Each morning for nearly 10 years, Peter Van Beek would wake up and make his way to a roundabout on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and wave to commuters driving past.
Lovingly known as the Waving Man, his simple act of kindness would see him engaging with drivers in the morning and afternoon as they made their way to work or school.
Loading…
Peter, who was born in the Netherlands, would stand at a roundabout in Buderim, near a traffic sign, with a beaming smile and a simple wave.
Sadly, Peter passed away from a stroke last year, aged 88, and the news triggered an outpouring of love from the community for the man who brightened their day.
Twelve months on and local John Munden, who had been missing seeing Peter and his daily wave, decided to start a petition to get a statue or memorial in place to honour his legacy.
“People just really connected with him and there was something so familiar about him being there every day, every morning, every evening, and just how happy he was,” Mr Munden said.
“He made you feel so happy and when you had that moment of connection with him, it was always so genuine and so heartfelt.”
‘We had to memorialise it’
When Mr Munden first started his campaign asking the local council to install a memorial at the roundabout, the petition attracted more than 2,500 signatures.
“We really miss him being there and the public really miss how he made them feel, I knew we had to memorialise it,” Mr Munden said.
“It’s just the outpouring from the local community, it never diminishes and it’s always incredibly positive.”
Hundreds of locals commented on the petition to show their love for the act of kindness.
“I would go the long way home just to see his beautiful beaming smile and his kind wave,” Kim Steenbergen said.
“I still to this day find myself looking over to where he would stand and still find myself looking for him, he was a life-changing moment in all of our day.”
David Liow shared his love for the Waving Man too.
“I still wave and smile at where Peter used to stand; such a friendly, happy guy that brought joy to so many people,” he wrote.
Getting the green light for Peter’s Roundabout
After Mr Munden’s rallying and community support, the Sunshine Coast Council recently agreed to rename the site Peter’s Roundabout and plans to work with his family to design a memorial.
“Peter’s wife Marguerite is really quite overwhelmed by the decision, and she’s always been overwhelmed by the love that people have felt for Peter,” Mr Munden said.
“The fact that people are still talking about his waving and coming back to his family to thank them shows what an impact he had.”
Mr Munden is helping the family achieve their wishes for the site by conveying their ideas to the council to make sure the memorial is fitting for the Waving Man.
“It’s such wonderful news that we get to create this legacy and keep it moving ahead,” he said.
“We’ll continue to keep talking about how wonderful Peter was and how missed he still is.”