By Raquel Mustillo
FOR more than 60 years, Kingston resident Peter England has been tirelessly giving to his community and not counting the cost.
But the philanthropist’s contribution can be seen be seen every day at the Kingston Medical Centre and the Kingston Retirement Village – of which he donated the land – or the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s Adelaide Headquarters, where the Operations Room has been named in his honour after years of donations.
Mr England has been honoured with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for decades of service to the coastal community and surrounding districts as part of the Australia Day Honours List.
The retired grazier has spent a majority of his life supporting the community through voluntary endeavours and significant donations, starting at 18-year-old as a sheep steward the 1948 Kingston Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Society Show.
“I was asked if I wanted to help with out with the sheep section and thought it would be good and a free shot at the show,” he said.
“In the end there was more people than sheep, so I started to help out with the show jumping section, which I did from 1950 to 2018.
”Mr England served various roles ranging from steward, convenor and sponsor during his long involvement with the show, culminating in life membership in 1984.
He also received life membership of the Lucindale Show society and the Kingston Riding Club and spent years umpiring children’s basketball.
The well-known community member served as master of ceremonies at the Reedy Creek Old Style Dances for more than 30 years, in addition to Robe Old Style Dances and the annual Kingston Debutante Balls.
“Sometimes when I walk down the street, people will still say hello to me and I don’t know who they are because they were only kids when I was umpiring basketball,” Mr England said.
“I have always liked helping people and I liked the show and I liked the dance and someone had to help run it so I thought I would.”
Since retiring from his property and moving to the Kingston township in 2005, Mr England has been an active member of the Kingston SE National Trust branch both as a committee member and as a tour guide.
He is well known and recommended by visitors for his comprehensive knowledge of the working and history of the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse.
In addition to his contribution to the general maintenance of the lighthouse, Mr England has shown more than 6000 visitors through the lighthouse outside of opening hours when he has been there tending the gardens.
Born in 1933, Mr England shares his birthday with the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse, which was officially lighted on January 15, 1872.
“My partner Margaret was a keen gardener and when we moved into Kingston in 2005, she started up the lighthouse gardens,” Mr England said.
“I helped her by putting in the pumps and the sprinklers, but she really started it up.
“I looked after the gardens for 13, but stopped because my ticker wasn’t too good.”
Mr England has been a philanthropic supporter of the Royal Flying Doctor Service for almost three decades, donating so much money that in 2014, the Adelaide Headquarters Operation Room was named in his honour.
“My nephew Michael went to go see his mates inland who showed him some of the facilities they had up there,” he said.
“When he came back and told me abut it we decided to start donating, so I invested the cash and sent the interest to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“They are very important, especially when you are in the country.”
Mr England’s voluntary efforts have been recognised in the past, winning Kingston District Council’s Outstanding Service to the Kingston community in 2008, Citizen of the Year in 2009 and the National Trust of South Australia Service Award.
“The OAM definitely caused a shock,” he said.
“You don’t do things for the awards – there are things that need to be done, so you just do it.”
