Memorial Recognises Decades Of Dedication To SIT And Students

On Monday, November 21st, family, whānau, friends and colleagues of the late Peter Skerrett - SIT Programme Manager (PM) in Contemporary Music, tutor, guitar exponent and ground breaker - gathered in Invercargill at SIT – Business Division of Te Pūkenga, to participate in a memorial which celebrated his outstanding achievements over nearly thirty years in the Faculty.

The music area at Te Rau o te Huia centre for creative industries has been named in Mr Skerrett’s honour; a memorial glass cabinet has been installed, which features his favourite bass guitar and recordings. Hamish Small, Head of Faculty - New Media, Arts, Business and Computing, said “We would not have our School of Contemporary Music today if it had not been for the ongoing vision and drive of Peter. His outstanding work will never be forgotten.”

Current PM for Sound and Music, Doug Heath, said without a doubt, Peter Skerrett was instrumental in keeping the School of Contemporary Music running at SIT.

“He would have taught and influenced more than 500 music students, and 200-odd bass players. He was an in-demand session musician across three decades – the sixties, seventies and eighties - both here and in Australia.”

Mr Skerrett was strong in community work as well, taking on the role of Musical Director for Christmas at the Stadium (Invercargill) for eighteen years, Mr Heath added.

Mr Skerrett took on many roles over the course of his life; he was a session musician, a singer and backing vocalist, the bass player in numerous bands and backing bands, a musical director, a tutor, and a programme manager. He was also a loved father and grandfather; his son Asher Skerrett, who is connected to SIT through music as well, currently working part-time as a tutor on the Bachelor of Music programme, offered his thoughts on his father’s legacy.

“Dad loved music and teaching, he loved his students and loved his family, his children and his grandchildren. Part of his legacy is that his children and grandchildren have carried on with his love for music - they all play music.”

He illustrated this with a family story: “My youngest son Nate has perfect pitch. He can hear the notes G, D, A, and D, and knows that they stand for granddad - Dad loved this.”

Former SIT Chief Executive and MP for Invercargill, Penny Simmonds, said she has many special memories of Peter Skerrett’s lengthy employment at SIT, but his overriding legacy was the rapport he had with students, which was always so evident.

“The credibility and mana that Peter brought to his tutorial position as an acknowledged outstanding performer and his level of integration within the NZ music industry and the relationships that he brought to SIT, were invaluable.”

She added “On a personal level, Peter and I had a lovely understanding about how important the SIT choir was for performances at SIT’s special occasions and he always managed to find just the right music and mood.”

Mr Skerrett offered more than just being a very talented musician, said Ms Simmonds.

“He was motivated to share his talent to grow and advance his students. Peter’s time at SIT overlapped with my time as CE of SIT and we both treasured the growth in both size and quality of the Music department and the success of the graduates.”

“SIT was very fortunate to have had someone of Peter’s talent and dedication anchoring the Music department for so many years,” Ms Simmonds said.

It seems fitting to conclude with the words of long-time music collector and writer, Bruce Sergent, who followed Mr Skerrett’s career. "Now and again, there are individuals who may not have had a solo career, but whose contributions are sufficiently significant to warrant noting as an artist because of how they shaped the history of New Zealand music - Peter Skerrett is one such person."

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