Vale John Ward, a man where second best would not do

OBITUARY: From crafting ‘bikie’ buckles to designing bespoke finery, the passionate jeweller left his mark on Sarina and his extended family.

The late John Ward, of Sarina, passed away on May 6, 2021. Picture: Contributed

It was the 1990s and “bikies” were keenly snapping up chunky jewellery and buckles made of sterling silver and gold.

An Adelaide man’s wares caught the attention of Harley Davidson owners who in turn invited him to showcase at a rally almost 2000km away, just south of Mackay.

While at home trying to warm by the fire, the qualified watchmaker saw a home-video of the balmy Sarina beachfront and that was it.

In 1995, he convinced a “convoy” of 14 family members, including his wife Lesley and two daughters, Heidi and Toni-Anne, to head north and become Queenslanders, where he started John Ward Jeweller.

Lesley Ward said her late husband was passionately dedicated to the Central St store in Sarina, forever tinkering away in the workshop at the rear.

The late John Ward, of Sarina, at his ‘bench’. Picture: Contributed

“On most occasions, he’d be there 16, 18 hours a day, seven days a week,” Mrs Ward said.

“The jewellery aspect of the business rolled very much into the family life.

“But it wasn’t consuming, it was a pleasure.

“We had lots of laughs and jokes and cries and arguments.

“It was a very un-typical family,” she said with a laugh.

Mrs Ward said John was a man “of all tricks and trades”, earning a reputation for fixing jewellery plus “just about everything that walked through the door” from binoculars to car parts to ship wheels.

“He would give everything a shot and if he gave it a shot, you knew it would be well done — no second bests,” she said.

“People would come in and they’d say, one of the other jewellers in (Mackay) has sent us down here because they said, ‘If John can’t do it, nobody would be able to do it’.”

While Lesley and Toni-Anne worked the front, Heidi was his right-hand jeweller, taking on an apprenticeship at age 16.

The late John Ward, of Sarina, tinkering away at John Ward Jewellers with his daughter Heidi by his side. Picture: Contributed

She said her father was the “more lenient” parent with a soft spot for Roy Orbison, Elvis and fishing; Mrs Ward added John once came home with blistered feet after a day out in the tinny.

“You’d be at work and he’d say, ‘Come on Heidi, let’s go fishing,” Heidi said.

“I’d say, ‘What about mum?’

“He’d say, ‘It’s all right’ and off we’d go, halfway through work.”

Besides his angler pursuits, Mrs Ward said John was also instrumental in helping start Sarina’s community bank and straightening out the dart club.

But Mrs Ward said her husband was a family-man through and through with any holiday an inclusive affair extending to include more generations as numbers grew.

She said he earned the nickname “Granddad Google” among his 13 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to whom he was a mentor.

“And a lot of people just loved and respected him for his honesty and his passion,” Mrs Ward said.

The sweethearts of more than 50 years were preparing to finally enjoy extended leisure time together when John passed away at age 72 on May 6.

Toni-Anne Ward was meant marry Lindsay Baumann in Monto but after her father John Ward (seated) became ill, the family decided to move the wedding north to Mackay so he could attend. The staff at Mackay Base Hospital created an intimate ceremony on the ward's balcony so Mr Ward, pictured with Lesley Ward (far left) could see his daughter get married. Picture: Contributed

He never actually retired spending his last weeks in hospital while secretly organising a bespoke wedding ring for his daughter’s nuptials.

Mrs Ward said they had been winding down the shop after buying a house at Monto in Queensland’s North Burnett region.

She said John had found himself besotted with the sunrises there during their last Christmas holiday together, and insisted she put a contract on a house.

Mrs Ward said they returned to Mackay to sell their Sarina home but John was admitted to hospital, spending 26 days in intensive care.

He never made it back to Monto, something which Mrs Ward said he must have known would happen all along.

“Too much has fallen into place for this to happen like it’s happened,” she said.

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The family held a sunrise funeral in his honour on May 8, and released petals into the ocean.

Mrs Ward fondly smiled as she recalled the irony of a cat gatecrashing the service — a creature John “passionately” hated.

“We thought for all the world this cat was going to jump up onto the coffin,” she said.

“It just broke the whole (atmosphere) up and it was just light and airy after that.”

In the following days, the family finished packing up the jewellery shop and Mrs Ward left for Monto, where the sunrise beams down on the valley, just as John had adored.

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Originally published as Vale John Ward, a man where second best would not do