The family of the late Peter Cox with Deputy Mayor Amelia Parkins at the unveiling of the plaque for Wagga Wagga’s 2024 Walk of Honour recipient. Photo: Chris Roe.
Legendary Wagga playwright, director and teacher, Peter ‘Coxy’ Cox has been remembered as a “Good Egg” by the dozens who braved the cold to attend the unveiling of a plaque in his honour.
Mr Cox passed away last year and has been recognised as Wagga Wagga’s 2024 Walk of Honour recipient, claiming a prominent location in the city’s Baylis Street precinct close to Wollundry Lagoon Bridge.
Doing the honours on behalf of the City of Wagga Wagga, Deputy Mayor Amelia Parkins said it was a day to celebrate Peter Cox’s achievements and contribution to the community.
“Peter was a dedicated and passionate leader whose life’s work focused on developing the community’s creative, intellectual and artistic life,” she said.
“Peter’s enduring legacy lives on through countless students, artists, musicians and the careers that he influenced.
“He taught us to care deeply for each other and our community to nurture and care for the creativity that lives within all of it, and to live our lives to the fullest.”
A large crowd of Peter Cox’s friends, family and proteges gathered in the Civic Precinct for the unveiling. Photo: Chris Roe.
Mr Cox is the 41st inductee into the Walk of Honour, which was established in 1998, and recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to the city.
A much-loved teacher who spent the majority of his 40-year career at Kooringal High School, Mr Cox inspired a generation of Riverina creatives and was a giant on the local arts scene.
He directed and produced a host of musical and stage productions and was heavily involved in the locally produced feature films Backyard Ashes and The Merger.
Daughter Samantha Dellamarta expressed gratitude on behalf of the family for the memorials and tributes to her late father “at a time when none of us could put much together in our lives”.
She thanked those who submitted nominations and the council for choosing “this daggy thespian for their award”.
“If Dad was here, he’d probably say something really humble and something about how the town can now walk all over him or something along those lines,” she joked.
“But he’s not, so we get to talk about him in a different way. And we’re really appreciative of this plaque. It will be really important to the city of Wagga, but it’s also important to us and our family, our kids and our grandkids to come, who will be able to come and find ‘Poppy’ here.
“I had a message today from a former student, who’s now a drama teacher, who said she couldn’t make it because she’s taking kids to see Belle Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. And that to me is Dad’s legacy.”
Peter Cox will forever be remembered as a “Good Egg”. Photo: Chris Roe.
Ms Dellamarta also acknowledged the team of local creatives who had delivered the Encore Concert for Coxy, which raised $23,000 towards establishing the Peter Cox Ministry of Silly Grants.
“These are grants that will be available to public high school students to support them with travel and accommodation costs when they’re undertaking placement and work experience opportunities with some of Australia’s most prestigious theatre companies,” she explained.
“There’s also an additional ‘Puppet Fund’ for any school teachers.
“If you want to make a puppet, you can reach out to Kooringal High for some support around that, because Dad was a big fan of puppets!”
The newly minted plaque declares Peter ‘Coxy’ Cox to be a “Good Egg” and along with a short biography, includes a quote from David Viscott:
“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away”.
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