Former Bay of Plenty firefighter remembered after dying in motorcycle accident in Australia

Former Te Puke volunteer firefighter and devoted father of two, Peter Diprose, is being remembered as a great friend, loving husband, father and son and “a true bloody legend”.

Peter’s devastated mother, Faye Diprose, told the Bay of Plenty Times that her son died instantly on August 25 when his motorbike was hit by an oncoming car after he swerved to avoid another car in the Lockyer Valley in Queensland, Australia.

Faye and Peter’s father Graeme, who live in Te Puke, and a number of close friends, will be attending Peter’s funeral service at the Burstow Funeral Home in Toowoomba today.

Peter had lived in Toowoomba, near the Lockyear Valley region for the past 20 years with wife Pen and their two sons Hayden, 20, and 18-year-old Noah.

The service will be live-streamed to the Te Puke Fire Station where the father of two served as a volunteer firefighter between 1994 and 1997, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and uncle.

Born and raised and educated in Te Puke, Peter was the youngest of three brothers - Bruce, 53, who lives in Wairoa and David, 51, who is in Auckland.

After leaving Te Puke High School, Peter did his motor mechanic apprenticeship at Te Puke Service Centre and worked for the business for about five years before heading overseas on his OE.

Former Te Puke volunteer firefighter Peter Diprose with his wife, Pen.

During his travels, Peter met his future wife Penny Morris (Pen) in London and the couple married in Te Puke on Valentine’s Day in 2004 and settled in Toowoomba where Pen was originally from.

Faye Diprose, who worked at the Te Puke Times for 35 years, said her late son had worked for Cloncurry copper-gold mine for about 10 years, firstly as a electrician, then in a management role the past couple of years.

“It’s a job Peter loved,” she said.

Faye said her son also loved motorbikes and had polished his “pride and joy” the night before he and a male friend headed out on their bikes for a ride in the Lockyer Valley

She said it was Peter’s father-in-law who broke the news to them about 6 pm that day.

A heartbroken Faye said she and the rest of the family were struggling to accept Peter’s death.

“It’s been a huge shock for all of us and we’ve shed many tears and no doubt there will be many more on Friday,” she said.

“Peter was a kind and loving person and family meant everything” to him,” his mother said.

“He never forgot a birthday and was always ringing up to have a chat, which he did every Wednesday before his shift at the mine started.

Wednesday, September 20, would have been Peter’s 49th birthday, Faye said.

“He was a hardworking and wonderful husband to Pen and loved surprising her with flowers. He was also a great father to their two boys and loved to go camping with them.”

Peter was devoted to his family and was a passionate All Blacks supporter and liked a round of golf, she said.

“Peter was also very loyal to his friends and always kept in regular contact with them. He was lots of fun and so many people have contacted us to say how devastated they are and shared many great memories of him.”

The Diprose men have a long history of community service with the Te Puke Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Former Te Puke volunteer firefighters Bruce and his brother Peter Diprose (third from left) with Keith Smith and Hugh Gibney.

Peter’s older brother, Bruce, was also a volunteer firefighter for about five years, his father Graeme served for 33 years and his late grandfather Harry was the fire chief and clocked up for 31 years of service.

Peter’s uncle Arthur was also a member of the brigade.

Former Te Puke fire chief Glenn Williams worked with former volunteer firefighter Peter Diprose, who died in a road crash in Australia on August 25, in the 1990s. Photo / Alex Cairns

Recently retired Te Puke chief fire officer Glenn Williams said he was the station’s third officer when Peter joined in 1994 and remembered him as being a “very nice young man”.

He said Peter served with the brigade until 1997 and was always helping around the station and had the potential to have risen through the ranks like his father and grandfather if he had not gone overseas.

Willams said he visited Peter’s mother last week and when she showed him a photograph of her son with dreadlocks he did not immediately recognise him but on closer look, memories came flooding back.

“It’s an absolute tragedy especially when it involves a member of our brigade family.”

Williams, who retired from the fire service on August 31, said as a sign of respect for Peter and his family, the Te Puke fire station’s flag was dropped to half-mast for several days last week.

He also said that at his final training session with the Te Puke brigade on August 30, a minute’s silence was held for the deceased.

“Even now whether it’s the loss of a former brigade member or one of their relatives, they’re never forgotten. And because Peter was a member of the wider brigade family the tragic loss is felt deeply,” he said.

Devastated friend James Bell, 48, from Pāpāmoa, said he had first met Peter, also known as Dippy, when they were 16 after they were introduced by another close friend.

They quickly became firm friends, Bell said.

“It’s unbelievably sad and tragic. I feel so sorry for Pen and their two boys, his parents and the rest of the family. I think we have lost one of our good stock and we’re all feeling the loss deep in our hearts.

“Dippy was such a genuine good guy, loving and kind-hearted, we have lost a true bloody legend. He was so nice and he didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He was heaps of fun,” Bell said.

“A bunch of us who regularly hung out together will be attending the funeral service in Toowoomba,’' he said.

“I still cannot believe he has gone. You hear of this happening to other people but this is so close to home, it’s sobering. Life without Dippy is never going to be the same.”