![]() ![]() In his 10 years there (1992 to 2002), Downie oversaw the set-up and pre-opening of the 27-hole course and academy, the first of its kind in the Middle East. He then took on a similar position at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. “To say I’m in shock to receive this award is something of an understatement! Forty years as a PGA Professional and I still can’t wait to get to the office in the morning,” said Downie, General Manager at Hong Kong’s Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.ĭownie graduated from the PGA of GB&I at The Belfry in 1984 before spending six years (1986-1992) as the Director of Golf at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman in the West Indies. Scotsman Downie, whose well-travelled career has seen him work in the Cayman Islands, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong, has been honoured with the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) International Manager of the Year Award.ĭownie was presented with a plaque during the PGA of GB&I Members’ International Conference at Laguna Phuket. Phuket, Thailand: Peter Downie, a veteran of the golf industry in the region, has been recognised for his achievements over the course of more than three decades. There is also a Certificate of Appreciation from the police, an ‘Achievers’ Award’ from Cambridge Rotary for Peter’s “outstanding effort” as a Period Detention Warden, and one from former Mayor Pat Allen acknowledging recognition from the Cambridge Committee for Social Services.Peter Downie has been named PGA of Great Britain & Ireland International Manager of the Year. In that capacity, he oversaw PD workers as they toiled on projects for non-profit groups, needy families and the elderly, including doing regular work at schools and churches, growing community vegetable gardens and cutting and delivering firewood. He also became a Civil Defence Police Warden.Īmong the paperwork his family have been sifting through is the certificate awarding Peter life membership to the Cambridge RSA. Peter Downie, seen here surrounded by his grandchildren, was a man who gave a great deal to Cambridge.Īfter losing Keith to cancer in his early 20s, Peter settled in Cambridge. He worked for Rosswood Implements in Leamington for 39 years, while also answering the call to become a Periodic Detention Warden in Cambridge. He considered extending his service to Vietnam but instead returned to Cambridge where he became a life member of the RSA and led Cambridge Anzac Day parades for decades. A keen woodworker – one who devoted long hours to crafting furniture and toys for his own home and for others – he also made the white crosses we associate with our commemorative ceremonies. This was the first Anzac Day he had missed.īorn in Paeroa, Peter and his five siblings spent time in an orphanage when their parents split up. He and one brother, Keith, were then fostered together to a Cambridge family, both going on to attend Leamington School and Cambridge High. Peter’s children followed the tradition, and he spent some time on the Leamington School PTA. He served in Malaysia and Borneo in the early 1960s. They knew of his involvement with Cambridge, but the full extent of it became clear only as they began clearing out the house he built 48 years ago, and where he lived out his days.įirst and foremost, Peter was an ex-serviceman. He also donated produce to his grandchildren’s school galas to help boost school funds.īrenda and her brothers, Paul and Glen, came from their homes in Tauranga, Wellington and Havelock North to spend Peter’s last few weeks at his side. That heart earned him a reputation for giving away pickled onions, jams and chutneys to anyone wanting them. ![]() “He had a big heart … he’d do anything for anyone.” People gravitated to him all his life, said his daughter Brenda Downie. The weeks leading up to his passing were shaped by visits from children and grandchildren, friends, neighbours, and a host of others keen to toast a life well-lived. There was no funeral – that was just the way he wanted it. ![]() Peter died at his Leamington home earlier this month. It didn’t stop him from putting down family roots and winning plaudits for the work he did for Cambridge over seven decades. Peter Downie served in Malaysia and Borneo in the early 1960sĪ tough start in life did little to dent the generous nature that characterised Peter Downie. ![]()
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