I first met John in 1987 when we both arrived in Hong Kong
as members of the first batch of recruits to the Expatriate English Language
Teacher (EELT) scheme, forerunner of the present Native English-speaking
Teacher scheme. We saw a lot of each other from then on, including climbing
Mount Kinabalu together in Sabah and touring the English Lake District, where
John was the key member of our party as neither my wife or I are drivers! In Hong Kong we usually met for a (more-or-less) traditional
British Christmas meal, sometimes in hotels, often in John’s flat as cooking
was another of his many talents. Unfortunately, the photos I can find from the
mountain trips are all just of the scenery so I’ve just put two here of Hong
Kong gatherings – one from Christmas in the early 90s with Kenny (another 1987
veteran) and Carol in Stanley and another in John’s Mui Wo flat in 2010, the
decoration showing how well he put his own stamp on the places he lived in.
John was a thoughtful person and some people found him a bit
too serious but he was a stimulating person to talk to on a wide variety of
subjects. He also had an impressive range of practical skills and was willing
to lend a hand to those of us less blessed in that department.
Even before his final illness, he had more than his fair
share of ill health, including twenty years suffering from pancreatitis which
made it difficult for him to digest oils and stopped him from drinking alcohol.
Later, his hip was broken in a motorcycle accident and, although surgery was successful,
this meant strenuous hiking was no longer possible.
Despite these difficulties he was able to pursue his
interests in music, literature and photography, and, of course, to continue as
an exceptionally successful English teacher who kept in close touch with former
students as well as doing a great job with his current ones. I’ll remember him
as a good friend and a true professional.
John Whelpton
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