Peter Myers was a Sydney architect in solo practice since 1970. He was on the design team of Jørn Utzon's Sydney Opera House at Bennelong Point, and he undertook considerable research on the beginnings of Sydney, discovering that the city was designed around an already established First Nations infrastructure. He passed away last week, aged 81.

Following is an extract of the eulogy read at his funeral by his former student and employee, architect Timothy Williams, founder and principal of the Sydney-based firm, Tim Williams and Associates.

For students of architecture, the beginning of term was always a nervous time, choosing a design project and Tutor had a major bearing on our enthusiasm, motivation, and marks. In 1980 I chose you Peter because you had the most interesting studio topic and because you were not like the other tutors. You were a solo architect, self-contained, calm, maybe a little introverted.

Someone said you had worked with Utzon on the Sydney Opera House. You looked like you might know a thing or two and your tousled hair, beard, crumpled shirt, scarf, and sandals-with-socks gave you the air of a sophisticated, bohemian maverick.

During my degree, I took your studio as often as I could. Design topics included an autonomous house on a farm, a conservatorium with Opera Hall, a kindergarten in Glebe, a public housing project and my final studio, a public square in the Haymarket.

You led us to precedents, relevant texts and encouraged us to follow where our research led us. You showed us where to find original sources, often, you gave us more references than we could follow. I would be a better architect if I had followed more of them.

You knew the library better than the librarian and had access to the rare books room, where you would share with us the wonders of Piranese, Ledoux, Palladio, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier. Your knowledge of books was immense, and you loved sharing it.

You displayed a social conscience and showed that there were many architectural paths to follow and that we could aspire to being more than an architect of Private Houses. I can remember you saying that “ideas are more important than buildings”, as you opened a dusty tome for us. “They last longer”.

In your beautiful distinctive handwriting, you would write considered and generous commentaries on our design projects. Many of us will have kept them. They flattered us by expanding on ideas we didn’t realise we’d had. You made us feel that we had a special talent. It was inspiring, motivating. Compared to the comments you made the mark was of little importance. But the mark you left on us was indelible.

Your drawing skills were exceptional, and you insisted on concise accurate drawings in pencil on detail paper. You showed me how to do perspectives with string and pins, a skill you had mastered whilst working in London. We made models, went to site, made photographs. But mostly you were interested in what thought I could bring.

We shared a passion for photography, your father had been a photographer and you knew so much about it. You introduced me to photographers I did not know, including Weegee, Vishniak and Rodchenko. “Never underestimate the Russians” you said. I developed and printed many of your negatives including some of the painting of the ceiling of the Keeping place. The aboriginal Sistine Chapel.

You were conscious of the documentary power of photography. I did not know at the time, that in the mid 70s you had made a photographic and field note record of Aboriginal communities in North-East Arnhem Land and Western NSW. Called ‘Room to Move’, It was part of “A Submission to the Senate Committee on the Environmental Conditions among the Australian Aboriginals”.

A commission that Nugget Coombs had been insistent You should undertake. Friend Richard Dunn filmed you making your final submission on 1/2” black and white reel to reel video with equipment made available by the Whitlam Government. In May 1975, it was the first video evidence given to the Australian Parliament. Last year we successfully had it digitised. An important piece of Australian history is saved.

So many of your projects and writings were ahead of their time, visionary. Much more will be made of your oeuvre soon. Some projects were and still are controversial. Room to Move, was roundly criticised at the time by the Institute of Architects.

You were rocking the housing industry’s boat, demonstrating the cultural ineptitude of the neat rows of suburban houses that were being rolled out at great expense. Your observations and suggestions made then would find currency today.

We are all better off as we strive for the integrity, courage, Vision, thoroughness, originality, depth of thought, erudition, generosity, and kindness you have shown.

Thank you, Peter,

And, as you wrote on the bottom of your ground-breaking essay ‘The First City’ on the oyster economy in pre-colonial Port Jackson.

“Finally, nothing is final”

By Timothy Williams

Images: Supplied

Branko Miletic

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