Vale John Jamieson
December 2020
It is with great saddest that we report the passing of John Jamieson.
John gave a lifetime of commitment to his family, social justice, his friends and the traffic and safety profession.
He started his profession with a surveying degree, but then completed a Master of Engineering Science from UNSW and ultimately become a Fellow of both the AITPM and the Institution of Engineers (now Engineers Australia).
John worked in private consulting but became very well known as the Senior Traffic Engineer for the NRMA during its hey day of public policy advocacy.
His passion was road safety and he started his own company, JamiesonFoley, Consulting Forensic Engineers, specialising in the field of road safety and crash investigations.
John was the National Secretary of AITPM from 1987 to 1991 at the time of major changes to the Institute including the Chartering of SA, Qld & NSW.
John’s passion for the community benefits of this work were most genuine and reflected his obvious belief that helping others was not just a duty but a joy.
He pursued this in many ways including supporting people and groups in the political process that he felt shared his values. This was shaped by having been of an age that might have seen him conscripted to the Vietnam War. His beliefs were passionate, not motivated by self-aggrandisement.
At his funeral service Dr Marjorie O’Neill, (PhD in Management Economics) State Member of the NSW Parliament for the seat of Coogee. said in part:
"John once asked me if I'm a religious. My response was, “John, I'm a Franciscan”. He looked down at me, in only the way that he could, and replied, “Good answer”.
“John, for someone that was not a religious man, you sure did a great imitation of someone that was deeply, deeply spiritual.
“Now, the second concept I'd like to briefly explore is that of the Labour man, for this is what you were about to witness. Now, let's be clear. Joining the Australian Labour Party does not make you a Labour man or woman. You can join where your membership as a badge or as a jacket on the outside, external to your inner core light.
“John's Labour values permeated in his every breath, in thought and deed,
“John's commitment to social justice and equality, to the alleviation of poverty and homelessness, to universal access to education, health and housing. And his belief that the Australian Labour Party was the best vehicle for the pursuit of these fundamental values, is abundantly evident in what you're what we all saw in him and what you will again witness today. Thank you, John, for your prayers of the faithful here today and for being such a wonderful Labour man.
John is survived by his wife Mary, his daughters Amelia and Georgia and granddaughter Lucy.
