John Powell (1941-9)
(The following contribution was made by Roger Watts after consultation with John's brother and friends)
Friends of John Powell will be sad to learn that he passed away in August 2008 after a short but severe battle
with cancer.
John attended the Southern Grammar from 1941 to 1949, spending several years in the New Forest area under
the evacuation to Brockenhurst. At school he was enthusiastic in debating and drama.
Following National Service with the Royal Engineers, which took him to Germany, John embarked upon an
extremely varied educational career. After qualifying as a teacher at Winchester he taught at Albert Road School.
Later he pursued a mixture of studying, teaching and lecturing which took him to Bristol, Manchester, Dublin,
Canada, Canberra, Papua New Guinea and Sydney.
His long and happy marriage to Jocelyn, a New Zealander and botanist, established them in New South Wales,
where they not only taught, sailed and fished, but also made a powerful contribution to environmental and local
history. There was a series of books, many about the Hawkesbury River, and ventures in publishing. John's
remarkable work was recognised in 2007 with a Heritage award by the Hornsby Council.
Always something of an entrepreneur, John funded his academic studies with unusual enterprises. In Bristol he
ran a paraffin delivery service and at other times he could be found operating speedboat hire and harbour
cruises from Southsea beach. Throughout his days he was liked and admired for his imagination and keen sense
of humour. Fittingly, he was a lifelong fan of the Goon Show.
See also John's recollections of the evacuation years (Events/Evacuation) and his memories of staff
(People/Staff)