Page 2440 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 June 2013
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His parents Harry and Helen instilled in him a good work ethic, community values and a strong sense of propriety that he would carry throughout his life. As a youngster John led an active life full of sport, athletics and hunting but his main pursuit was Rugby Union. His physical strength and speed found him playing reserve grade rugby at just 15 years of age and he made his first grade debut for Easts in May 1955, only two weeks after his 16th birthday.
Two years later John was honoured to represent the ACT against the touring New Zealand All Blacks. He went on to play over 100 first-grade games. Following a number of years travelling and working through Europe, John returned to Canberra to join the family in business. This led to a lifelong love of his home town and a commitment to commerce and community service.
John relished three terms as president of the Canberra chamber of commerce, his long tenure on the Property Council, ACT division council, and his involvement in various community groups such as Rotary, the Salvation Army, and Scouts ACT.
John’s overriding passion was his family. He was immensely proud of his wife Koula and their children Helen, Mary and Harry, and wholeheartedly welcomed James and Debbie to the fold. A country boy at heart, there were always good times to be shared at his beloved property Arneville, the site of many a big cook-up and countless scrabble battles. In later years the arrival of grandchildren Peter and Marie-Claire brought great joy to John’s life and the recent birth of his namesake John Harry delighted him in his last days.
John’s many interests, broad knowledge and phenomenal memory astounded and entertained Koula and the family over extended breakfast and dinner sessions. He embraced the digital age and would sometimes sign off his emails as “john.com”. His dry sense of humour often caused hysteria among family and friends and his wicked sense of fun was somewhat misguided.
John was a hugely popular, strong and principled family man who has left us enriched for having known and loved him. There is a poem that they have included in the booklet that I will endeavour to get through called Ithaka:
As you set out for Ithaka
Hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
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