In Memoriam: Peter Hayward Rose leaves legacy in agriculture across Harvey and Dardanup shires

Peter Hayward Rose Born Bunbury 27 May 1924 Died Bunbury 28 October 2023 “Good, better, best. Never let it rest till your good is better, and your better is best.” This well-known quote was how Peter Haywood Rose lived his life, and enabled him to achieve his reputation as one of the top farmers in Australia. Mr Rose was born in 1924, the son of Tom and Winifred Rose and brother to Frank, Gerald, Marie and Nancy. The family lived at Edgehill in Roelands, where they grew potatoes and lucerne, and conducted dairy farming. He was educated at Roelands School and Bunbury Senior High School, riding his pushbike 15 miles along rough roads on Sunday evenings to board before returning home on a Friday. In 1942, Mr Rose enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force just after his 18th birthday and became a navigator, flying 20 missions for Coastal Command. He returned to Edgehill in November 1945 and started work in the potato fields, hand-digging them with a fork. This was the beginning of a long association with potatoes, which continued until his death. Two years later, Mr Rose and his brothers bought 1000 acres of bushland north of Myalup known as The Coast, clearing it to use as a winter run-off block. Cattle were driven on horseback from Roelands to The Coast over several days, with the practice continuing for many years. He married Barbara Hedges in 1953, building a home on the property across the Collie River in Burekup, where they raised their daughters Margaret, Jacky and Gail. In the 1960s the Rose brothers discovered a shallow aquifer with quality water, enabling them to set up an irrigation system and become pioneers of irrigation of the Myalup country. Potatoes and lucerne were grown, and they also bred Poll Dorset sheep. New land was continually developed for potatoes and lucerne, with fat lambs grazing on the crop during the winter. Mr Rose served as a board member of the Potato Marketing Board before specialising in growing potatoes for the chip market after it was dissolved. He was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 1965, travelling throughout Europe the following year to study potato growing and stud sheep. The appreciation of international markets changed his way of farming, with the adventure shaping the following decades of farming and travel for the entire Rose clan. Nuffield was a big part of Mr Rose’s life and he continued the connection with fellow scholars. His final Nuffield tour to England and Scotland took place in 2017, unchaperoned at the age of 93. In 2010, The Coast was sold and Mr Rose retired to his Burekup farm, where he always maintained a keen interest in farming. In later years, some of the proceeds of the sale of the property went towards establishing ongoing educational scholarships for Indigenous students at several secondary colleges in WA. Mr Rose’s other community commitments included time as president of the Brunswick Agricultural Society, a life member of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA, and patron of the Burekup Tennis Club. He also served as a Shire of Dardanup councillor for 27 years. Mr Rose died just seven months shy of his 100th birthday. He is survived by his three daughters, two sisters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.