we were friends of john and diane in thunder bay. they personified austraila to us, open, direct and caring. he and i moved to a sydney and exchanged greetings for a while. years later, in the nineties, i was going to austraila on business and out of the blue i phoned john. he recognized me immediately and it was as if we had spoken only yesterday.he and di were gracious hosts to us and john drove us up to his mount owen mine of which he was so proud. john was a wonderful guy and i'm sure will be greatly missed by all who knew him

We were so sorry to hear of Jacko's (as he was known in Thunder Bay and Shebandowan) passing. I (Line) was planning my first trip to Australia and thought that although many, many years have gone by, I would take advantage of the internet and see if I could find Jacko and maybe pay him a visit. Instead, I found this memorial site. Those of us who knew Jacko when he worked for Inco as a young Mine Supervisor at Shebandowan in Canada remember a bigger than life, highly energetic and humourous and kind person. As an Australian, he was a bit unusual in our part of Ontario but he fit in very well and was a leader at the mine site and amongst our group of friends. He leaves great memories. Line Villeneuve and Joanne Davies Sudbury and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Although John's father Bob a was a high profile and long term member of the Australian Coal Mining community it was not until John became a valued member of the late Bruce Thompson's team at Coal and Allied that he achieved "Known to Everyone" status. He was bright, likeable and extremely smart. Always well informed his were recognised as wise words in senior forums of the industry. When he joined Brian Marheine in the difficult and long task of developing the Mount Owen project he demonstrated his enormous technical and commercial ability. With Brian as mentor he was able to give play to those talents that made him a formidable entrepreneur. As well as a wry sense of humour John possessed a most generous spirit. He made friends, never enemies. He was a good man to know. Dick Austen

KATE STRAHORN

12 years ago

Dear Dick, On behalf of my sisters and I, I wanted to thank you for your kind words about our fathe Kind regards, Kate

When I close my eyes I can picture Jack's smile lighting up his face. I remember that his hugs were always firm. I can hear him talk with love about his girls, and his genuine interest and and concern for others. I remember many days and nights, as a child, being with the Horseman family up at Noosa. I can remember Jack's willingness to paddle us kids in a four wheeled bike along Hastings Street. I can remember long days making sandcastles and running into his (and my father's) big brown feet sinking into the sand and the water's edge as they supervised and participated in our "work". I can remember swimming under his supervision at Portofino and long hot afternoons in the Horseman unit watching tennis and cricket on T.V.. I'm so happy I got to share a meal with Jack and Lucy in Noosa in August of this year- he was so proud for each of his girls on the eve of Claire's wedding, on the day of Ava's first birthday, and in anticipation of Kate's new arrival. He was brimming with love and affection for them, and seemed so happy and content to me. I'm so sad to hear of his sudden passing, can only imagine how deeply he will be missed, and am sending his family my love and deepest condolences all the way from Canada.