CHARLES HENRY JOHNS
Late of Tanilba Bay
Aged 71 Years
Beloved father of ALLAN, LEE, DARREN and JOANNE.
Loving Pop of JESSICA, SAMANTHA and JOSHUA.
Relatives and Friends are warmly invited to attend CHARLES` Funeral Service this Wednesday 20th June 2012 at Newcastle Memorial Park, Beresfield in the North Chapel commencing at 1pm
(for direction click here or on Newcastle Memorial Park above)
Charles "Butch" Johns
Past Sec/Manager Cardiff District Workers Club
May you rest in peace.
Always remembered by Bob & Kerrie Dailey
IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
216436 Charles (Butch) Johns
Died Newcastle NSW on 15 June 2012
Age 71
A Great Mate
A Great Soldier
A Great Sapper
A Great Character
A Great Bloke
A life sadly interfered with by ill health but still a life lived to the full.
We know that you will find peace and happiness in company with our other passed members:
John Aprile, Peter Ash, Dennis Ayoub, Billy Coolburra,
John Eagleton, Erwin Forrest, Ray McPherson
Jim Nixon, Jim Vanderzon
You will be missed but not forgotten by those of us that remain and the stories about you will pass into legend as they are recounted whenever we gather.
From your comrades,
The Members of 2 Field Troop Royal Australian Engineers, Malaysia & Thailand 1967-1969
TO ALLAN, LEE, DARREN, JOANNE, JESSICA, SAMANTHA AND JOSHUA
IN MEMORY OF CHARLES (BUTCH) JOHNS
FROM HIS MATES IN 2 FIELD TROOP RAE
Hold fast to your memories,
to all of the cherished moments
of the past,
to the blessings and the laughter,
the joys and the celebrations,
the sorrow and the tears.
They all add up to a treasure
of fond yesterdays
that you shared and spent together,
and they keep the one you loved
close to you in spirit and thought.
The special moments
and memories in your life
will never change.
They will always be in your heart,
today and forevermore.
Life is a cycle. All life has a beginning and all life must have an end. We, none of us, get to choose when and how this end will come. Sadly, as a group, none of us were there to provide you with comfort and support when the end finally came for Butch. For all of you the end was a very sad part but hopefully you can see Butch`s life as primarily about what happened throughout the cycle and not just its closure. Our world and our enjoyment of it, is largely about our memories of the people, places and events that we have experienced and in particular, shared together. We, Butch’s fellow members of 2 Field Troop, RAE, have been insulated from his and your suffering. Consequently, we want to contribute comfort to you by remembering those times that we shared in our exotic, exciting and challenging world in Malaysia and Thailand, almost forty five years ago. We were all young men embarking on the great adventure of our lives.
The wondrous food and colour of Malacca, Terendak swimming pool, the Beach and Sailing Clubs, the NAAFI and the Loewen Cinema. The wonderful Terendak Garrison hospital that was such a part of so many of our lives for all sorts of reasons, including the birthplace of many of our children. The various churches where many of us were married and many of the children were christened. The generous and free-wheeling social life that we all led, including the relaxed visits to the family homes of the various troop members who were married. The acceptance of us and the friendship extended to all of us by the people of Malaysia and Thailand that we came in contact with.
For the Troop members, the work was exciting, challenging and worthwhile, especially in the benefits it brought to so many Malaysian and Thai villagers. The thrill and sometimes the concealed terror of life in the jungle including occasional meetings with wild tigers and other cats, elephants, cobras, pythons, crocodiles and giant monitor lizards. We all learnt new skills and developed our understanding of mateship and the benefits that it brings. We all matured and became better people through our exposure to one another and to the local people. This was a great time in our lives and for most of us it probably did more to shape us than any other two years that we have lived.
Butch was an intimate part of the Troop and all of this and each of us has his own special memories of incidents that he was involved in. He was a valuable member of the team, hard working, reliable and always affable.
We all remember Butch as a great mate, a great soldier, a great Sapper and a great bloke. We will all miss him but for us it is easy as many of us have only lived with memories of him for over 40 years. We have not been able to share the living of his life during that time and we are sure that there has been much that has occurred in that time that we would have enjoyed being part of.
