Widow Tessa Hume’s heartfelt message after winemaker Peter Fraser’s death
The widow of acclaimed winemaker Peter Fraser has delivered a heartfelt tribute to emergency responders after speaking publicly for the first time since his tragic death.
Peter Fraser’s widow has shared a heart-filled message for the emergency service heroes who tried to save her home from the fire that took her husband’s life.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the first responders that attended the house,” said Tessa Hume, who had been married to the well-known winemaker for eight years.
“That includes the police, ambulance, Star Force – they all went in there and it was very dangerous.”
Speaking publicly for the first time since her husband’s death on November 27, Ms Hume said she was grateful to the emergency workers who raced to her home about 3.15pm and bravely tackled the fire at the Clarendon property.
Two policemen suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospital.
“I would just like to express my incredible gratitude for the work that they did,” said Ms Hume, a well-respected Adelaide barrister.
“I just want to say thank you to those guys from the bottom of my heart.”
Mr Fraser, 51, died in a house fire at the sprawling property he shared with Ms Hume, a barrister with city legal practice Bar Chambers and mother of his two children and two older stepchildren.
Emergency service workers struggled to gain access to the blaze because a horse float had been parked across the driveway at the bottom of the Chalk Hill Rd estate.
On Friday, a memorial service is being held at Yangarra Estate, where Mr Fraser was chief winemaker for the past 15 years.
Tickets to the event, which is being organised by winemakers, were made available on online booking service trybooking.com. The first allocation of tickets was exhausted, but organisers added more spaces. Up to 500 people are expected to attend.
The trybooking page says the event was planned to “honour” Mr Fraser’s “life and legacy”.
Eulogies will be delivered, including one from Yangarra Estate.
Mr Fraser is widely regarded as one of Australia’s best winemakers. Under his leadership, Yangarra became the only winery to win Halliday Wine Companion’s Wine of the Year twice for the same variety – the 2021 Old Vine Grenache and the 2016 High Sands Grenache.
Yangarra Estate’s website says its cellar door is temporarily closed.
It posted news of Mr Fraser’s death on its social media pages on November 28, the day after the fire.
Police say the death is not suspicious. A report is being prepared for the Coroner.
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Originally published as Widow Tessa Hume’s heartfelt message after winemaker Peter Fraser’s death
