First Docker at ,home in Kwinana

From humble origins on a dairy farm in Margaret River, Peter Miller was propelled into the national limelight in October 1994 after being drafted as one of the first two players for the newly formed Fremantle Dockers.

He had moved to Perth to study and play sport, with the modest former AFL star now a member of the Wellard community and an important cog in the wheel at the BP refinery in Kwinana.

A far cry from the sports science and technology of modern sport, Peter juggled the responsibilities of playing for Fremantle with his work in Kwinana after being snapped up along with fellow inaugural Docker Peter Bell.

“I was doing design work at BP at the time so my hours could be quite flexible,” he said.

“Back then some players were working real jobs full-time. When we played in Melbourne on a Saturday I’d have to take annual leave on Friday to fly out.

“At that time we trained in the off-season 11 times a week – it was a logistical nightmare.”

Having played for East Perth in the West Australian Football League, Peter recalls being shocked at the amount of attention he received after penning a deal with the Dockers.

“It was really exciting – there was a lot of coverage and interest because everything about that year was a first experience for the club,” he said.

“The week after I got drafted Channel 7 rang me and said they wanted to interview me on a Friday night. I said no because I was going to a birthday party. They asked where the party was and said they could come and interview me there.

“I told them it was at the Wembley Hotel and didn’t think much of it. I get there and the Channel 7 truck is parked out the front with the big antenna up. I walk in and they’d taken over a section of the hotel and I thought ‘that can’t be for me, can it?’

“I got interviewed at the Wembley Hotel and half an hour later I was still at the Wembley Hotel watching myself on the TV getting interviewed in the Wembley Hotel – it was quite funny.”

Along with being one of the Dockers’ first recruits, Peter has the privilege of saying he kicked the opening goal in the first-ever West Coast Derby – but the game didn’t go quite as planned after his six-pointer.

“The story around that goal gets bigger and better every year,” he said.

“I took a towering pack mark 50 metres out and I tell people we were in front when I kicked that goal on the six-minute mark.

“West Coast managed to get a few lucky ones and fell over the line by 88 points or something – they flogged us.”

Peter has worked at the refinery for 25 years and said that a few of the newer recruits are slightly dubious of his illustrious footballing past.

“Peter who? What, that little guy?” he said when asked how his co-workers react.

“There is a healthy rivalry and banter between the Dockers and Eagles supporters – I’m still a bit perplexed though because we just recruited a new operations manager and he has confessed to being a Richmond supporter. How did that slip through?”

Peter’s journey at BP started back in 1991 and he has progressed through the ranks since.

“My story here started at the end of my second year of university – I applied for a vacation job and I think the recruiting manager at the time hired me because I was playing grade cricket,” he said.

“He recruited me so we could win the days vs shifts cricket game I think. And a game against the chemical suppliers – most of the interview we talked about cricket and footy.”

Peter has moved to different capacities at the refinery and is currently the integrity superintendent.

“I should count up how many different roles I’ve done – I’ve worked on almost every team on site,” he said.

“The last 13 years has been on the maintenance side where all the action is. Things happen pretty quickly so all those roles have been pretty challenging.

“The great thing about this place is it is so complex – there is always something to learn and a new interesting challenge to take on.

“I am in the team that looks after our equipment and makes sure it is fit for purpose. Keeping the plant running reliably and safely is our number one focus.”

Peter said he was proud to have worked in the region for the same employer for so long.

“The refinery has got a proud history – it’s been here 61 years and we are hoping it will be here for a long time yet,” he said.

“We operate this refinery better than a lot of others across the world and we are striving to make it better and keep it here operating successfully.

“This refinery has been here a long time but in a lot of ways it is state-of-the-art and it delivers a lot – the local community should be very proud to have it here.”

Peter admits to still being a Dockers tragic but would not be drawn on his experience of watching Fremantle’s disastrous 2016 campaign.

“We are focussing on next year,” he said with a wry smile.