned to play for Sutton in the 1978 – 79 season, with Andrew assisting their return using his good offices. The introduction of the drink and drive laws were causing serious problems, a number of players were not happy about the situation but the President came out of retirement smoothing the troubled waters to play on the left wing, and with the help of a couple of new juniors who had joined the club, alongside Neil Houghton, the social 4th team was launched.

Andrew also captained the Over-35, Sunday team for 4 seasons; 1978 - 79 to 1982 - 83.

Although Andrew had ceased playing serious hockey, he maintained a very active relationship with the Club and, when Arthur Spencer retired as President in 1979, due to ill health, Andrew was elected President, a position he occupied for 30 years until 2009. He was an excellent President very much with the annual Easter Hockey tournament at Weymouth, staying at the Kenora Guest House when the Club would put out two teams under the name of the Strollers on the Friday, Saturday and Monday with Andrew playing in the 2nd team. He was exceptionally good at making new tourists very welcome and seeing that they enjoyed their hockey and the Easter Sunday visit to the Half Moon pub, in Thomas Hardy country for lunch.

Andrew was someone who would speak his mind and it is worth recording a game against Nottingham Hockey Club played at Rectory Park on the grass pitch, when the Nottingham captain, who was a robust and sometime aggressive player flattened a young Sutton lad playing at left half in a 4th team game. The President called the Nottingham captain a "Penis" who was outraged about Andrew's remark, and complained vigorously to the umpire, Peter Vause, who like most of the player's in both teams saw the funny side. However, the Nottingham captain involved in the incident went home straight after the game, not stopping for tea or a drink. The following season when the Sutton 4th team was away at Nottingham the incident was remembered by both teams with much jocularity.
During Andrew's Presidency, while seconded by his employers to work in Hong Kong for 18 months John Dixon took on the post of acting President, referred to as the Surrogate President. However, in Hong Kong, Andrew first played League Hockey, so when it arrived in the Midlands; Andrew was very familiar with the pros and cons of league hockey.

Now back from Hong Kong, the annual dinner in 1991 to celebrate the Club's centenary, was held in a marquee on the cricket ground in front of the clubhouse due to the number of members and guests wishing to attend the function at which Roger Self, the mastermind of the GB success at the Seoul Olympics of 1988, was the guest speaker.
On the 17th April 2004, a marquee was required on the same area to accommodate the number of guests attending a dinner dance in celebrating Andrew Waters 25 years as the Club's President. To mark the occasion, the President, who was known with great respect as “The Pres” and Diana as “Lady Di” was presented with a silver salver as a mark of the Club's appreciation of his continued service as their President. He had seen the club through the financial strain and difficulties that the Club found itself in. 1), In repaying its share of the debt that the newly erected clubhouse had incurred and 2), The very difficult negotiations with the Birmingham City Council for the construction of the ASTRO hockey playing surface at Wyndley and its funding by the Lottery Commission.

Andrew stood down as the Club's President at the end of the 2008 - 09 season after 30 years at the helm, in favour of David Holder, although he was still a spectator at matches involving the Club in 2019 with Diana at his side despite his degenerating illness that he fought bravely for nearly 15 years that in the end finally claimed his life on 11th September 2020.

Due to the Pandemic Covid-19 regulations, his Funeral Service was limited to a maximum of 30 persons, including only family member and close friends at the All Saints’ Parish Church in Streetly followed by a private committal at Streetly Crematorium. Andrew leaves a wife, Diana, two sons, John and Arnie, 6 grandchildren - 3 by John (Kathryn, Andrew and Robert) and (Megan, Richard and Douglas) by Arnie. He will always be remembered at Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club as “The Pres”.

Peter R.G. Bell
October 2020