Obituary Commander John Elworthy

Press, 29 August 1986, Page 20

Obituary Commander John Elworthy

Commander J. C. Elworthy, 0.8. E., R.N. (retired), naval officer and farmer, died in Christchurch last Saturday. He was born at Holme Station, Timaru, in 1907. When he was 13, he joined the Royal Navy and entered Osborne College and subsequently Dartmouth Naval College.

He served as midshipman in H.M.S. Emperor of India in the Mediterranean and round the Home Ports. In 1927 he was drafted to H.M.S. Watchman. After further courses at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, he served as sub-lieutenant in H.M.S. Cyclamen. Poor eyesight then kept him from sea-going duties. He was promoted lieutenant and appointed aide-de-camp to the Gov-ernor-General of New Zealand, Lord Bledisloe. In 1935, at his own request, he retired from the Royal Navy and returned to Holme Station to farm as his father and grandfather before him. At the outbreak of World War II he was recalled and appointed to command H.M.N.Z.S. Philomel, the navy’s training station at Auckland, where he served throughout the war. He proved to be an outstanding leader who won the respect, admiration, and

affection of thousands of servicemen. In 1946, Commander Elworthy was awarded the 0.8. E., received a letter of appreciation and commendation from the New Zealand Naval Board for his service in H.M.N.Z.S. Philomel, and returned to farm at Richmond Hill, Sumner, moving later to live on Scarborough Hill. Farming in an urban environment brought many a challenge. He drove sheep to Addington along Moorhouse Avenue and steers up Scarborough Hill with the same flair as he had chased

pirates in the Persian Gulf or taken the helm at naval establishments. In Sumner, he became involved in the local community in a practical way. All Saints Church in Sumner is evidence of this. He quaried and carted the stone from Richmond Hill and he was a tireless worker in the team which arranged for the church to be built. All Saints was consecrated in 1963. He served as vestryman, vicar’s warden, synodsman, and representative on St Margaret’s College board of governors. John Elworthy was a man of considerable presence and his personality made its impact on all around him. He was great, not just in stature, but also in his special blend of humanity, kindness, and humour. His ebullient enjoyment of life covered depths of gentleness and compassion. John and Hester Elworthy’s house was home to many, especially the young. Such was the ease and friendliness of the man there was no strangeness. His gentle witticisms and irreverent sense of fun made a lasting impression. He possessed a rare feeling for words, and found an apt turn of phrase for every occasion. —Contributed.