John Evelyn 1934

John Evelyn Dufty 1934

John Evelyn Dufty was born on 1 September 1934 in Upper Norwood on the borders of London and Surrey, to Noel Evelyn Dufty and Lucy Kathleen Dinah nee Fagan.
He attended Westwood School in West Norwood, St Joseph’s in Upper Norwood and Selhurst Grammar School.  He then went to study Physics at Manchester University.  Although he had always been first, second or third in his class at school he was not able to succeed in University examinations, and repeated his first year and left after three years without gaining a degree.  This was a  surprise to all as he was very studious and learned.  It may be that his quiet, shy nature, very different from his sister Jean, was allied to an anxiety and lack of confidence – difficult to tell, even by one who grew up with him.

He was always interested in transport, particularly buses, and gained a job using this interest, followed by one at London Airport working on metallurgy and metal stress.  He gained qualifications in metallurgy and transport.  He was a keen member of the Methodist Church although the family were Anglicans.  He was shy and quiet and probably would have liked to have mixed more easily and to be married.

He emigrated to Australia in about 1965.  This decision came as a surprise to his mother and sister.  He chose Adelaide for its climate, having studied Australian towns and their climates before he went.  There was a scheme under which people could emigrate to Australia for £10, but, sadly, it did not ensure the person had a job to go to, and, perhaps surprisingly, there was a lot of unemployment in Australia at that at time.  He was unemployed for a long time, living on his savings, and moved to Melbourne as there was more work there.  He did gain a job there.  All the problems and frustrations affected his health.  He died in Melbourne in June 1968.

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