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The Drag Racing and Yachting communities of Australia and friends and family are in deep shock at the tragic loss of National youth sailing Champion Nick Peate, aged just 17 years.

A year 12 student at The Southport School (QLD) where he was the 2008 Sailing Teams Racing Captain, Nick was a regular in the Willowbank Raceway grandstands and a smiling face and friend to many in Drag Racing circles.

He was also a natural elite sporting talent in his own right with numerous representative honours throughout his life including multiple National Sailing Championships, NSW State Gymnastics, NSW State Cross Country, NSW State Hockey, Schoolboy Rugby Union, Cross Country, Athletics and Rowing, and the Bronze Medallion Surf Life Saving Award.

Regarded as arguably Australia’s top youth sailor, he began his career in 2001 with the Richmond River Sailing Club in his home town of Ballina in Northern NSW, before successfully progressing through the ranks of each category he has competed in.

He tasted his first National success just 6 months after taking up the sport at 11 years of age, placing 3rd in the ‘Manly Junior’ National Championships at WoollahraSC, Sydney, NSW; a sign of big things to come.

In 2004, the ‘NS 14’ National Champion and NSW Academy of Sport/Yachting NSW coach Peter Vaicuirgis asked Nick to crew for him in the NSW ‘Heron’ State Championships. Against sailors with much more experience than him, Nick rewarded the faith Peter showed in him with a flawless performance placing them 1st after three races.

Later that year he was accepted as a cadet into the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) and in 2005 became a member of their Elite Junior Youth Development Squad as one of its leading sailors.

In 2006 he won his first National Title, in the ‘Sabot’ class, and was offered a prestigious Sporting Scholarship for Sailing at The Southport School (TSS) that he accepted, relocating to the Gold Coast, QLD. Despite it being his first year in the TSS squad and only being in Grade 10, Nick was immediately selected as skipper for the “A” team at the GPS Sailing Championships.

Ongoing triumphs in State and National competitions then cumulated in him being selected for Australia for the 2007 Youth Olympics and a nomination for the 2008 Ballina Shire Young Sports Person of the Year.

This success continued with Nick, and his crew Rhys Mara, recently securing positions in the Australian Youth Sailing Team for 2008 from Yachting Australia and the New South Wales Institute of Sport.

They were currently training in preparation to compete in the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Denmark in July, where they were the gold medal favourite and the sole male Australian representatives in ‘29er’ bracket.

Outside of sport, Nick was also a very high achiever earning the Silver & Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards as well as participated in numerous community endeavours including Solomon Islands outreach work and a Server and Crucifer at St Mary’s Anglican Church, Ballina NSW.

A public funeral service to celebrate Nick’s incredible life and achievements will be held at the St Mary’s Anglican Church in Ballina at 10:00am on Friday 16th May. In lieu of gifts and flowers, guests are asked to please make a donation on the day to the Solomon Islands Melanesian Brotherhood charity.

Nick was the youngest son of Roger Peate (Gold Coast) and Janice Peate (Ballina), and the brother of Katherine Stevens (nee Peate), James Peate and Matthew Peate.