Peter Higgins

Before Cov19 I was asked to do a story about Peter Higgins by Joanne McQuire, she thought of Peter as a wonderful neighbour who selflessly volunteers for different needs and projects in the district.

Peter’s story began when he was born in what is now the Bridgetown camp school, but was then Bridgetown hospital, his grandparents and his parents also lived in the district and like Peter spent their entire lives in and around Bridgetown.

His family had a farm out along the Boyup Brook Road, which was then gravel road, one of the best changes he has seen in his life has been bituminising of the roads. The gravel roads being bane of their life’s, the runts, the loose edges and the pot holes, dusty in the summer, slippery sticky mud in the wet, gravel roads were the curse of people living in the country.

Peter has been in the Lions for more than twenty years, during the days when ‘Lions Sheep Shearing’ was the main fund-raising event, through to today when fundraising is easier with the Lions doing Show Parking, Catering for the Blues at Bridgetown and doing Marshalling for the Blackwood Marathon.

In Rotary Peter is an honorary member, Rotary also being a major Fundraiser with the Blackwood Marathon and Tour of the Blackwood Bike Ride.

Peter then recalls some interesting tales about his life Bridgetown, “I also help out the Bridgetown Trotts, along with my brother we set the fires in 44 gallons at the track on those freezing nights, we had twelve meetings a year back then.”

“I was also an Owner Trainer of a couple of trotters, I only had one horse at time but I had some success with ‘Alvas Son’ and ‘Marty Wisp’.”

“I had to give the horses away because of my job on the Railways, The Railway camps were set up where the work was needed, it seemed the work was always just too far home to care for the horses properly, the camps were something else, the dining cars and sleeping cars were of a high standard and made having to live away from home just a little more tolerable.” Peter recalled.

In the late 50’s and early 1960’s Peter played football for the Warriors, he played as a rover resting on the wing.

“I was quick as a dart then.”

“Bridgetown had two football teams, ‘Warriors and Rovers’, this was in the days under the Nelson football Association, now the Lower Southwest League Association is in charge. I went onto umpire games, first as field umpire, but as I got older and slower, I then became a boundary umpire’ finally I was a Goal umpire.”

“Still loving the game, I then became the sports correspondent for ‘Bridgetown Manjimup Times’.”

Peter is now 82, his birthday was 21 of March, he enjoys spending his day outside in his carport, he loves seeing life come and go in front of his driveway, and if someone comes along with a bit of spare time he’ll start to reminisce about times gone by, maybe the Coal Crushing plant which made a terrible noise all day, it was located where the Ashbils garden now sits or fact the Blacksmiths shop was where Bridgetown Tyre’s is located, but his most pleasure now comes from his flowering garden which keeps him occupied at his own pace.

“I’m now having to sell my mountain bike; the active part of my life is wanning away.” Peter reflected

Joanne sadly has passed on, Peter’s eyes well up just think about her.