Introduction
My initial connection to Peter is through my schooling years at Whitebridge
High School – in a suburb just south of Newcastle NSW.
Many of you will have met Peter under similar circumstances, or through
another great love of his ‘the live theatre’, or through the
extensive travelling he did. Others will know Peter as he travelled through
life, and many, in recent times, as he struggled to accept his final lot
in life in the nursing home following his stroke in 2002.
No matter how you came to know Peter, he left his ‘mark’ and it became the start of a lifelong friendship to so many of us.
He could be an intense character, with a passion for perfection in all that he did (and expected people to give to the best of their natural abilities!). On the other hand he could be very relaxed, often characterised by his wicked sense of humour.
He relished his job in the teaching profession (initially in the field of sports, then mathematics, and finally administration) and the interaction and satisfaction that successfully ‘shaping’ lives brought (as a ‘father’ figure in many instances). One could say he had another ‘full time’ job with his involvement in live theatre – one often wonders how he managed to juggle everything!
Although not having strong family ties, Peter more than made up for this with his extended family and all those he came to know and love during the course of his life.
It’s clear to see that Peter was a ‘collector’ of memorabilia, and everything he took an interest in, he did with great detail and passion – the legacy of this is that it has allowed more than ample material for the creation of this website.
Peter dutifully recorded his travels, teaching assignments at various locations, and theatrical involvement, through photos, slides, albums, scrapbooks and the like.
He also had a great interest in the cinema and had recorded over 2000 video cassettes with movie greats over a twenty year period. All of these, including the relevant actors, were catalogued, graded, and cross referenced. These were given to a ‘movie buff’ in Brisbane, but with my car absolutely full to the brim with cassettes, and barely enough room for the driver, made the trip of 100km quite ‘hair raising’!
Peter also has audio recordings of many theatre productions, and these have not been checked out at present.
Peter also had stamp and coin collections. He had a keen interest in collecting ‘limited edition’ plates for display during his overseas travels, as well as many other trinkets and memorabilia, as can be seen in some of the photos of his home. He also tried his hand at painting in his late fifties, many of which ‘adorned’ his home.
Whatever sparked Peter’s interest he took on with great enthusiasm, energy, and detail.
A particular aspect of Peter’s personality was his natural ability to attract long term friendships, and to nurture them all through his life. His memory and wit were sharp till the end.
So this website contains lots of memorabilia obtained from Peter’s home, which I am sure you will agree is worthwhile uploading, so we can all stroll down ‘memory lane’.
As many of Peter’s friends were in a similar age bracket and/or may not have computer access, I am hopeful that every effort will be made to allow them to see this material.
I trust you enjoy these memories of our dear friend.
Allan Searant