You could say this is the story of an ordinary boy who lived life to the full, growing up in the 1940s to manhood in the 1950s. Peter was born in Grimsby England in 1936 three years before the start of World War 2. Grimsby then was the world’s premier fishing port. He was the youngest of three brothers and four sisters. In his first seven years, he hardly knew his merchant seaman father and brothers because they were fighting for their country. After the years in war-torn Grimsby and many unhappy school days, Peter discovered in sports — mainly football, cricket and fishing — a refuge from the classroom.

He left school at fifteen with a school report that said, “You must do better.” He began his apprenticeship in 1951 with the Grimsby Humber Graving Dock where after five hard years he earned his qualification as a steel fabricator, skills that later took him on many interesting worldwide journeys south from Grimsby. In 1964 Peter and his wife, Patricia emigrated to Africa. While living in Africa, he raised two children making these important years. The work he took in different countries demonstrated that this Grimsby lad could indeed, and would do better! Now Peter and his wife Patricia are enjoying their final journey retiring in Tauranga, New Zealand’s sunny Bay of Plenty.