Style: May 07, 2021

Style | Feature 21
THE LEGACY
Shirley was an integral part of the Mt Dobson Ski
Area. From building the culvert pipes to helping
Peter run the ski field, including the ticket office, she
is woven into the very fabric of this story.
In 2001, Shirley died age 57 of cancer. You can
hear the slight catch in Peter’s voice as he says it.
“It was very sad,” he murmurs.
Peter, faced with running the ski field by himself,
looked to sell.
“After she died, there was a lot of pressure.
I couldn’t do it on my own. But then the boys
approached me and said they wouldn’t mind having
a go running it,” he says.
Bruce is now general manager and Allan a board
director. Richard, having seemingly picked up his
father’s knack for machines, is a diesel mechanic on
the West Coast. (Actually, all three boys are handy
with machines – Bruce was a panel beater and Allan
an engineer. Must have been those Tonka toys.)
Peter has “retired”. But, in truth, he’ll never be
parted from his road and his machines. Once he’s
hung up the phone, he’ll be off up there again, to
improve the carriageway, he says. During the ski
season, Bruce can’t drive two snow groomers, so
he’s the “back-up driver”.
You can’t separate that man from his road,
chuckles Bruce.
“He’s a bit of a stubborn bugger, but he’s got
where he is because of it. Once he started the
process and dug over the first bit of dirt on the
road, there was no going back.”
Ask Bruce how he feels about what his father has
achieved and he’ll say without hesitation: pride.
“It is a lifetime’s achievement – it really is,”
says Bruce.
So if you pop up to Mt Dobson this ski season,
make sure to take a long look at the road that took
Peter and his bulldozers 10,000 hours to build. See
if you can visualise the spot where Bruce and his
brothers played with their Tonka toys, the culverts
complete with Shirley’s pipes, and the ‘bathroom’
with a view. Because in every nook and cranny of
that road there is a memory to be found – all linked
to the family who created a lasting legacy on a hill,
so people have a place to play in winter.
ABOVE: Peter and his family have created a place where families can enjoy skiing in
beautiful surroundings. Photo: Supplied