At 94, John Dawson was happy to call it a day.
John was son of a small country NSW school teacher and principal, Thomas. His mum, Pearl, was a home economics teacher.
John had two older sisters and a younger brother. He survived them all.
While a keen grade cricketer and regional tournament tennis player, it was golf that John excelled in.
He did a stint as a director on the Ocean Shores Golf Club Board.
1949 was a big year for my father. He married Marjorie Jean, the love of his life, and joined Qantas, the job that shaped his life.
High flyer
John, aka ‘Jack’, started in the airline’s economics department, where his talents were quickly recognised, and he rose to head the department.
Dad’s negotiating skills smoothed many international aviation agreements, and, combined with his insistence that safety was paramount, saw Qantas rise to the top of a fledgling aviation industry and become a world leader.
After retiring to Byron Shire in 1999, John lent his considerable financial and planning expertise to helping The Echo newspaper.
While The Echo enjoyed an abundance of support from the readership and its advertisers, it was a little under capitalised.
John introduced the concept of strategic planning, which has helped keep The Echo on the streets through thick and thin.
Pulling generations of Dawsons together
A committed family man, Dad has been the glue, or should that be the ocky strap, that has pulled generations of Dawsons together.
John has lent his expertise to a few ventures in the Shire, but none closer to his heart than Lizzie Jackson’s Luscious eatery and catering.
He also worked with Paul Jameson at the Byron Business Incubator, Bamboo Surfboards, and son Dave’s little earner, ‘Clarity’ Window Detailing .
A gentle man, John earned a peaceful rest.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
