3663: John Campbell
Iain Phadruig
John (1911-1996) was a son of Patrick Campbell and Ann Chisholm,18b Gravir. As a boy living close to the sea, he grew up with a love for boats and when he left school he became a member of the crew of a local herring drifter. In 1933, at the age of 22 years, he joined the Merchant Navy as a seaman with the Royal Mail Line.
A short time later he joined the crew of the SS Rangitane, belonging to the New Zealand Shipping Company, beginning a relationship with New Zealand that was to last for the rest of his life. He left the Merchant Service and settled in New Zealand in 1938, where after a short spell working ashore, he returned to fishing.
John joined the steam trawler fleet operating out of the Port of Wellington, eventually skippering his own vessel. After the war the Chinese Government sought the assistance of New Zealand in establishing a modern and efficient trawler fleet, and John Campbell was among the team of trawler skippers selected for the mission. For the rest of his life he was popularly known around the wharves of Wellington as, “China John”. He contracted tuberculosis in China and while recovering in a New Zealand hospital, was told his seafaring days were over.
He refused to acknowledge the wisdom of such advice and eventually returned to fishing as skipper of the Hautapu and later became master of the first steam trawler converted to diesel power, the Thomas Currell, in 1955.
John married Flora Walker in Wellington in 1938 and they had a family of three sons and two daughters. After retirement, he devoted his time to his family, his garden, bowls with the Wilton Club and the occasional coastal fishing trip with the survivors of the hardy breed who manned the trawler fleet, with whom he had shared so much of his life. He died in the Wellington Hospital on June 11th, 1996 at the age of 84 years.
Details
- Record Type:
- Person
- Also Known As:
- China John
- Date Of Birth:
- 13 Dec 1911
- Date of Death:
- 11 Jun 1996
- Gender:
- Male
- Brothers Keeper Reference:
- CEP 640
- Record Maintained by:
- CEP
Related Media
Gravir Couple
Gravir wedding