For published obituary see http://genealogy.meta-studies.net/ZDocs/Webp/John_Falk.htm

John died in the Afred Hospital after a fall the previous Sunday night. In that fall he struck the right side of his head causing a serious bleed which damaged his brain on that side. This was the other side to a fateful fall which had changed his life, when he had damaged the other side of his brain, some 28 years before.

John fell into a deep coma within seconds of his fall, a coma from which he was never to recover. He died in intensive care, on Wednesday 6 June 2007 at 3.35 pm. His much loved wife Robbie, his mother Barbara, brother Jim, and Jim’s daughter Anna were with him to the last.

The Eulogie for John at his funeral follows:

John was born John Richard Falk in New Haven, Conneticut, USA, on 15th February, 1941, the second of three children to David and Barbara Falk. His political philosopher father, a German Jew, had fled Nazi Germany and become a lecturer the University of Oxford. It was in England that he met Barbara Cohen, married her and had three children, Anne, John and Jim, over a seven year period.

It was in early 1941, mid Second World War, that a pregnant Barbara accompanied by a group of children of Oxford academics to the USA at the invitation of Yale and Harvard staff. She had just made it to New Haven, Conneticut, when John was born. He spent his earliest years there before returning to England at war's end where, for primary schooling, he attended The Dragon School in Oxford.

When John was nine, David took a position at the University of Melbourne and brought his family to Australia. John was enrolled at Scotch College where he stayed until matriculation. At that stage he was resisting the standard academic path mapped out by his parents. That was apparent when he didn't attend some exams, deliberately failed his matric. He took a job in the fabrics section at Myers, only to find himself on a quick path to promotion. That didn't suit him either. So, with a friend, he took off to Queensland. He spent a year as a professional fisherman, and doing odd jobs in and around Mackay. But in the end, this did not satisfy him either. So, reluctantly, he decided to return and study.

John completed his matriculation through night classes at Swinburne, and then achieved high results in a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at Melbourne Uni. His engineering talent was obvious and he was employed by a company that had a contract with the National Gallery of Victoria. One of John's responsibilities was the Art Gallery's hydraulic system, which included the impressive water window feature.

While at Uni, John had met and befriended the teenage daughter of his civil engineering professor. Her name was Caroline and John was a welcome visitor at her home. At one of her parties, having just come back from fishing, he was sitting in a corner, smoking a pipe and 'discussing life'. A good friend of Caroline's from Merton Hall (MGGS) started talking with him. Her name was Robin Matheson, known as Robbie, and they enjoyed each other's company. She would later become the love of John's life.

The life of an engineer still did not satisfy him. There were other talents and he knew he could achieve more with advanced qualifications. After thoroughly calculating various options, he decided that he should do a Master of Business Administration at Harvard University, a fairly new degree at that time. With help from his maternal grandmother Freda Cohen, who financed his travel, and a brilliant score in the international entrance exam, John went to Boston and simply excelled. At the end of his program in 1971, he was awarded a Baker Scholarship - the top academic award for Harvard MBA graduates, given to the top 5% of the graduating MBA class. John was in the top 2%.

By then he had married Robbie Matheson. That was on 25th March, 1970, at Killara on Sydney's North Shore, where she had grown up. Their honeymoon was spectacular but brief. John had to be back in Boston so, on the way, he and Robbie spent two very expensive days on Bora Bora in Tahiti. In Boston, they rented an apartment in posh Beacon Hill and lived with two ex Vietnam Vets. That was interesting in itself.

Earlier in his life, when off to visit his father in America, having been born in the US John had faced the prospect of being conscripted for a war with which he did not agree. As a result, he had happily renounced his US citizenship, but this had an unforeseen consequence. Now, after graduating from Harvard, John gathered finance with mates from Harvard and set up a management company. He then travelled within the States promoting his business concept of supplying executive management to growing or needy companies. It had excellent potential but, since he was no longer a US citizen, he was not permitted to work in America.

There had been lucrative offers from several Australian companies. Now, John accepted an offer from CRA's Sir Rod Carnegie and returned here in 1972. He and Robbie bought a terrace house in West St Kilda. Over the next decade, he had many different jobs which he performed with flair and excellence. For example, he and Robbie went to England for two years, during which time they lived near Bristol in Somerset, and he rejuvenated the Avonmouth Smelter. It was there that he worked with and became great mates with Norman Gilberthorpe, who will add his own thoughts shortly.

Back in Melbourne in 1975, John and Robbie bought a National Trust house in St Kilda Street, Brighton. Unfortunately, a year later, a fire caused great damage. They spent some months staying at the Windsor Hotel while their house was rebuilt, but then decided to moved to Armadale.

John's career with CRA was in full flight. He loved his work and, as many colleagues have said, was most likely destined to be their next CEO. Then one day in 1979, rushing around at home as usual, during a short spell from one of his many overseas work trips, 38 year old John was up a long ladder cleaning ivy and leaves from the guttering. Somehow, he lost balance and fell backwards on to the brick pavement several metres below.

He was rushed to hospital where he fell into a coma. Without going into great detail, he had massive injuries which particularly affected the left side of the brain. There were scans, some drilling to relieve pressure, but he wasn't improving. After further surgery to reduce pressure, it was just a matter of waiting. It took weeks for him to emerge from the coma.

His brother Jim remembers that day well. As he came in on his usual visit, he saw that John's eyes were open. He said, 'Shit you look great today!' To which, John smiled. That was a wonderful moment. From there, he gradually regained movement and then speech, thanks to the tireless love and support given especially by Robbie and Barbara. Through their enormous effort, they got him to read and write. It fell to Jim to help him recall how to deal with numbers.

While the doctors were pessimistic, John proved them all wrong. Despite his vision loss and physical impairments, he got on with his life and had an adventurous approach to his disabilities. He even travelled to America and Europe.

Another great challenge was Robbie's health crisis in 1980. She had a major operation at Jessie McPherson Hospital and remained there for three months. Immediately following the op, absolutely no visitors were allowed. John totally disregarded any protocol and said, sincerely and directly, 'I want to see my bird!'

While he was physically unable to return to his former employment, John immersed himself in voluntary activity. He worked with a disability foundation, which encouraged self help and the forming of small community groups. He was on the finance council and volunteered his considerable business acumen and great spirit.

During his life, John enjoyed people, art and music, good food, the best wine, single malt whisky, Cuban cigars and much laughter. He and Robbie were members of Musica Viva and he served on the music board of the Australia Council.

In recent times, John suffered from increasing impairment of co-ordination, which resulted in him falling more frequently. Ten days ago he had a serious fall. He died peacefully last Wednesday, 6th June, aged 66, 28 years after his original injury.