Peter Cole

In 1968, Peter left Banbury in England and migrated to Sydney. His first job was as a labourer with the Sydney Water Board. A year or so after arriving in Sydney, Peter and two friends drove a mini-moke from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpenteria and back again. Over 12 days, he then hitch-hiked from Sydney to Perth, collected a Mini Minor there and drove it back to Sydney.

By 1970, Peter was working in a non-ferrous scrap metal yard in Mascot. One day a load of scrap from Espiritu Santo was brought in by two salvage divers who talked Peter into going to work with them in Santo. After working as a diver collecting scrap in the New Hebrides for around 12 months, Peter and his diving team moved to Bouganville to collect scrap and then to the Solomon Islands.

Returning to the New Hebrides in early 1972, Peter did another stint of diving in Santo and then later that year moved down to Tanna where he helped to renovate Bob and Kath Paul’s home.

Peter left the New Hebrides for Australia early in 1973 but sailed back to Vila on his yacht Oyster Cove in 1979. He now lives on the Sunshine Coast.

These are extracts from Peter’s personal memoir My Time In The Islands.

Peter’s contributions.