PETER MCTAINSH (1924-2022)

Tauranga drainlayer and concrete enthusiast Peter McTainsh passed on 29 December 2022 at the age of 98. He had stints in the Navy and Army as well as adventures abroad in the UK and Western Australia where he gold-mined for several years. Peter's studio was in the garage of his house, still standing, on the corner of Hazel Terrace and Ōtūmoetai Road. He was a trained sculptor who made a living from his art by turning out hundreds and hundreds of hard-wearing, well-finished, and elegant planter pots and vases which he sold at weekend markets. Peter constructed the original Humpty Dumpty at Tauranga's Memorial Park. Sadly, this was destroyed by vandals, as was the statue of a Greek boy at the Rose Garden's on Cliff Road. He also worked on the Memorial Park playground and built the illuminated fountain. Some of Peter's work is preserved at Brain Watkins House Museum. There is the Bird Bath (the little bird has sadly gone missing during the last 2-3 years), the stalking cat and white swan in the garden, and the house cat with the green eyes. More information on Peter's life and work can be found in an article written by Max Avery, published in the Historical Review (Vol, 67, No. 1, May 2019, pp. 13-16).