Like so many other people, Peter had no idea what he would do when he left school, so opted for an Engineering Intermediate year at Victoria University. His father suggested that pursuing electrical engineering with a bursary from the Post Office might be a good idea. The bursary assisted with University fees, accommodation, and other expenses at Canterbury University. In return Peter was to commit to work out a three-year bond with the Post Office.
“What was so beneficial”, said Peter, “was that while you were studying, you worked in the holidays with other trades, linesmen and technicians and gained great practical experience. Those hours of practical work were necessary for your degree. Then after graduating you immediately had a job to go to. It was a win-win.”
But life takes strange turns. The Post Office administration had other ideas for Peter. For 6 months his task was to take to the road in a 4-wheel drive Chevrolet Van branded “The SpaceMobile”, accompanied by a senior teacher John Hercus. Co-sponsored by NASA and the NZ Government the SpaceMobile was set up with scale models supporting the mission to get “Man on the Moon by the end of the decade”. Their task as lecturers was to visit most schools and some universities from Kaitaia to the Bluff and explain what the United States Space Programme was hoping to accomplish.
“We had a lot of fun. We even took the SpaceMobile over the Haast Road before it had officially opened. It was full on. We were visiting at least two schools a day.”
Then a 2-year Post Grad apprenticeship with AEI Ltd in Woolwich, London working on transmission equipment installation also provided an opportunity to complete a Masters in Microwave Physics part-time at the University of Surrey.
Back in NZ in 1968 it was a time when satellite communication was just beginning, and Peter was involved in the site testing and bid evaluation for our first large satellite dish at Warkworth.
Peter left the NZPO and the end of 1976 and with 3 others established his own business- Deltec Telesystems Ltd. This grew to peak with over 100 employees, manufacturing antenna systems for use in cellphone networks. Exports went to Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong and China. In 1994 the business received the Air NZ Export award for “Overall Excellence in Exporting”
“I had been fascinated by space after the SpaceMobile episode and the book “Sky Watching” by David Levy was pivotal in engaging my interest in astronomy. One of my interests is observing occultations where minor planets, or asteroids, block out a star’s light thereby casting a shadow across the earth. I have a video camera that accurately records the time of dis-appearance and re-appearance of the star. The timing information is analysed, and the data submitted to be part of the understanding of these asteroids across the world. It is just one facet of an intriguing hobby.”
