Remembering John Taylor
A eulogy from Peter Campbell at John Taylor's funeral.
It is a great honour and a privilege for me to say some words about John on behalf of his university and outdoors friends.
Some opening words that describe John:
He was brave, strong, capable and compassionate. He was heroic.
He was reliable, thorough and dependable. He was like a rock.
He was thoughtful, considerate and caring.
He was intelligent, resourceful and respected.
He was trustworthy and honest, sometimes brutally so.
He was diligent, dedicated and meticulous
And he was gentle and loving.
For John there were no half measures; he approached and sought out life’s challenges with enthusiasm and vigour.
John was a role model and a mentor. He introduced me to rock climbing near here at the Jawbones. I was amazed to see him scale the blank-looking rock face with apparent ease leading the climb “on the pointy end of the rope” as he called it. I then started the climb and struggled to find any holds, but John had demonstrated that it could be done. With John’s gentle urging from above I struggled upwards.
Near the top “in extremis” I was about to place my knee on the rock when John stated firmly “no knees, that’s not allowed”. Once at the top he explained why – “knees don’t get you up, they just throw you off balance – so do it the right way – use your feet or you won’t succeed”.
John knew instinctively what the right way was, and if he didn’t know he found it out.
John’s passion and enthusiasm for the outdoors was infectious. He introduced many to caving, alpine climbing, rock climbing, ski touring and bushwalking. He was president of La Trobe University Mountaineering Club, leading many trips during his time at University. This was when I met him.
John was a natural leader that we looked up to. Throughout his life, John earned great respect for his great ability to do things well, whether it was route finding in a whiteout through deadly crevasses on a glacier, jumping off a bergshrund into the unknown, building a mud brick house, fighting a fire or running a computer network.
John set himself high standards and worked hard to achieve them. He dedicated his life to both teaching and learning. He was a harsh critic of himself, perhaps too much so at times.
John was a hard man of the mountains. I and many others trusted him with our lives. He is one of the best climbing partners I have ever had.
John climbed five alpine seasons in New Zealand, scaling among others Mt Aspiring, Malte Brun, Mt Sefton and Mt Avalanche.
Keiran Loughran was climbing with John and Paul Horne in New Zealand when they got stuck in a snow-storm at dusk on a steep snowy grass slope with no possibility of retreat and absolutely no anchors. Kieran was exhausted and almost hypothermic when Paul attempted a final traverse off the face. John was belaying on steps kicked in the snow, facing out from the slope with the rope running through his gloved hands. Several metres out, Paul plummeted when his steps collapsed. John let the rope slide through his hands braking gently, gradually bringing Paul’s swinging fall to a halt. Most people would have braked the rope too quickly and been pulled off the mountain.
In Keiran’s words, “John was a great friend and mentor to me when I was a young gormless country kid at university and for years after that. I could wish that his self-discipline had rubbed off on me but it would be sadly untrue.”
In Europe, John climbed Mont Blanc (Europe’s highest peak), the Matterhorn, the Strahlegghorn, the Wetterhorn, the Shrekhorn and Monta Rosa (Europe’s second highest peak). He climbed four of the five highest peaks in Switzerland’s Bernese alps - the Fiescherhorn, the Finsteraarhorn, the Monch and the Jungfrau in four days with his lifelong friend Geoff Keech.
John and Geoff had an epic experience on the Matterhorn. After reaching the summit, their descent down the Hoernlii ridge was halted for a rescue below them. Any rocks dislodged into the rotor of the rescue helicopter could bring it down. They were benighted and had to bivouac – which is an unscheduled night out. Geoff tucked into his elephant’s foot – a ½ size sleeping bag. John sat on the coiled rope with his down jacket zipped up tight. They spent the coldest and longest night of their lives tied on the ledge looking down at the glittering lights of Zermatt in the valley far below. Both thought they would perish. A storm or the cold might have killed them, but great strength of character and toughness saw them greet the next sunrise and continue down.
A quote from Geoff: “One feature of all our trips was John’s camaraderie and ability to always see the humorous side of situations, even when people were a bit stressed and things looked a bit grim. He had a cheery side that always shone through in the face of adversity and lifted people’s spirits.”
In later years, John developed a keen interest in flying. Not satisfied with just flying, obtaining a commercial licence and instructing, John embarked on numerous Australia-wide safaris. These were keenly anticipated and greatly enjoyed by those lucky enough to accompany him. I remember every one like it was yesterday.
We flew with him to Birdsville via Bundaberg, across the Tanami desert to the Kimberley, and across the Simpson desert to Alice Springs. He flew over Lake Ayer, around Ayers Rock, the Olgas, the Bungle Bungles, the Buccaneer Archipelago, Prince Regent Gorge, and up Cape York to Thursday Island.
John was meticulous in his planning and flying. We were in the safest of hands. His strict instructions were to bring only a toothbrush, a light sleeping bag and one change of clothes.
John had a wry sense of humour. On one occasion he emerged from a toilet in Birdsville – where the cistern was filled with hot bore-water – with a big grin on his face and said “watch out for the backlash, it’s dangerous”.
John’s quiet sense of humour was remarkable and resilient. On trips he would often say “let’s decant the supernatant” as a drink was poured from a billy. In Peter Mac after his last operation he said this again quietly to me with a smile as he poured himself an orange juice.
John was also a great ambassador for Australia. While on teaching exchange for a year in Canada he presented slideshows and talks about Australia and struck up many friendships with his Canadian colleagues and flying friends.
A quote from Ian Basson, president of the St Thomas flying club in Ontario:
“John was proficient enough as a pilot to fly as our inside right wingman at our annual Nov 11th fly past in honour of the war veterans. We always fly a missing man formation, which this year will have a little more significance as the missing man will be one of our own.”
John displayed great bravery and resolve when confronting his illness. His courage stayed with him to the end even when his great strength was gone. His distress was not for himself. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Helen, Emma & Laura. We all mourn their great loss. We offer them our support during this time of deepest sorrow, and for the future.
His family, friends, students, neighbours and colleagues will all miss him greatly. We will never forget him.
A quote from Peter Rice, Alexandra District CFA – “John made a huge contribution to the Acheron Fire Brigade, the Group in general and the community as a whole.”
Thanks are due to all who cared for John, and helped him during his illness. Everyone rallied around him. I know he was greatly surprised and comforted by the number of people who visited and the constant stream of support he and Helen received over the last several months.
John had the ability to draw the best out of people – this is something I think we should all strive to emulate.
To finish, a quote from Cliff Woodward, John’s brother in law – “If John's suffering and death can draw from us all greater love and compassion for each other, then it will not have been a meaningless tragedy.”
John led a fine and exemplary life, which has been sadly cut short. John changed many people’s lives for the better. We can marvel at his achievements and follow his example of living his dreams and constantly striving for excellence. We won’t forget you John. Goodbye, and rest in peace.
posted by Peter Campbell at 7:14 AM
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