Peter Mangles was a man who knew how to get things done.
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Passionate to a fault, his love for Benalla and the Sherrin ran deep in his bones.
A fixture around the Goulburn Valley for more than eight decades, whatever he was doing in the community you knew he was involved.
From his storied career with Victoria Police to his days on the football field, first as a player and then mentor, Peter had only one way of dealing with a challenge — head on.
But Father Time can only be put off, at best, and on August 8, with his wife Lesley by his side, the 82-year-old died peacefully in Benalla.
Remembering his good mate, Bill Sykes described him as “your typical old-school copper”.
“He had a strong personality. The type of fella who saw it all simply — it was his way or the highway,” Sykes said.
“But with that personality, he got things done.
“He’s made an enormous contribution to the community through the football club.”
Born at Clunes the year before World War II, Peter certainly covered a bit of country through the years, including Stanhope, Murchison, Mooroopna and Shepparton — and then a stint in the city.
But the lure of country living proved too strong, and Peter “went bush” in the mid-1980s and Benalla was the town lucky enough to get him.
Playing football with Murchison in his younger years, Peter went on to coach and serve as president of Benalla back when they were known as the Demons.
In his final years, Peter struck up a friendship with Saints’ premiership coach Luke Morgan, who remembers Peter as a “ripping bloke”.
“Peter, he was a straight shooter and he could get offside with people, but I liked him,” Morgan said.
“He was passionate, he was honest. He’s had a big impact on my life; for which I’m extremely grateful.”
Bleeding red and black, for the devout Essendon supporter it was all about grassroots football when Saturday rolled around, with Peter always taking pride of place on the sidelines to barrack on the red, white and black.
“Throughout the years, and even with his health issues, I’m not sure he missed too many games,” Morgan said.
“And I know he got great satisfaction out of our (2015) premiership.
“He said to me, ‘you’ve got to win one before I go’, which we did.”
Peter might be gone, but his legacy still stands.
His massive contribution to the construction of the Lakeside Community Centre at the Saints’ home ground will be there for generations to come.
One man who spent up to 15 years working behind the scenes to get the building off the ground with Peter was Geoff Cooper.
Speaking of their time together, Cooper said Peter always had Benalla at the heart of everything he did.
“Peter was an interesting character, strong in a lot of ways, but a great person to work with,” Cooper said.
“He was Benalla through and through and he always did what he thought was best for the town.”
Cooper said Peter’s tenacity in the face of the centre’s improbable future was one of his greatest assets — from dealing with politicians to wrangling volunteers. He even put some of his own money into the project.
“Peter was never frightened to ask the hard questions. He wouldn’t give up, no was never an option and he could get over any obstacle,” Cooper said.
“If we couldn’t get through the front door, Peter would find a way to get through the back door.
“He just kept going and it was the reason he was so successful. I admired him for that.”
Following his coaching days, Peter dedicated years to Benalla’s junior league and served as chairman of Benalla District Football League Tribunal and as a member of the Goulburn Valley League board.
Current GVL chairman David Roff has fond memories of Peter from their time carpooling to Shepparton for meetings.
“I live in Mansfield, so I’d pick Peter up on the way and we’d have a chat there and back,” Roff said.
“He was very passionate about football, and he had a lot of experience; from coaching and playing, to his time on the tribunal. He had plenty of knowledge he put to good use on the board.”
One of Roff’s favourite Peter stories was about the policy his friend implemented during his time as judge and jury.
It stated if a player was found guilty of causing injury to an opponent, the guilty player was suspended for however long the injured player was out of the game — plus a few extra weeks for good measure.
This reportedly cleaned up the league at the time.
“It was left-field thinking from Peter. He was a character, an individual and he will be missed,” Roff said.
Though Peter’s public persona may have put him with the “hard men” of his times — from your Ron Barassis to your John Kennedys — Sykes said Peter did have a soft side.
“It was evident when I delivered his Belgian Blue cattle,” Sykes, a vet, said.
“It’s a pretty special moment when you’ve got this calf appear with its big dark eyes. It makes your heart melt and Mangles; he went pretty soft for them.
“The care he put into them, he had a soft side most wouldn’t see.”
And while many saw Peter for that tough exterior he was known for, it was with his family where his heart was worn on his sleeve.
“He really loved Lesley and she loved him,” Sykes said.
“He had a loving family and a granddaughter he adored,” Morgan said.
“He was a good guy and will be missed.”
For those who knew him, or only knew of him, there is no doubt Peter Mangles has left his beloved Benalla in a better shape than it was when he arrived.
Sports journalist