"The world is run by those who show up"
~ John Holdstock
John Holdstock was born in Weyburn Saskatchewan on April 28th 1936 and passed away unexpectedly at his home in Kelowna on December 25th 2010 at the age of 74. John is survived by his wife Morag and three children.
To say John led an interesting life is an understatement. He obtained an engineering degree from university but never used it. Instead he spent five or six years in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s working on the repeater system in northern BC based out of Fort St. John. John then worked to become a chartered accountant biding time with a number of companies until finally moving permanently to BC in 1978. John’s final job was as the secretary-treasurer for BC Tree Fruits, a position he held for 21 years until his retirement in 2001. An avid golfer as evidenced by his membership with the Summerland Golf Club for 20 years, John could also be categorized as an explorer. Not only was he an avid reader with a wide-ranging area of interest, be he also loved to write.
John was a firearms enthusiast learning to shoot on the farm in Saskatchewan attempting to keep the gopher population in check, which in turn led to competitive target shooting. From here John competed in the 1974 Pan Am games and later coached Olympic target shooters. He maintained a blog called Total Recall but was probably best known for his “alerts” used to inform other firearms enthusiasts, hunters and anglers. John not only was a shooter and enjoyed hunting, but he also fed the birds and delighted in watching the neighbour deer browse in his yard.
John’s commitment to conservation, our resources and an outdoor way of life were second to none. He became a member of the Kelowna District Fish and Game Club approximately 30 years ago. He rose up through the BC Wildlife Federation to become president from 1996 to 1998, was the current treasurer of the Southern Interior Land Trust, president of the BCWF Political Action Alliance and chairman of the BCWF Firearms committee. During his time with the BCWF John also chaired or sat on the Wildlife, Communication, Finance and Education committees. John’s commitment did not go unrecognized as he twice received the President’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Achievement and was honoured to receive the Barsby Award for Conservationist of the Year. John was also a director of the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
John became a director of The British Columbia Conservation Foundation in 2002. He then held the position of Chair from 2003-2010, then moving to Past Chair. John also chaired and sat on the Foundation’s Bear Aware Committee and the Land for Wildlife Committee.
With John’s passing we have lost an avid outdoor recreationalist, conservationist, advocate and, more importantly to many of us, a true friend. In honour of John we have set up a scholarship fund. Primary partners are The BC Conservation Foundation, The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, The Nature Trust of BC and the Southern Interior Land Trust.
The statement that was on every one of John’s emails was ‘The world is run by those who show up’; hear it, embrace it and take action in the name of John B Holdstock.
If you wish to make a donation to this scholarship please click on the "BCCF Giving Opportunities" button in the banner on the left of this page, then select the John B. Holdstock scholarship from the drop-down list of fund/designation options. Tax recepts will be issued for donations.
Information and Criteria for the John B. Holdstock Scholarship