Peter Bartter, the founder of poultry supplier Bartter Enterprises passed away at the age of 84 on September 29 in the NSW Riverina.
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Peter Bartter was a businessman, golfer, wine connoisseur, pilot, father, husband and grandfather.
In 1955, Bartter Enterprises turned 100 chickens into a thriving and large-scale business that was crucial in providing jobs to the entire region.
Bartter Enterprises grew to become the second largest chicken producer in Australia, processing 2.4 million chickens each week.
Bartters was the largest employer in the Riverina town of Griffith with 4300 workers on the books.
Their chickens were supplied to KFC, Woolworths, IGA and Coles.
Bartters, which also owned the Steggles brand, was estimated to be worth $420 million in 2008.
In 2009, the third largest chicken producer in Australia, Baiada Poultry launched an acquisition of the Bartter Enterprises.
Bruce Gowrie-Smith, a long-time friend of Mr Bartter and a business partner, said that his greatest trait was his remarkable intelligence.
"Peter was one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. Whenever he was interested in something, he'd become an expert in the subject just through research and study."
Mr Gowrie-Smith added that his memory for details was unsurpassed, giving the example of his affinity and long association for Griffith's wine and food.
"He had an amazing palate memory, he could remember flavours of wines and remember every detail. As a member of the wine and food club, the club decided to send four of their most knowledgeable members to represent Griffith in the state wine options," he said.
"This group of four went to Sydney and in an unmasked wine competition, they won a couple of years in a row. He had the ability to stand up at a dinner and say 'You all should know this wine, we had it 12 months ago!'"
It wasn't limited to his hobbies either, as he took great care to know the finer details of his company.
"Even with his businesses increasing number of staff, they always had a very high admiration for Peter. For example, even with the engineering division, he could pick up a welding rod and demonstrate how something had to be done," Mr Gowrie-Smith said.
Albert Ravanello was one of Mr Bartter's good friends, and accompanied him on many golfing trips to the Mornington Peninsula.
"We had some great times ... He was a great friend. He'd never say a bad word about anyone, and he'd always listen to people. He had time for everyone as well. If he was in a social group, he'd make time to speak to everyone," Mr Ravanello said.
"He was a very generous man, he helped a lot of people but he didn't like the idea that he had to tell everybody what he did.
"If he could help people in any way, he would but he helped them to help themselves ... he'd never just say 'here's a million dollars' - He'd explain 'here's what you need to do and I'll help you do it."
"One of Peter's best features was that even as his business got larger and larger, he had the ability to talk to anyone as a friend. You'd see him walk down the street and chat to anyone ... he never let his position or wealth change him from being practical and down-to-earth," Mr Gowrie-Smith said.
He gave everybody a chance, and if people took that chance, they'd always better themselves.
- Albert Ravanello.
He remembered a story told of an electrician working with Mr Bartter on developing several paddocks and building the electrical design for the paddock irrigation.
"He put all this pressure on to get the wiring done, and when I told him that I'd be away next week because I'm going on a cruise, he said 'When does the cruise leave?' I said, 'Five days time, I'm leaving early because I'm driving down and to save money, I can't afford to fly down.'
"Peter said 'I'm sending you the ticket, you stay here until we finish the wiring and I'll put you on a flight."
Mr Bartter is survived by his wife Jennifer and his children Andrea, Fiona and Simon along with their partners.
Mr Ravanello summed up Mr Bartter with the sentence "he gave everybody a chance, and if people took that chance, they'd always better themselves."