Vale Peter Roggenkamp: Cairns motorsport legend remembered
A giant of the Far North motorsport scene and South Cairns Football Club stalwart has been remembered as a talented driver, tireless road safety campaigner and community champion.
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A highly respected giant of the Far North motorsport scene and South Cairns Football Club stalwart has been remembered as a talented driver, tireless road safety campaigner and community champion.
Peter Roggenkamp died on January 2 at a Melbourne hospice, aged 81.
Born in Sydney and raised in a single parent family, Mr Roggenkamp made the move north with his mother and sister in the 1950s following the diagnosis of a serious heart condition when he was seven years old.
The odds were stacked against the youngster after being struck down with a heart attack.
He was told by doctors he couldn’t take part in normal children’s activities such as playing sports or riding a push bike.
Sister Anne Jackson recalled the prognosis was a devastating blow for her older brother.
“We moved to Cairns in 1953 when he was 10 and because of the weather he improved but he should not have been able to do what he did,” she said.
Defying expert opinion, Mr Roggenkamp went on to play 400 games for the formerly known South Balaclava, now South Cairns Football Club, including 15 grand finals, seven of which his beloved Souths came out on top.
Along side his passion for AFL, Roggenkamp was a mad Speedway racer.
At age 15, Peter fell off a horse and broke his arm, ending his horse riding career before it began and ventured down the mechanical path.
Roggenkamp’s first race was in Townsville and became hooked into the Speedway with his best mate Terry Adair.
He also reached the pinnacle of Australian motorsport as an Australian Speedway Champion and was one of the founders of the Cairns International Speedway and the Cairns Competition Car Club.
Peter’s son Mitch recalls one of his fathers favourite cars, ‘Old Yeller’.
“It is Holden Monaro 350 Chev, which he went onto win the Australasian Speedway Championship,” Roggenkamp said.
“As well as many North Queensland championships, and represented Australia in Test Matches against the USA in Speedway, sometimes as team captain.
“He moved into sprint cars and rallying, including the Around Australia Rally. think that was about 1979 finishing 10th in the class against drivers such as Peter Brock.
Peter kept his own rally car and claimed three Queensland Rally Championships.
Making a career out of his passion for cars, Mr Roggenkamp was a sales manager at Doug Green Ford in the late 1960s and also worked for the Ireland’s of Cairns dealership, selling used and later new vehicles.
He also worked as an auctioneer with Quaids.
In 1980 Mr Roggenkamp began his own business venture and created a defensive and advanced driver training business called Peter Roggenkamp Drivesafe.
Through this venture, Mr Roggenkamp trained thousands of drivers to make the roads safer and at the age of 72 he started doing defensive driver training for seniors.
The motorsport event promoter in 2014 campaigned for a racetrack and dedicated driver training facility in Aeroglen and often appeared in the media as the foremost expert on north Queensland motoring matters, as well as writing a weekly column for the Weekend Post, CarsGuide liftout.
Ms Jackson said it was her brother’s destiny to be involved with motor vehicles.
“He was under a car or on a car or doing something with a car,” she said.
“He did so much and was involved with so many people and was highly respected.
“And he devoted his whole life to people driving safely.”
During his later years living in Melbourne Mr Roggenkamp suffered from dementia, which Ms Jackson said her brother didn’t advertise due to the stigma the condition carried.
“It’s a blessed relief and at least we know where he is and he is at peace,” she said.
A life member of the South Cairns Australian Football and Sporting Club, Mr Roggenkamp also served as club president, he was a club best and fairest winner and his name is on every honour board.
Mr Roggenkamp is survived by his son Mitchell whom he was incredibly proud of.
A funeral service will be held for Peter Roggenkamp at St Monica’s Cathedral on January 16.
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Originally published as Vale Peter Roggenkamp: Cairns motorsport legend remembered
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