A Dubbo man who has given much of his life to his family and the community has been recognised as the Dubbo electorate’s Grandparent of the Year.
Peter Hargreaves was joined by his wife Lesley, daughter Claire and grandchildren Sam, Mae and Joey at a surprise ceremony on Monday, where Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders presented him with his certificate.
Affectionately known by many as ‘Poppy Pete’, Mr Hargreaves and his wife Lesley arrived in Dubbo in 1987, and over the course of almost three decades he has been a driving force behind the sport of basketball in the city. In 2012 he was presented a Basketball NSW Long Service Award.
Mr Hargreaves’ desire to see his children Wayne, Claire and John follow their passions in life, especially in the area of representative basketball coaching, has meant countless hours travelling and looking after the couple’s seven grandchildren, who are scattered across NSW.
Since retiring from a career in banking, Mr Hargreaves has filled in his time doing community transport work and for many years he helped with early morning preparations at Dubbo Leisure Aquatic Centre to ensure it was ready for the early swimmers.
“Peter is an amazing man who is loved by not only his own family, but so many others who have been involved in basketball and other sports in Dubbo. Kids and adults who aren’t even related to him call him ‘Poppy Pete’ which shows how big an impact he has had on their lives,” Mr Saunders said.
“He has given so much of his life to providing for other people but has always ensured that he and his wife Lesley, who is heavily involved in the community through the Pink Angels, can be there to assist with caring for their grandchildren in Dubbo and other parts of the state.
“There are so many grandparents who do amazing things, and that is why it is such a wonderful thing that we celebrate Grandparents Day each year.
“I’d like to congratulate Peter on winning this award, but also recognise the thousands of grandparents across our area who step up when needed to look after the future generations in our community.”
My brother Graeme Hosken also a great achiever of Dubbo passed this photo on to me this morning asking if it was the Peter Hargreaves who was one of the swimming group of Tumut and Adelong when I was a competitive swimmer as well.
Great to see an ex-Tumutian do so well ! Congrats Peter
Margaret Whitley nee Hosken . Diamond Beach