Page 1309 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 2021
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Canberra. My thanks to Serina, Gary, Michelle, Kaet, Evangeline, Susan, and especially Ed and Leon, for providing me with memories to share today.
John was born on 16 September 1958 in a small town called Wednesbury in the West Midlands. Something we all know to be true of him is that he would never, ever settle with being mediocre. In every aspect of his life, he was driven and he was determined.
Canberrans know him best as an extraordinary dessert maker, but he had many interests. He was passionate about kung fu in his early years, winning 76 of his 78 bouts. He loved the water. He fished for fun and competitively, whether in the UK’s rivers and canals or internationally, and he was an expert diver. He caught and swam with great white sharks.
He simply loved technology, training himself and then becoming a renowned expert. It was this expertise that resulted in him being headhunted to Australia and continuing his IT career, first in Melbourne, then South Africa, then on to Brisbane, and finally settling in Canberra. But John never rested.
Like many Canberrans, I stumbled across John at a market. It is hard to remember exactly where, because he was a mainstay and constantly sought out. Whether it was at Handmade, the Old Bus Depot Markets, the centenary celebrations or the farmers market at EPIC, you could not miss the Frugii ice cream stall because there was always a crowd. John was always in full flight—talking, encouraging, “Hello darling,” and always obliging with taste after taste.
It was not just an ice cream stall. What made it fun was that there was always a new flavour on offer. But we kept coming back because of the quality of and care that he took with the product—the texture, the taste and the flavour. He made his own chocolate for his chocolate ice cream, and pavlovas for the Christmas-time ice cream special.
We kept coming back because of John. He shared so much of himself, readily answering questions and always reaching out, asking how we were. He was never too shy with his flavours and he readily encouraged suggestions before making them a reality—laksa, roast potato, durian, Vegemite and toast, beer, Christmas pudding, hot cross bun, and black truffle.
In 2015 Frugii transformed from a market stall to a permanent dessert laboratory in Braddon. It quickly settled as a must see, must do, must experience for locals and tourists alike. Not only were there the usual eclectic mixes of ice creams and sorbets, and always with salted caramel on offer; there were choux with pipettes, New York cheesecakes, and his own delectable version of paddle-pops.
This new permanent home was a truly family affair. John’s wife, Ed, and son, Leon, had been regulars, assisting at his many market appearances, but this took it to a new level. How lucky we are to have been gifted with not only knowing John but the joyous engagement with Ed and Leon, who he mentored.
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