Peter Carters

Peter Carters

February 27, 1938 - August 12, 2021

  Today on behalf of his adored wife Joanna, his children Deb, Michael, Rebecca, Michael and Mary, I would like to say a few words to honour and remember dad who touched our lives in so many ways. 

Peter Carters was born in Granville on 27th February 1938, to Henry Hilton and Martha Carters, the youngest of four boys, along with brothers Patrick, Richard and Keith. The family moved from Granville to Guilford when Dad was very young and he stayed there until he was married. He attended Parramatta Marist High School and excelled academically - so much so that he matriculated at the age of 15, attaining an A plus in all subjects except chemistry.

As dad told it, his parents thought he was too immature to attend university so they made him repeat his final school year - second time around he managed all A pluses, even for Chemistry. Dad then went on to complete a Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the NSW University of Technology, which changed its name to UNSW the year that dad graduated in 1958. I remember seeing photos of dad as a young man playing tennis, riding motorbikes and looking full of mischief - his brother Richard would often tell us stories of how much trouble Dad used to get into at this age. 

After graduating Dad gained a cadetship with the Sydney Water Board where he worked on his treasured Warragamba Dam whilst completing a Masters of Engineering. It was during this time that dad met my mum, Doreen and they were married in 1962. Dad had to grow up pretty quickly then as my sister Deb and brother Michael were born soon after in quick succession, only 13 months apart. Dad and mum went on to have two more children (me and my younger sister Rebecca) and were married for 21 years before separating in 1983.

As a young man, Dad was also a captain in the Army Reserve (or Citizen Military Forces as it was known then). He was very proud of his years of service with the reserve forces as a "Sapper" in the Royal Australian Engineers and attained the rank of Major before resigning his post when he was in his late thirties. I remember many slide nights at home as kids having to sit still through endless slides of the construction of Warragamba Dam and the army barracks or army campsites where Dad completed his training exercises - Dad loved regaling us with stories of both of these phases of his life.

Dad had a long, successful career working as a mechanical engineer attaining the designation of Fellow of Engineers Australia. After he left the Sydney Water Board he moved to the NSW Department of Public Works where he stayed until retirement. It was here that he met his beloved Joanna who worked there as a draftsperson. After this initial "retirement", he went on to start his own company, Peter Carters and Associates, working as a contractor for State Water and acting as a contractor management agency for a number of other engineering professionals.   

Dad and Joanna were together for four years before marrying in 1995 when our family grew by three, as we welcomed Joanna and my step-siblings Michael and Mary into our lives. They first moved in together in a small unit in Elizabeth Bay, then Kensington until moving into their Robey St Mascot house where they held many family get togethers that often lasted into the wee hours. Eventually they decided to "downsize" and relocated to Berkeley Vale in 2019. Anyone who knew Dad knew how much he adored Joanna - she made him so very happy and they always looked so in love when they were together - and it was just a few months ago that they celebrated 30 years of being together.

Service was important to Dad and in his later years he threw his energy into volunteering his services to a number of clubs, serving on the boards of the Gallipoli Memorial Club, Mascot RSL and South Sydney Graphic Arts Club. The fact that this service came with the benefit of discounted drinks at each of these establishments was of course an afterthought.  

Dad was an ardent Parramatta Eels rugby league fan and much to his dismay his son Michael, and later me, were fervent Manly Sea Eagles supporters - the Eels arch enemies. I remember going to watch a game once between Parramatta and Manly with dad and Michael at Parramatta Oval - Dad with his blue and yellow scarf and Michael in his Sea Eagles jersey.  I don't remember who won that day, but I do remember the fun we had barracking against Dad and his cherished Eels. Dad thoroughly enjoyed the friendly rivalry and ribbing that these games evoked and right up until the end he would send messages to his children and grandchildren during any Eels games, frequently mocking the teams that we chose to support - Manly or St George - but only when Parra were winning of course.

Dad was immensely proud of his 11 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. He loved to spend time with them whenever he could and he always provided a loving, gentle place for them to land when they were experiencing any troubles in their lives. He also relished his role as uncle to his many nieces and nephews - Dad just loved surrounding himself with young people - I think it kept him young in sprit too.   

Dad touched so many people over his 83 years and enriched so many lives. Dad was funny, witty, loved to laugh and have "a bit of fun", not caring if he made a fool of himself in the process. He had a rebellious streak and was always game to try anything once. Dad wasn't perfect - he had his flaws and his vices. But that is probably the greatest lesson he gave me - that it was ok to make mistakes, to not take the straight and narrow path but that sometimes it was much more interesting to take the winding, less travelled route, so long as you made it to your destination in the end.

Dad loved music - growing up I remember how often we would have music playing at home on the weekends. Dad loved to sing - and took every opportunity he could to show off his beautiful, booming voice - and he was a great dancer too - he would often dance with me around the house with me standing on his feet. His love of music has been passed on to his grandchildren as you can see today, from Ben and Chloe's rendition of Amazing Grace at the beginning of the service to Sarah's incredibly moving version of "If I Ever Leave This World Alive", which we will hear shortly.  

But whilst he could be the life of the party, Dad could often be quiet and wistful too - he was a great listener - he had a way of making you feel special, like what you had to say was so important to him and that he understood you like no one else did. His love was pure and unconditional with no judgement. He was always patient and calm - even when trying to teach me how to play tennis. He also had a brilliant mind and I was often blown away by his wealth of knowledge on an array of topics. He loved logic, numbers, statistics and data and could see patterns where others couldn't.   

Dad lived life to the fullest and lived life on his own terms right to the end. He was a wonderful father, uncle, granddad, great grandad, son, brother, mentor and friend and loving husband to Joanna. Joanna has asked me to say the following on her behalf "He was the most beautiful, smartest, and loving man I have ever met in my life, and I am not sure how I am to continue without him".  

So Dad, I hope you are now at peace and know how very much you are loved by us all and how deeply you will be missed. And we promise that next year, once Covid restrictions are eased, we will come together again to celebrate your life at the wake that you wanted, full of laughter and cheers to you.