Vale Peter Ugalde

05 November 1942 – 30 August 2020

A short tribute, with love from the Australian cousins
Garth, Rhonda, Keren, David, Meredy, and Jocelyn
- and our families

Our visits to Cornwall, and our times with Pete, were never long enough.
“G’day Pete” – rich conversation, many laughs – “See-ya”. Over all too quickly. And then the long trip home to resume our normal lives in Australia.
Our times with Pete stretched over many years. Jocelyn, from her home in Tasmania, came to Cornwall as a young girl with Marmo and Phil, going to school with Donna. Keren as a 20 year-old on her first trip overseas, and three times since. Meredy holidaying with her parents Trelawney and Merrilyn in 1980, and David kept coming back following his first trip in 1981. Rhonda has come to Cornwall a couple of times more recently, and Garth, although not able to meet everyone in person, seemed to know Pete as well as anyone from all the stories he has heard over the years.
Over this time, Pete has made an unforgettable impact on all of us, and he has left us with many and varied memories that we will treasure forever.
Whoever it was, Pete would greet us with a warm Cornish welcome, his open friendly hugs, his infectious grin – and then the stories.... and the stories..... and the stories! We will always remember Pete as THE great story-teller. Probably most of the stories were true – but either way, they were always woven into the wisdom of life.
And those memories – where do we start? Stockcar racing at Pennycross Stadium in Plymouth, the car-wreckers and scrap metal yards at Hardings, towing the campervan back to Pensipple and doing it up, lighthouses and their stories, and the boxes and boxes of history stuff. “Oh an’ lookee ‘ere – there’s just one more”, and on it went.
To us, Pete’s knowledge of family, of history, and of the local area around Liskeard was second to none. He was always ready and so proud to educate us Aussies on our Cornish heritage. Being with Pete, we too caught Pete’s passion for everything Cornish, and as time went on, we truly began to feel just a little bit Cornish ourselves.

Pete deepened our appreciation and understanding of what life was like for Trelawney and Marmo growing up in Liskeard in the first decades of the 1900’s – what they did, what they knew, who had impacted on their lives. And when eventually Trelawney and Marmo made their homes in Australia, we cousins then became, and will always be, the Australian Connection of the Cornish Ugalde Family.
And most importantly, it is now the next generation – our youngsters who have travelled to get to know their Cornish heritage, always with great anticipation and enjoyment. And invariably this has included meeting and spending wonderful times with Uncle Pete.
To Celia, Sophie, Millie, Richard, and Daniel – and to Phil and Donna – we offer to you and to your families, our love and sincerest condolences.
You too will have Pete’s memories and influence in your lives forever. They are there to cherish. Thank you for being there for him, for the love, care and support when he needed it most. He will forever be part of who you are, and all of you will always continue to be a special part of our lives in Australia.
– Farewell Pete –