RESIDENT STORY – PETER STOKES

“Where am I from?” 

I am often asked, “Where are you from?”

My first answer is always: “How far back do you want to go?” When I explain that I have come from Australia, the reaction is often: “You don’t sound like an Australian!” So where do I really come from? Where are my roots?

I was born in Cardiff in 1940, during an air raid I am told, so I am Welsh when it matters (during Six Nations Rugby, for example) but of English parents, and certainly British. The war dominated every aspect of my early life. As a three-month-old infant, I travelled with my mother to Canada to join my father, running the gauntlet of the War in the North Atlantic. That ship was sunk six months later making the return crossing. The journey was the beginning of a lifetime of moving house, first with my parents (my father was a career officer in the RAF), and later due to my own decision to follow in his footsteps. We never stayed in one place long enough for me to say, “That place was my home; that is where my roots are.”

After marrying Lynette, an Australian, in 1968, we bought a house in Surrey. We lived in it when my work allowed and rented it out at other times. That house became our anchor. Lynette brought me to Australia in 2002 after I had partially retired, and we settled in the NSW Southern Highlands until she passed away in 2022 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

The Choices I Made

The journey we follow in life hinges on the choices we make—and sometimes those made for us. Joining the RAF was one of them, though not the first. At school, I was unconsciously guided into the Maths and Physics stream. At Cambridge University, that led logically to reading Engineering—then called Mechanical Sciences. I gave up cricket before my second-year exams, and in my third year I chose to specialise in Aeronautics, which aligned with my future RAF career.

In the RAF personal choice was limited. The Air Secretary’s Department planned your path, but what you really knew was that you’d be moved to a new job every 2 to 3 years. Small wonder it was hard to put down roots.

I chose to retire from the RAF in 1989 due to Lynette’s declining health, seeking a more stable home environment. I briefly worked for a Marconi defence company, but the fall of the Berlin Wall led to a dramatic cut in defence contracts. Within six months, the company halved its workforce, and I was out of a job. Not a great choice.

Reinvention and BEAB

A complete career change followed. I joined the British Electrotechnical Approvals Board (BEAB), which certifies electrical products for compliance with safety standards – similar to New Zealand’s Regulatory Compliance Mark. This choice turned out well. I even continued part-time remote work after moving to Australia.

As Director of Quality and Policy, I attended international meetings on certification and electrical safety standard harmonisation. I audited factories, laboratories, and certification bodies worldwide – including a brief visit to New Zealand in the 1990s.

Life in the RAF

RAF life meant constant movement. My roles ranged from routine office jobs to commanding the 2,500-strong Engineering Wing at RAF Brize Norton, the UK’s largest base. I also served as Assistant Air Attaché in the Paris Embassy and with the Defence Equipment Staff at the British Embassy in Washington.

Notable memories include:

• In 1976, Concorde, before it entered service, parked outside my office at Brize Norton for training – an exciting moment in aeronautical history.
• Later, at a French Embassy reception, a Chinese military attaché overheard me mention Concorde at Brize. I nearly told him, “You know Concorde is faster than any fighter in service,” but bit my tongue.
• In 1974, I attended a royal flight when the Queen returned from winning the Prix de Diane with her horse, Highclere. She beamed and said, “It’s seldom one achieves all that one sets out to do in a day.” I agreed but regretted not arranging Champagne for her return.
• Also in 1974, I secured emergency overflight clearance into French airspace for RAF Phantoms heading to Cyprus—a minor miracle during France’s holiday season.
• In 1981, I received a call from the Pentagon. “Frank Carlucci (then number two in the Pentagon) would like to arrange to play tennis with you.” We had several one-on-one matches, to my colleagues’ envy.

Less glamorous moments:

• As chairman of a NATO working group, I arrived from London exactly one hour late with the UK delegation to find our NATO colleagues waiting patiently for the meeting to start. Something to do with the settings of our clocks perhaps?
• Early on, I learned that it’s impossible to salute, hold an umbrella, and open a car door at once. The Foreign Secretary ended up slightly wet!

Memories from BEAB

Different but equally memorable experiences:

• In Mexico, a factory I audited was missing many pieces of test equipment. The General Manager shrugged: “This is Mexico. We cannot stop the workers from stealing.”
• In Turkey, a company driver took me on a hair-raising drive through the mountains at night, overtaking on blind hairpin bends. He spoke no English, I spoke no Turkish, and my hammering on the windscreen in terror had not the slightest effect – but we arrived alive. On the return trip, of course, he was my driver again.

Sport

Cricket was my first sport at school, but squash soon took over. I played nationally at fifteen and, at Cambridge, competed against top players. I represented Wales for 17 years, earning enough caps for the Guinness Book of Records (1979 edition)—briefly!

Squash took me abroad before international travel was common. I toured with RAF teams to East Africa, Hong Kong, the US, Canada, and with the British team to South Africa (1965) and Australia/New Zealand (1967). Special leave was allowed for these trips, but my work colleagues always assumed they were holidays.

Why Am I Here?

After Lynette passed in 2022, I found myself alone in a beautiful but large 1888-built house in Mittagong. Downsizing was inevitable, but into what, and where? Should I stay somewhere in the Southern Highlands or move to within reach of family? My daughter lives in the Yukon—not ideal in winter—but my son Nick had moved to New Zealand in 2021 and lives nearby in Speargrass Flats.

I explored retirement options and quickly chose a villa in the Arrowtown Lifestyle Village. The setting and landscaping were outstanding. It’s proven to be a wonderful decision, and I’ve integrated far more easily than expected.

Life in Arrowtown Lifestyle Village

What makes this village special?

• Lifestyle: So many activities to choose from—Mahjong, Croquet, Book Club, Balance Class, Gardening, trips to local spots and more. There’s also a pool, gym, and cinema a three-minute walk away.
• Community: I’m known as the croquet organiser and puzzle page enthusiast, and I’ve even joined quizzes in fancy dress—very out of character!
• Connection: There are many opportunities, both organised and spontaneous, to get to know residents socially in the wonderful Lodge facility and to learn about their various life experiences, many of them very different from my own.
• Support: The staff deserve great credit. They’re friendly, efficient, and responsive—always available for a chat or to help.

The Village is not an isolated retirement community. It’s a vibrant, integrated part of Arrowtown life.