About Peter Zachariades
I began work as a Mechanical Engineering Apprentice with Wellworthy Ltd carrying out factory repairs and other tasks under the guidance of skilled Engineers who had previously been apprentices themselves. Four years later I had completed the academic and practical studies and was a qualified Engineer and like those before me, I became the teacher.
My move from engineering into management introduced me to the world of entertainment and the Rank Organisation. As a Manager with Odeon Cinemas I remained for more than a decade. During those years the showmanship that was present when I joined slowly diminished until it was no longer anywhere to be found. Eventually the attitude towards cinemagoers became disingenuous and the grandeur and atmosphere that once filled single seat auditoriums was lost forever as they were dissected into smaller screens and given the name multiplex. This was the end of the cinema I knew and loved and the beginning of a less traditional more commercialised one that I would play no part in. The big screen had changed almost beyond recognition taking with it the distinctiveness that made going to the cinema such a joy.
By now, my experience of the proprietary software Microsoft Access was considerable, and my knowledge of the program secured me the position of Systems Developer for Orona Lifts. This was a company filled with friendly, likeable and professional people with strong work ethics and a good sense of humour. The spontaneous quips within the IT Department were simply brilliant.
I began writing poetry at the age of 15, interpreting the events around me and turning my thoughts and feelings into writing. As I get older I continue to challenge the things we do and poetry remains a place where I explore them. My work has been published in Poetry Review, Newspapers, and Universities. It has been used to study English at schools and has won competitions.
Poetry has taken me on a personal journey of surprise. It has helped me in my search for answers to many questions as I try to understand what truly motivates us and leads us in the direction we take.