Pete’s great mate Adrian Dunn writes:
It is with an extremely heavy heart and immense sadness that I relay the news of the passing of our great mate Pete Flintoff.
Pete, a Life Member of the Club and as passionate supporter as any of the Wildcats & Blackcats, passed away on Tuesday night.
It’s fair to say that Pete loved nothing more than his Thursday night and game day trips to Napier Park to chew the fat with whoever he came into contact.
And, he would delight in welcoming every young Waverley kid who he came across with his standard line “great cap, son. Wear it proudly.”
No person watched more Wildcats or Blackcats’ Firsts game over the past 25 years than Pete, who was a staple of the Club since his son Mark began playing juniors for the Club in the mid 1990s.
It’s a testament of how he was held that legendary junior coaches Dave Warren & Rod Patton still treasure his friendship.
It was the same with the succession of senior coaches – Dan McConnon, Dave White, Scott Dawes, Donny Hendricks, Phil Dale, Adam Bright and Luke Hughes.
Pete would be quick to buy them a post-game refreshment and drill down into what just happened on the diamond.
He simply loved the Waverley Baseball Club and everyone who represented it. He had a particular soft spot for James Beresford, who played in the team with Mark and when James reached the majors in September 2016, Pete was cock-a-hoop.
Pete set up the Waverley Baseball Club website in the late 1990s and his game recaps were must reads not only by the Waverley community, but also our opponents. Pete didn’t pull any punches and his reports frequently found themselves being robustly discussed at League headquarters.
Pete, like his beloved Collingwood, was simply black and white. There was no grey areas. You always knew where you stood with Pete and his unswerving loyalty, honesty and friendship will be missed by all the Waverley community.
He was one of the founders of Club 3150, a coterie group of the Club and its continued success is in no small part to Pete’s continued involvement.
On a personal note Pete has been a great friend for 25 years since our boys began playing Juniors at Waverley. It never waned.
We enjoyed an enjoyable 20-plus year partnership publishing the annual Flintoff & Dunn Alamanac, which details everything about the Australian Baseball League. Pete still dutifully recorded all the games by Australians playing professionally in the States. He was a treasure trove of knowledge
The Waverley Baseball Club extends its deepest sympathy and heart-felt condolences to wife Michelle, children Brett, Mark & Kim.
Rest In Peace Pete. RIP our great mate.
.
