Peter Fischer

Peter is well known for his adventurous spirit and outlandish stories, for which he has produced photographic evidence on a few occasions.

Born in Wellington New Zealand, by 1952 he had started travelling the world and was working as a musician and travelling around Europe. In 1962 he moved to the Pacific where he continued travelling and playing in various venues, primarily in Papua New Guinea, until 1987 when he returned to NZ.

Having spent several decades listening to the stories of servicemen, adventurers and other interesting people, and developing a strong distaste for incompetent leadership, in 1995 he began devoting all of his spare time to writing.

Peter Fischer ...

He's The Salt Of The Earth

By Philippa Ross

What he hasn't done, where he hasn't been is probably not worth mentioning, says Claire Wilkinson about her partner of 24 years Peter Fischer.

"There's never a dull moment with Pete around. Living with him is challenging. It's like a roller-coaster ride with lots of ups and downs that seem to go on forever. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Life is fun with Pete. He's a salt of the earth kind of man who has an optimistic disposition that enables him to always look at the bright side of life. He's not easily fazed.

"I remember the time when we were working in a tiny kitchen preparing steaks for a large number of guests and Pete's tie caught fire. He didn't bat an eyelid as our quick-thinking helper grabbed a pair of scissors and just cut his tie off. He just carried on cooking as if nothing had happened.

"He's a real mish mash of qualities. A man of traditional values, with an open heart, a wealth of talents and a mischievous twinkle in his eye."

A twinkle that's grown from wild and wacky adventures around the globe where he's met some quite amazing people, including Peter O'Toole in the late 50s.

Pete has many a tale of times spent with Peter playing card games when he should really have been on the set filming Lawrence of Arabia.

Pete is now 85 - a man once brimming with life is now slowly fading away due to leukemia.

When Claire realized his health was rapidly declining, she knew she had to do something to help him achieve his dream of publishing a book he's been working on since 1995 - a book inspired by the stories he learned during his time in Papua New Guinea and in particular of Paul Mason, a civilian coast watcher who alerted the Americans of the Japanese fleet movements during World War II.

Claire put out an 'SOS' on www.workaway.info in early August for an editor. It's a site that she and Pete have used over the years to connect with people travelling to NZ who want to volunteer their services in return for meals and accommodation, to help at The Clansman Motel, Waipu - a business they've owned together for the past four and a half years.

The stars were obviously aligned when Claire sent out her message. She received a reply from 32 year old Canadian, Tim Schaub for whom the timing was perfect as he was coming to the end of a six week tour of Europe with his younger sister. After a few weeks of correspondence, Tim told Claire he was on his way to New Zealand - without even going home to his wife in Canada!

Claire knows she found the perfect person to help Pete fulfil his dream. "He and Pete get on like a house on fire. It's a real family affair now, as Tims' wife, Sandra has worked on the illustrations and cover design for the books," explains Claire with a huge smile on her face.

Tim clearly loves the task. He said felt like he'd fallen on his feet when he discovered this opportunity; and that the reality is beyond anything he could have expected.

"It's a privilege to work alongside such an eccentric, intelligent, artistic, gregarious wordsmith. He comes out with the most amazing words that don't even sound right - but sure enough, when I look them up, there is no other word that so succinctly captures the essence of what Pete's trying to create.

"He sure can tell an enthralling story and has such a wicked sense of humour. I've spent hours listening to his stories and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of that time.

"He has me in stitches at times, recalling the boisterous, mischievous hi-jinx he used to get up to. I'm convinced what I've heard is only the tip of the iceberg. He's the kind of man that could entertain you years."

Petes book, The Bells of Hell comprises three volumes of historical fiction relayed to Pete himself through Paul Mason and others.

The tales recall how power corrupts when given to the wrong people. They provide a fascinating insight into the life of an unassuming man - an Australian, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the US , for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty. A story that needed to be told, and should never be forgotten.

Claire is thrilled to announce that the third and final volume of this triology was completed just last week, and all three books are now available on www.bellsofhell.com and Amazon (Kindle store and in print version).

Pete's passing is inevitable. But when it happens, Claire can look up to the night sky and know the brightest star is her Pete; the man that left an indelible mark on this world, a man for whom her most cherished memory is when they saw in the new millennium listening to Kiri te Kanawa singing on the beach at dawn in Gisborne, watching the sun come up and the tall ships go by.