John Ellard has passed away in Darwin on 20 January aged 78 after a long battle with Parkinson’s. Our Sincere Condolences go to Elaine. Reminiscences by Bob Schickert below:
When John joined MAWA along with his wife Elaine over 20 years ago he was a strong runner for his age coming from I believe a background of Hash House Harriers. John ran and Elaine race walked and as John was very much my age, he was always someone I battled hard to beat. John and Elaine mixed well with club members as they were very social people in addition to their competitive spirit.
Some years ago health problems emerged for John and he and Elaine became less regular attendees at Sunday runs. However he did not give up. He mentioned a course near his home that he knew his way around without difficulty and he could keep reasonably fit using the circuit. It was always easy to discuss AFL matters with John with two of his nephews playing, an Ellard at Carlton and a Rance at Richmond.