John is 90!

Not looking too bad for a young bloke

On 23 February 2015 John celebrated his 90th birthday. On Sunday night, a big family dinner was held at Matilda Bay Restaurant, hosted by Sue and Geoffrey. This is John's speech that night:

    

Seems not long ago we were mostly here for my 80^th.

Sadly Don can’t make it this time nor Julie from 2003.

I want to say just a few words about my fortunate life from being a two year old migrant on to an uncleared dairy farm at Cowaramup in 1927.

After a varied childhood education, I got a job with the Public Works Department first as a messenger, then cadet draftsman, cadet engineer, engineer and then design engineer.

My first big design job was the raising of C.Y O’Connor’s Mundaring Weir in 1948- 51.

This was followed by a number of dams in the South West of W.A., a fellowship from the University of W.A. and much international travel and study.

In 1956 – 59 there was the design of the Ord River Dams and irrigation area.

In mid 2013 there was a 50 year anniversary in Kununurra of the opening of the Ord River Diversion  Dam.  My sister Ann, Geoffrey, Susan, Lindsay and their boys were able to attend which was a rewarding experience. I was the designer and together with

Peter Knight of Clough Contractors, we now have our names on a separate plaque.

It was a long wait indeed.

Later I was particularly pleased with conceiving and designing the Onslow Salt Jetty

and dredged channel some 10 kms long both of which have proved cyclone resistant.

My last ambition in engineering is to see a jetty and offshore island built just south of Exmouth. This was a job Don had worked on as a Loadout Facility for limestone but it has now had a Supply Base of 5 berths added for the oil and gas industry. While it has been long delayed there is now strong support for it in the town of Exmouth. It will be 800 m long and people will be able to use it for recreation when vessels are not being serviced. A harbour masters office should have some spare accommodation!

I am able to watch a coliseum ***  being built near us at Burswood.  It is a near replica so far as can be seen but so far no place for wild animals, prisoners and Christians.

My final good fortune is to have survived  open heart surgery in 1997 and bowel cancer surgery 3 years ago. The cancer has not come back and recent angiograms show the bypasses are still going well.  I owe a lot to medical science and heritage.

Thanks to Susan and Geoffrey for arranging this function.

Thanks to all the rellies for coming.    

Thanks to Margaret for looking after me.

                                                                                                           John

L to R: Margaret, John, Ann, Ellie and Claire

Sue, John and Shelley

Georgia, Jackson, Sue and Shelley

Geoffrey, John and Paul

Geoffrey and John

Ben and Jackson

Disey and Joel

On Friday night John, Margaret, Claire and Ellie went to South Perth to have dinner at InContro and enjoyed a meal of various tapas selected by the chef.

Claire at Incontro Restaurant

Beforehand we strolled by the Swan River for a few photo opportunities.

Ellie sent John a nice card.  Here is what was inside:

L to R:  John, Claire, Ellie, Margaret

*** From our balcony at Burswood, we continue to watch construction going on.  To our right is the new stadium (visible as piles of sand at the moment).  To our left is Packer's 6-star hotel and casino  (where the two cranes are working).