Born in 1926 and the youngest of three brothers, Peter was a keen sportsman and was regarded as the driving force behind Burton Hockey Club and Burton Cricket Club which he started in the 1950’s. His aim was to support and encourage sportsmanship in young people to help them develop a range of skills but in a fun way.
His close friend Willie Welch said of him:
“Peter had a hand in everything from ground preparation, team selection, teas, sorting the transport to matches, umpires, stocking of the bar, pavilion maintenance and the supply and maintenance of all the ground equipment…Peter was interested in youth development. (He) developed the Burton schools festival for hockey and supported the youth academy all his life in many ways. Most of all he was warm hearted and a true gentleman. He was a giver in life and not a taker, there was his kindness and concern for others, and he had an ability to talk to anyone about anything. He had a sense of humour and love for life which were infectious.”
A wise businessman, his travels from Antarctica to Australia, South America, USA, the Far East, even on a nuclear submarine, made him an interesting conversationalist. He met Nelson Mandela on Robben Island and Prince Charles at St James’s Palace and was easy company with everyone old and very young. He is greatly missed by us all.
Peter’s legacy to the Sebastian Hunter Memorial Trust will ensure that a new generation of underprivileged children in a country very close to his heart would also benefit from the skills learned through sport.
Peter Ellis died in March 2011