Peter Waite

Peter John Waite was born on 12th April 1951 in Waddington, a village a few miles south of the county town of Lincoln, in the rural East Midlands of England. HIs formal education began in the little village primary school and continued through North Kesteven Grammar School and Leicester Polytechnic. His informal education drew from growing up in post war poverty and the 'make do and mend' resourcefulness of his parents.

A growing fascination with the sea led to a determination to join the Royal Navy, ideally as a helicopter pilot. Peter had joined the Sea Cadets and, through them developed a taste for adventure. He was short-listed for admission to the prestigious Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth but sadly, his ambition was thwarted by an issue with his eyesight.

Never one to dwell on disappointment, Peter began restlessly searching for an alternative career. This led from working in a cigarette factory in Nottingham to the sales office of a large hosiery company to civil engineering. Always keen to forge his own path he changed course again, setting up his own textile company in 1985. He worked in the textile industry until his retirement in 2017.

Throughout his life, as well as enjoying outdoor adventures, sailing, tennis and travel, Peter dabbled with writing poetry, drawing, painting and making music. Retirement meant more time for all of these things and, in October 2022, his first book was published. Entitled 'A Brick on the Head', it is a memoir of a hard but happy childhood spent in rural Lincolnshire. The book sets out to simply record growing up in a different era with its continuing impact into adulthood. There are lessons, good and bad ( but mostly good) to be learned.

Peter married his long-term partner Karen in 2023 and they now live with Harry, their very friendly flat-coated retriever, dividing their time between Andalusia and Lincolnshire. A second book is under way, although progress is slow. Writing has to compete, not only with dog-walking, padel tennis and cycling, but with desperate attempts to learn the Spanish language and also playing tenor saxophone.

Watch this space....