Petar grew up in a ‘selo’ (a small village) in Croatia where most people at the time used an old bicycle or a cart and bull to get around. 

He arrived in Australia in 1958, where through the 60s and 70s he rode a Vespa scooter and then a Yamaha. However, after an accident on his motorbike he decided that riding bicycles was a safer option. From then on cycling became his main way of getting to work, getting his groceries and visiting his brother and sister that lived in the same suburb. The family were always amazed at what he would bring back on his bicycle, including old lawn mowers and bicycles he found on the side of the road. He even packed up one of his bikes and took it to Croatia on one of his visits as a way of getting around.  

You’d often see him in a fluro vest because he always said you got to put ‘safety first” a motto he picked up from his days at BHP. Because of a bad hip he rode a women’s bike, the frame made it easier for him to get on and off. He was still riding his bicycle into his 80’s despite his hip becoming completely fused from arthritis.