John Hall is one of the 'Old Timers' at the Project Shed; he's been very active there for some 15 years! He lives at Southport, now on his own; his wife Rhonda, with whom he enjoyed 48 years of marriage, passed away 2 years ago. In his youth, he travelled Europe and the Middle East for some 5 years, back packing. "Perhaps there is still another trip to my favorite destination Italy in it, even though I'll be 79 this year" he said. Still very much loves a good laugh and a beer, but what makes him most happy is to see his two grand children. And like most grand parents, his major worry is the future for the next generation. He loves classical music and the Broncos [didn't know the two were compatible... ☺ Ed.] and has a soft spot for movies such as Paddington Bear. And he is an art connoisseur: his favorite artist is Hugh Sawrey (click here for some samples of his pictures).
John's main job at the Project Shed is retrieving all the aluminum from the bike before they are cut up, which is then sold for recycling. "I love working at the shed, both for the good company as well as for the good work we do" he said, "it is a pleasure to work with people like Des La Rance who not only works tirelessly hands on but is also continuously coming up with the designs".
Like many Gold Coasters, he migrated from down south: he was born in Chatswood, a lower North Shore suburb of Sydney. Not sure in what order, but he was with the Police Force for 2 years, he was a publican at the Jandowae Hotel on the Darling Downs. "That was my most enjoyable job", John declared, "I increased the beer flow from 4 to 15 kegs a week! One of my best memories was when I ejected a patron from the pub, when he started to cut up the bar stools with a chain saw. He then came back with a sugar bag full of snakes and emptied them on the bar floor. That cleared the patrons out of the pub alright! I grabbed the till on my way out and left the bloke to help himself to the bar till he had enough and fell asleep..."