Mike Peake Paintings Pt3 Scenery
The Paintings of Mike Peake Part 3 - Scenery
1939 - 15th September 2005
Arthur Peake was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire. Carrying a suitcase in one hand and a guitar in the other he sailed from Britain to the Falklands in 1959, at the age of twenty, to work as an electronics technician at the Radio Space Research Station (RSRS). On the trip down to the Islands, a few of the passengers would gather in the bar each evening. The group had two people named Arthur, and Harry Rowlands decided there could not be two Arthurs. Turning to Arthur Peake he said, ‘You will have to be Mike.’ The name stuck for the rest of his life with Mike even naming his son Michael. He was also the father of Bernadette and Alison and a proud grandfather to Isaac, Cody and Louie.
It wasn’t long after Mike arrived in the Islands that his musical talents were being appreciated by radio listeners. He later formed a small folk group called ‘The Satellites’ who recorded a series of programmes with their songs becoming popular among the locals. Mike also enjoyed football, darts and gave many memorable performances in the Amateur Dramatic Society productions.
From working at the RSRS, Mike then began to work at the European Space Research operation centre (ESRO) at the west end of Stanley. Mike worked there from 1967 to 1973, ending up as the Station Manager. In 1973, Mike began work as a Technician at the Post and Telecommunications Department of Government. He was given the task of installing the new AEL transceivers that replaced the old R/T sets and was proud to say that he had visited virtually every Falklands settlement while on this mission.
Because of Mike’s computer knowledge, when the Computer Section was established in 1986, he was appointed as the first Computer Coordinator. He continued to supervise upgrades and enhancements until his retirement in September 1999.
Mike was passionate about the Islands and within days of arriving he vowed to never live anywhere else. He had an exceptional artistic talent to match this passion. Painting with oils and varnish, Mike was sometimes able to produce breath-taking landscapes in just 30 minutes when something of interest caught his eye.
Following his retirement, Mike made many visits to Sea Lion and Carcass Island, capturing their mood and ruggedness in his paintings. Many of Mike’s paintings can still be found in the islands today whilst others have made their way around the world. Previously Mike designed the UPU Membership Centenary (1979) and the Bridges of the Falkland Islands (2000) stamp issues.
We acknowledge with thanks the help and assistance of Mensun Bound and Chris Andrews.
20p,33p,80p,£1.07,£1.30,£1.90
Technical Details:-
Paintings Mike Peake
Photography Chris Andrews Publications Ltd
Printer Cartor Security Printing
Process Lithography
Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms
Stamp size 30.6 x 38mm
Sheet layout 10
Release date 6 March, 2023
Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd