1915 ~ 1998
Jack Vaughan, aged 83, died suddenly on July 2nd 1998. Jack professed a love of plants and orchids all his life and often reminisced about the orchids that grew around his childhood home at Glenorie in New South Wales. On leaving school, he became a refrigeration mechanic and worked in many outlying areas including Goondiwindi in Queensland.
Jack joined the Royal Australian Air Force during WW2 and was stationed mainly in Wagga Wagga and Melbourne. While in Melbourne, he met and married his wife, Evelyn. They lived in various places before he built their home in Box Hill in the early 1950’s. After Jack retired in the early1980’s the Vaughan’s moved to Healesville.
Jack became a member of ANOS Victorian Group in the early 1970’s. He was quite active within the group, being awarded Life Membership of that Society. It was jokingly said that his contribution to ANOS was the housing of the large Gestetner that printed the Bulletin for over 10 years.
The Vaughan’s were participants in all the Societies’ activities during the 1970’s before they moved to Healesville. It was much harder for Jack to attend meetings but he kept in touch with field trips and with visits that were made to his home. Jack was always more than happy to take newcomers under his wing, or to spend time with anyone to talk and think about orchids.
Jack was an excellent orchid grower. He had such a questioning mind and everything he did was carefully thought out. This included a glasshouse at Box Hill, built to a most unusual designed to catch the maximum amount of sunlight in his suburban back yard.
Jack was invited to become a member of The Australian Orchid Foundation, in November 1979. He was actively involved and in 1987 became an Associate to the Directors. He was a valuable team member contributing for over ten years. His management of an important early project of the AOF, namely to raise a number of orchid species from seed, which were then sold to societies, providing valuable funds and promoting goodwill to the Foundation’s credit.
Jack’s efforts and contributions to the AOF were greatly valued.
VALE JACK VAUGHAN, your valuable contribution and those funds that you helped to raise are still working for you. Rest in Peace.
A donation has been made to the Australian Orchid Trust Fund by the Directors of The Australian Orchid Foundation.
AOTF: 1805