MAKE no mistake about it; Peter Hodges is a stubborn man.
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In the early 1990s, as president of SPEW (Scone Parkville Environment Watch), he helped highlight probable significant pollution problems to the Commission of Inquiry over the Parkville Piggery Proposal.
He also defied a potentially-fatal head injury last year.
In between, Peter was a Councillor on the then-Scone Shire Council, later the Upper Hunter Shire Council.
He was Chairman of the Development and Environmental Services Committee for 14 years.
While his past involvement in the underground mining industry means he is no “die-hard greenie”, Peter has great concerns about the continuing expansion of the open cut mining and the long term impacts this will lead to for the Hunter River and the estuarine areas which rely on its input.
He is also worried about the impact the continued expansion of the coal industry will have on the Upper Hunter’s diverse primary production, land and industries, including our world-renowned Equine Industry.
His decision to nominate for the role of Councillor all started over the piggery battle back in the 1990s.
“It was a fairly contentious issue; the main publicity was initially for a cannery and that jobs would be significant and contamination would be kept to a minimum,” he said.
“But then we were told that they were looking at an absolutely massive expansion of pig numbers on an already contaminating site.
“A lot of things weren’t right about it; the area was drought declared at the time, and a friend took me up in an aeroplane.
“He had taken the door off so I was able hang out to film what appeared to be effluent coming from the piggery all the way to the back of Scone via the Kingdon Ponds.
“This was after the proponent had said they were currently the “world's best practice”.
Peter’s footage was instrumental in highlighting the case against the piggery, which had once been part-owned by former Prime Minister Paul Keating.
After being encouraged to run for council, he found a role that created plenty of extra work but also enjoyment.
“It really opened a lot of doors; I met so many people from other councils, and got to see so many interesting developments including mining operations,” he said.
Despite fighting for a number of causes important to him, Peter’s biggest battle came last year when he suffered a fractured skull.
Initially knocked out, then in an induced coma for almost five days after an incident with a horse, the 62-year-old lost more than eight weeks of his memory.
“Gai Waterhouse was inspecting Easter yearlings at Riversdale," he said.
“We were short staffed so I volunteered to catch a yearling in the stable ready for the parade.
“Apparently I clipped him up alright, but don’t really know what happened after that.”
After growing up in Cessnock, Peter moved to Scone in 1971 where his father established Willow Park Stud.
The farm went on to be highly-successful, importing high-quality quarter horses/appaloosa stallions and brood mares.
Peter purchased Willow Park from his father in 1977 and then, in 1981, he bought Riversdale.
It is managed by his son, Nick, whilst Peter and wife Alison now reside at Glenoak.