It’s been a year since his passing but moves to create a lasting memorial to Buderim’s ‘Waving Man’ are gaining momentum.
Division 7 councillor Ted Hungerford will present a community petition to the next Sunshine Coast Council Ordinary Meeting on April 27 to name the intersection of Ballinger and Stringybark roads ‘Peter’s Roundabout’.
For more than a decade, Peter Van Beek was a constant in the lives of hundreds of local residents, motorists, schoolchildren, cyclists, runners and commuters as he stood on the grassy circle opposite his home for hours and waved “good morning” to passers-by.
It was such a simple gesture but one appreciated by all at a time when we’ve never been so connected but at times feel so disconnected.
A friendly toot and wave in return kept his smile beaming.
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When Peter was unusually absent from his central position over Easter last year, due to a stroke, the Coast community was devastated.
A post by the Crystal Diva Sunshine Coast’s Angela Britz on the Buderim Community Page, Qld, telling of his unfortunate stay in hospital, was swamped with hopes for a speedy recovery.
Within weeks, the initial post reached 58,745 people, had 2100 likes, 664 comments and 254 shares.
Eldest son Rene, of Landsborough, told Sunshine Coast News after 88-year-old Peter’s death on May 29 last year that his Dutch-born father had “always been friendly” and knew smiles connected people and could make someone’s day.
When a heart attack and the need to surrender his driver’s licence put the brakes on opportunities to get out and about, Peter started standing on the roundabout and waving for three to four hours a day.
“He went ‘Well, if I can’t drive anywhere, I can spend more time waving’,” Rene said at the time.
“So he’s been pretty permanent (on the roundabout) every day and night since he was 78 – 10 years.
“He stands out there until he gets tired. He’s out there at five in the morning some mornings.
“Whenever he’s got the energy, he gets out there, because otherwise he’s only at home doing nothing.
“He comes in for a cup of tea and something to eat and goes back out there.”
To mark the first anniversary of Peter’s passing and to show the community’s appreciation of his daily ritual, Buderim resident John Munden decided to organise a change.org petition to create a lasting memorial.
Mr Munden said naming the intersection ‘Peter’s Roundabout’ would be a fitting tribute.
He said he had spoken to Peter’s widow Margarethe and she had given her permission to proceed with the next steps after his initial Facebook posts to the Buderim Community Board this month garnered an outpouring of support.
Anna Miletic wrote: “Great news, we all need a Peter in our lives.”
Pamela Hirst commented: “That’s great. He certainly changed my day/mindset every time I went by.”
Stephanie Hargreaves added: “Good on you, unsung hero! To honour a true blue gem – Pure gold.”
That led to more than 2400 signatures on the petition recognising “what an amazing human Peter Van Beek was and his contribution to our lives in Buderim”.
“I have just been amazed at the amount of support,” Mr Munden said.
“It’s not just the support, it’s the comments people made on every post that we pushed out.
“There’s been a stream of love and affection for what Peter was, what he did.
“And then you hear little stories coming out about how he was so supportive. People just have these amazing memories of the connection they had with Peter.
“When we moved up here a couple of years ago, where we live in Rainforest Sanctuary, I’d be in the car with the kids and you’d just see him there in the morning.
“Initially, you’d wonder whether he would still be there the following day. And then he was there the following day and all of a sudden you realised he was there every day.
“When I’d be walking the dogs and he was there, I’d always go over and have a chat.
“He was just an amazingly friendly individual and just wanted to connect with people. It was wonderful just to see him there. He was part of the fabric of the Buderim community.”
Mr Munden said he thought Peter’s name on the roundabout would be appropriate and possibly a bench seat as well.
“Where he used to stand, there’s no reason why there couldn’t be a little bench there for people to sit and connect as well,” he said.
As the Van Beek family celebrated Margarethe’s birthday on Wednesday, Rene said they were all chuffed that so many people remembered Peter and still kept him in their thoughts.
He said they were ‘very impressed’ the petition had been organised with a view to creating a lasting memorial to him.
“We never expected anything like that,” Rene said.
“It’s a real humbling experience for us.
“We knew Dad loved the community and the kids, but we didn’t expect that it would carry on like that.
“So, Mum loves it and the family is very honoured by it.
“It would be a nice memory of dad to have for all of us.”
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