Peter Vogel
Peter Vogel

Peter's Personal Story

My Life (Very Short Version)

I was born on 30/8/1954 in Sydney, Australia, to a German mother and Austrian father. They were both Jewish refugees who came to Australia during WWII. I have two older sisters. 

 I developed an interest in electricity while still in nappies. I enjoyed sticking metal objects into power points. Fearing I would be fried, my parents put those little blanking plugs into the unused sockets, which led me to learn to use tools to prise them out. After tiring of electric shocks, I started experimenting with connecting other things to the power point to see how they dealt with 240 volts. 

I must have etched certain neural pathways into my brain in the process, as I developed a fascination with electricity and electronics which stayed with me ever since. 

After leaving high school, I co-founded Fairlight Instruments, the company which subsequently developed the world’s first sound-sampling keyboard instruments. I was with Fairlight for the next 14 years. At its peak, we employed 100 people. During this time I did a lot of international travel, demonstrating our products to musicians around the world. In the course of this I had the pleasure of meeting many of the world’s greatest musicians. 

At the same time as managing the technical side of Fairlight, I was very active in a number of social and environmental campaigns of the 70’s. I took part in the Franklin River blockade (this is me being arrested), was a founding member of the Non-smokers’ Movement of Australia and BUGA UP, and participated in many demonstrations, street marches, and direct actions for various causes. I waged a fierce campaign against self-regulation of the advertising industry, and with the help of the Australian Consumers’ Association challenged the Media Council of Australia in court. 

Meanwhile, in spite of being famous for its innovations, Fairlight was always struggling financially. In 1987 I left Fairlight after a long dispute with a venture capital company which by then owned almost all the company. 

I married Amanda, who I had met on a business trip to London, and a year later my first daughter Poppy was born. We moved to the Blue Mountains. I decided my next project would be to build our “dream home”. I spent the next 4 years doing this, with help from some friends. You can see more about the housebuilding project here. 

About a year after I left, Fairlight went broke and the bank came after me as guarantor of Fairlight’s loans. This nearly bankrupted me, and I had to get back into business to pay this new debt. 

I started Right Hemisphere, an electronic design consultancy which operates from offices at my home. This allowed me to work part-time and be around the children almost all the time. Click here to see what Right Hemisphere does. 

Now I have three daughters who you can see here. but Amanda and I separated in 1997. The girls live with me, in the house I built, half the week, and with Amanda who lives quite nearby the rest of the week. 

Personal Profile

What Makes Me Laugh

I am a bit infamous among my friends for my quirky sense of humour. I thrive on word-plays and one-liners. My favourite comedians are Roy & HG. I also like early Monty Python. Favourite cartoonists: Michael Leunig and Gary Larson. 

Music

I love music and am quite musically talented, although I never had enough application to learn an instrument properly. At various times I have started learning piano, clarinet, violin and recorder. Recorder is the only one I can play now at all; I have a beautiful ebony tenor recorder which I play from time to time. 

I have been an enthusiastic singer all my life. I used to sing all the time with my mother when I was a kid. I loved singing in the school choir. In my Fairlight days, I joined with other employees who were good singers to form a male a cappella group which entertained employees by putting on lunchtime concerts.  In 1999 I formed an a cappella group called “Hearing Voices” and we recorded a CD in my livingroom.

Television

 Until recently, neither I nor my children watched broadcast television. We used the TV only to watch videos, or to record the ocassional off-air program, if there is one worth seeing, for viewing at our convenience. I did watch most of the Frontline series. I believe broadcast television can be quite socially damaging. I was once a member of SET (Society for Elimination of Television).

Movies

 I like movies, particularly if they are not Hollywood-style blockbusters. Some of my favourites include: Delicatessen, Four weddings and a funeral, Parenthhood, Truly Madly Deeply, When Harry met Sally, The Crying Game, The Mission, Shine, and various French films.

Sport

 I never have had, nor ever expect to have, any interest whatsoever in organised sports. I have in the past tried hangliding (an exciting near-death experience). I ski and ice skate reasonably well but not often. My preferred form of exercise is walking and rollerblading (which I do with my children).

Recreation

 I enjoy spending time with friends, good wide-ranging conversation with lots of laughs. I like listening to music, especially live performance. I particularly enjoy singing. I tend to sing or at least whistle all the time, unless I’m in a bad mood.

Afilliations/Memberships

 As well as looking after my children and running Right Hemisphere, I have many other varied interests. Here are some of them. 

    • I’ve been a keen singer all my life. In the last few years I’ve been active in various a cappella groups around the Mountains. CASA has a huge library of a cappella arrangements which are available free to members. At the moment I am part of a group called Pure Chants. I am also a member of the Sydney A cappella Association. 
    • Australian Consumers’ Association 
    • I’ve been active in Blue Mountains for a number of years. BM LETS is the largest LETS in the world, with well over 1000 members. The basic idea of LETS is that local communities create their own “currency” which can be used to trade skills and services. The possibility of circumventing the orthodox financial system, and especially eliminating banks and interest payments, appeals greatly to me. Over the years I have traded about $30,000 worth of goods and services through LETS. 
    • Australian Democrats 
    • I have been publishing this magazine for about 5 years. It covers social issues as they affect men. This is a print magazine, distribuuted by subscription only. I do put most of the text on the web though.
    • Men’s Health and Information Resource Centre 
    • I am on the advisory board of this new men’s helath initiative funded by the NSW Health Department. I am also involved with various Blue Mountains men’s health initiatives.
    • The Everyman Project 
    I am on the committee of this group which received funding to promote men’s groups in the Blue Mountains area. 

 

Interested but not so actively involved

  • Boys’ education email discussion group. This is a “list server” group I started and sponsor. 
  • Parentsplace Fathers’ Resources;
    Interesting reading material for fathers, especially at-home or full-time dads. 
  • Radio National home page. I like to browse the transcripts of programs inclusing the Media Report, Education Report and Law Report. 
  • The anagram server. This is a lot of fun. You send the server whetver text you want (e.g. your name) and it emails you back as many anagrams of it as you specify. Try it! 
  • Health risks of ELF fields. I’m interested in research that shows potential health damage from extra-low-frequency magnetic fields, as produced by power lines and electrical appliances. I was part of a successful campaign to stop construction of a subtransmission line through a residential suburb near where I live. 
  • I am a supporter of Animal Liberation. Although I am not a vegetarian myself, I am oppes to factory farming and some animal experimentation (such as testing of cosmetics). I have waved a lot of placards in my time! 

Contact details:

Peter Vogel 
30 Adeline Street 
Faulconbridge NSW 2776 

Email: pvogel@vogelfamily.net
Last updated July 2000