Former Melbourne and Australian YCW worker, John Bonnice, pays tribute to Peter Cox, another former YCW, who became the driver of the Melbourne YCW Road Safety Campaign of the early 1970s.
Former Melbourne YCW worker, Peter Cox (1948-2025), sadly passed away on 31 July 31 following a battle with cancer. He died peacefully surrounded by his three sons and his twin brother.
Peter worked for the Melbourne YCW in the early 1970s and was the driver of the YCW campaign on Road Safety in Victoria following the many deaths of young people on Victorian roads. This campaign was instrumental in bringing about seat belt legislation in Victoria.
In 1985 Peter moved to Bendigo with his family and established a community with other former YCW people.
Peter then became involved in campaigns to protect the Bendigo forests from mining and established the Friends of the Forest Action Group.
For more than 20 years Peter worked as the manager of Future Employment Opportunities and advocated for employment and recycling enterprises. He oversaw the establishment of employment provider Eaglehawk Enterprise Park, now Workspace Australia, and the Eaglehawk Recycle Shop which helps reduce landfill and created many jobs for local people.
He was a founding member of Empowering Eaglehawk, and former president of the Rotary Club of Eaglehawk.
Peter was a Bendigo City Councillor for many years (2008 to 2016) and served as mayor for 2014/15.
Up until his death Peter was the president of the Bendigo National Trust, advocating on heritage issues and championing the history of the region.
In 2022 Peter received the Order of Australia Medal for his service to community.
Through his life Peter was a tireless advocate for social justice and community participation in local issues. He was greatly influenced by what he learnt from the YCW and applied the YCW principles and values in his community work.
Peter tells the story of the YCW Road Safety Campaign in this video produced by the YCW Archives project:
Family tribute in The Age