To you, all of Butch’s family, we salute you and hope that you will now be able to find closure, move on to the next phase of your lives and most of all to learn how to enjoy yourselves again.
From all of the members of 2 Field Troop RAE, Malaysia and Thailand, 1967-69
Kevin J. Alexander, Tom Antrobus, M. J. (Beatles) Beattie,
Daryl J. Birthisil, Ron. G. Borch, Terry M. Bradbury, Peter M. Cachia,
K. Brian (Speedy) Carbery, Alan (Sparrow) Christie, John W. Cluse, Trevor J. Constable,
John L. Culbert, Colin. B. (Meggsie) Dennis, Herb Dittman (Pawczynski), R. (Bob) W. Engstrom, Glen A. Ernst, Victor (Taffy) Exall, Geoffrey B. Faulkes, Clem J. Finlay, Eddie J. Fogarty, Wayne M. Fuller, Alan D. Glanville, Grant L. Goldsmith,
Peter J. Hall, Mick. W. Hayman, Frank J. Hickling, Allan J. Jamieson, Phil H. Jarman,
Tim K Johnstone, Bruce M. (Lah) Lambert, W. (Bill) J. Lee,
Chris I. MacGregor, Brian. P (Jock) McHugh, Bruce G. McKenzie, Ian J.K. McLean, Steve Moyle, Ian (Mo) Mulholland, Gary E. Murrell, Alan F. (Recce) Reece, Phil Ryan,
Graham A. (Blue) Selby, Trevor F. Shelley, Alex Skowronski, Ron C. Smallwood,
Leslie M. (Geordie) Stephenson, Ross G. Thorburn, Mick S. Walker, John Webster,
George J. (Snow) Wilson, Jim L. Wood;
with our wonderful honorary member Nadja Hoare who has been a great friend of Butch’s and constantly helps to keep us all in touch.
We would like to think that now that the contacts have been restored the bond of old mates will endure and that we will be there to assist in any way that we can.
To the Johns Family,
I wish to express my deepest sympathy on the passing of Butch. We are fortunate to always have the memories of our time in 2 Field Troop RAE Malaysia/ Thailand.
I am unable to be with you today to farewell Butch, but am thinking of you all.
Kind Regards
Tom Antrobus
20/6/2012
My dad, Charles (Butch) Henry Johns
My Dad came into my life at the age of 3 we were living at Kurri Kurri at that time, and then we moved to Liverpool because my dad was in the Army I had started school in Liverpool, one day at school it was my turn for show & tell my dad would tell me to tell the teachers & everyone that your dad’s a handsome hero from then on he would say that all through my life and passed it down to the grandkids He’s great granddaughter Charlie got to meet her pop at 3 days old and dad said not as handsome as pop…& he’s great grandson Jess would say eat poppy you will get better. My dad had been in the Mater for 3 weeks and 5 days I was there every day except for 1 day there were times where you just had laugh though, my dad was wrapping he’s oxygen hose around he’s bedrail and then tied it up I said dad what are you doing he would reply with, connecting foxtel I would then explain to him that is your oxygen hose, Oh he would say He would keep on pressing he’s vital call button, dad do you need a nurse no trying to change the channel he wanted to know why he couldn’t get foxtel who didn’t pay the bill I said Jessica hahaha in the last week of dad’s life I became he’s room m8 I slept on a fold out bed beside him I told dad the next day that they got it better in jail I could not move my body. Well Aunty Barb looks like you’re not going to get that bowl of money he owes you……. On dad’s last day I cuddled and kissed him and said it’s about time we booked out of here well dad agreed dad was not a lone and he is now at peace I would like to thank my husband Gary for being so patient, loving and supportive and my mum for her love and support.
I love you dad forever my hero.
26/6/2012
To the O`Neil Family we are very sad for your loss warmest regards Nurses Now
28/6/2012
Happy 72nd birthday dad, pop & great granddad
Hope you are celebrating up in heaven with other love ones so dearly missed, not a day goes by
Without a tear in our eye, if heaven had stairs & a lane I would walk right up and bring you back home again.
Love & missing you so much.
Joanne, Gary, Samantha, Jessica, James, Jesse,
Charlie, Joshua, Pania, Kyiawanna, Mia & newest
Addition to our family Dakota xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
