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   Obituary - John Heppes

  

John B. Heppes


House: Hawke
Years: 1939-1943

On 29th December 2005, Hal Oliver contacted Webmaster to let him know that John had passed away on 28th December.



The following was John's entry in the Alumni section of this web site prior to his death:

John B. Heppes

Nickname: Hippo
House: Hawke
Years: 1939 -1943
Memories:
I am afraid that I do not have many memories of my school days. I hated school from the beginning at Nairobi Primary School in 1934 to when I left the PoW in 1943 after graduation. All my school days were as a "boarder". We lived near Thika during my primary school days but moved to Uganda in 1939. At home I led a wild life, as much as possible outdoors hunting and getting involved with nature. I was given an air gun, a "Daisy", when I was 6 years old and my first proper rifle, a single shot .22, at the age of 8. I just lived for stalking and hunting the wildlife that abounded around our house in the middle of a large sisal plantation (Kakuzi Fibre Lands at Mitubiri near Thika). After we moved to Uganda, I spent my holidays hunting with an 8mm Mauser and got involved with big game. School was all too confining. I did enjoy the short period the PoW was moved to the Sparks Hotel in Naivasha as I could spend all out of class time roaming the surrounding bush. All this type of activity led me to my future careers all dealing with wild life.

Career:
  • 1944 -1948 Kenya Regiment, seconded to 2/1 (Ny) Bn. KAR 4 (U) Bn KAR, CSM
  • 1948 -1963 British Government in Uganda,
  • 1948 -1953 Tsetse Control Department, Field Officer.
  • 1953 -1963 Game and Fisheries Department, Game Warden.
  • 1963 Retired from Government Service.
  • 1963 Emigrated to Canada.
  • 1963 -1965 Department of Mammalogy, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Assistant to the Curator.
  • 1966 -1972 National Parks of Canada, Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland, Park Superintendent, Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan, Park Surerintendent.
  • 1972 -1991 Canadian Wildlife Service CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), Administrator in charge.
  • 1991 Retired.

    This constitutes 47 years of continous service with the British and Canadian Governments, of which 43 years was in the wild life field

    Other information:
  • 1953 Married to Margaret Miller, in Entebbe, Uganda.
  • 1955 Daughter, Linda, born in Kampala, Uganda

    Image of John Heppes - 1943

    John Heppes, dressed in OTC uniform - 1943