Meet the Shedder: Peter Lunt

I was born near Manchester in 1935, but my parents moved within the year to Rugby where my mother was born. I spent my childhood and was educated there. In my late teens, I moved to London and was articled to a leading firm of Chartered Accountants. In my time there I visited many different clients throughout the UK as well as London and had a very interesting time seeing how they operated.

I qualified as a Chartered Accountant om 1959 and joined the Royal Navy for my 2 years National Service, as a Writer, being limited to that branch due to substandard colour vision. I was lucky enough to serve a year’s seatime, before moving to Plymouth for my final 6 months.

Since the Navy had taught me to touch type, this proved a great help when Personal Computers appeared. During National Service leave periods I built a GP14 sailing dinghy.

I joined another larger London firm of accountants who had an interesting array of household and establishment names as clients. In that time I met my wife Carole through a shared interest in Scottish Dancing and Sailing. I moved to a smaller firm in London but we quickly decided that we wished to settle elsewhere.

In 1966 I found employment with a firm who had pioneered and developed construction in glass reinforced polyester, being part of a group controlled by the Hunting family. Halmatic Limited, an engineering business connected with the sea particularly appealed to me. Originally concentrating on moulding hulls of boats of various types, the business developed to complete construction of boats between 30 and 85 feet overall for customers in the UK and overseas. Latterly the boats were for Pilotage, Coastguard Lifesaving, and Naval authorities. Starting as the accountant I eventually became a Director and Company Secretary. I retired in 1966.

During these years we had two daughters, one of whom lives in Chichester. now married to a local solicitor. I joined a local choral society to continue an interest started at school and after National Service. We purchased a smallholding with redundant farm buildings and over about 5 years, largely though our own physical efforts, converted the major building into our home. We used the land to grow food, feed animals, and let to horse owners.

Following my retirement we moved to Devon, where we both had been in early life, and initially much enjoyed the change. We extended our experience of travelling to many parts of the world. Now I was retired I volunteered for several things, including furniture recycling, village hall replacement, driving the villages community bus, choir committee. We also became grandparents in that period and realised that we were living too far away Carole was already showing some signs of what was to lead to her demise.

We returned to Chichester after 8 years away. We rejoined what had been our pursuits in retirement. Carole died in 2007.

Through my membership of Chichester Singers, where I was Librarian, I met Mandy who is now my wife. We are interested in the performing arts, travel, walking and our garden.