THERE is a common saying in tight-knit communities that you have to be a resident for at least 20 years before you can be considered a local.
But Peter Quennell, who blew into Maffra from Melbourne 20 years ago, made his mark on the area much more quickly than that.
When he moved to ‘Chimney Hill Farm’, between Maffra and Newry, he quickly set about becoming a part of the place.
Peter was born on August 22, 1948, in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Brighton Beach, and died on Christmas morning 2020, surrounded by his loved ones, after a short illness.
He was the youngest son of Audrey and Kenneth Quennell, and loved brother of Bruce (deceased), Graeme and Geoff.
Peter’s early life featured an overseas adventure in 1970, when he worked at Jaguar cars in London, and saw much of the United Kingdom and Europe.
He returned to Australia overland along the iconic ‘hippy trail’, driving through Afghanistan and South-East Asia and completing part of the journey in an old London bus.
His tertiary studies resulted in accounting, corporate administration and company secretary qualifications, which set him up for his long and successful career as a corporate accountant and financial controller for a number of different companies.
When Peter met his partner Margaret Hunter (now deceased) through their shared love of bushwalking, they indulged their love of international and domestic travel, and began plotting their escape from the city.
When they came across ‘Chimney Hill Farm’ they knew they had found their home, and bought it.
When they moved in, they were kept busy with the task of learning how to farm.
But knowing the rewards and benefits of community organisations, Peter joined the Maffra Rotary Club and Maffra Show Society.
He became involved with Wellington Shire, assisting with both bushfire and flood relief.
In addition, he was a small business mentor and coach and was employed as an election scrutineer and census collector in some of the more remote areas of our district – a job which he often spoke of in terms of the interesting situations he found himself in.
This work introduced him to many people in the broader community, and endeared him to many who were going through hard times.
Some years ago he was appointed chairman of the Blackberry Taskforce and in true Pete style, set about eradicating the world of the dreaded blackberry. Sadly, this was perhaps a goal too large for even him to meet.
Some years back, Rex Murray and Pete decided Maffra needed a Men’s Shed.
Together, they worked over many months to develop the idea and eventually bring it to fruition.
In the final 12 months of his life, Peter was focused on trying to obtain a new location for the Men’s Shed following advice that their current lease would not be renewed.
Under Jim King’s leadership, the Men’s Shed has now secured a suitable location on which to build.
Although Pete had died by the time this news came through, we all paused for a moment and shared a toast him, with thoughts of how he would have been smiling from ear to ear.
The Men’s Shed is now a vital part of the Maffra community, and continues to grow.
Some years ago, a redhead by the name of Blaze came into Peter’s life.
She is a lovely dog who Peter loved enormously, and she was at his side wherever he went. So much so that she became the unofficial ambassador for the Men’s Shed, and continues to attend at least one meeting a week.
Arguably, Pete’s greatest legacy is the Gippsland Vehicle Collection.
Peter, along with Peter McDavitt and Foster Crooke, came up with the idea of finding a home and display area for the many classic cars and vehicles in the Maffra district, during a visit from the Melbourne Grand Prix Rally in March 2002, in which classic cars were encouraged to be displayed along the main street of Maffra.
As he liked to recall and often said, “Three blokes came up with a good idea over a couple of beers”.
A good idea is one thing, but taking this particular good idea forward, was another.
A building was quickly identified, temporarily secured and a club, the Gippsland Vehicle Collection, was formed.
Ever the enthusiast, Peter, his two friends and a growing cohort of similarly enthusiastic and energetic volunteers, brought a vision to reality.
The grand opening was held on October 15, 2006. Through all of the transformation and development to what is there today, Peter was always in the mix, promoting, advocating and working, either in one of the many volunteer roles or as part of the leadership team, as an executive member and office bearer of GVC.
He was instrumental in its transformation from idea to reality.
It is now one of the region’s biggest tourist attractions – and a multi-award winning one at that.
Everyone who had the privilege of knowing Pete through community organisations, professional commitments, the GVC or social networks had the pleasure of knowing a truly accomplished and humble man.
He had a wry sense of humour, a merry twinkle in his eye and a keen sense of the ridiculous.
Pete never bragged of his achievements, nor bemoaned the time and energy given to his different pursuits.
But he was quietly proud of what he and his friends worked to achieve, and enjoyed every minute of it.
In Peter we have lost a father, partner, brother, friend, a worker, a strategist, an ideas man who turned dreams into realities, an intrepid traveller, a lover of culture and nature, a man who daily took in the world around him with wonder, and a true gentleman.
Peter is survived by his partner Sue Lawrence, daughter Bridget and stepdaughters Jordana and Nerida Hunter, their partners, and his seven grandchildren.
He was the former husband and valued friend of Elka, and loving partner of Margaret Hunter (deceased). – Contributed
