John Vergeer was a deck boy on his father Jan’s Tug boat, before he joined the Navy in 1966. He followed his elder twin brothers Jim and Con into the Navy. Like them he became a Birdie, an NASE. He left the Navy early to join the Merchant Navy. Returning to his home state of Western Australia he took up pool swimming. He also did the Rottnest Channel Swim of 19.7 km a couple of times. John succumbed to cancer on the 21st of October 2013.
I will never forget the day Con and I returned to NAS Nowra from the Melbourne, we went to watch Bomaderry Tigers Footie Team play that weekend. Both foundation members of the footie club, we had never gotten to play before being posted. We get to the ground, beers in hand, and moments later the ball comes down wing and John goes up for the ball, it bounces off his scone. He was a lad full of enthusiasm.
Best time together was the trip to Western Australia with him and brother Con in Con’s Morris 1100. Great trip until the Nullabor started flooding and we hit a pothole, at night, trying to reach WA before the roads closed. Sudden bang and the car just died. Luckily able get a tow start next morning, and the now 3 cylinder Morris limped to Western Australi
