December 30, 1930 – December 13, 2011
John died at home in Victoria, BC after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Sue of 52 years, daughters Penny (Ian), Kit (Jeremy) and Merion (Dave), and grandchildren Eric and Julia. Born and educated in England, he served with Royal Signals in Germany, Korea, Hong Kong, Borneo, and Britain. Having been Chief Instructor at the Army Outward Bound School in Wales, John’s outdoor adventure and leadership skills led him to emigrate with his young family to British Columbia, where in 1969 he started the first Canadian Outward Bound School near Keremeos. He was executive director with Outward Bound before working for the BC government Sports and Recreation Ministry. John was an active windsurfer, canoeist, SCUBA diver/ instructor and hiker. He committed huge amounts of time to digital map making, preserving recreation land use areas, preparing and presenting multimedia workshops, and travelling the world (SE Asia, E. Europe, Africa, Bermuda) consulting for Outward Bound International. He will be remembered for his positive, energetic and practical outlook on all challenges he faced.
Thank you to all our good friends, VIHA and Hospice for their care and support. A celebration of John’s life will be held at McCall Brothers on Friday, December 30, at 2:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Victoria Hospice, Outward Bound Canada or the Land Conservancy of BC. Condolences may be offered to the family below.
38 Responses
Though I knew John by reputation for many years, I only finally met him in person last October while attending the Canadian Adventure Therapy Symposium in Chicoutimi. I was most struck by the vigor of his continuing passion for this work and his deep life long commitment to helping people stand tall in the light of their own possibilities.
I felt moved to write and express my condolences for you his family. John has kindled the fires of multiple generations. Feel proud of the light he has shed in the world towards making it a brighter place of cooperation, collaboration, inclusiveness and strength.
Know that many are thinking about you now as you prepare to celebrate his life.
With many warm wishes for you all, Tony Cox.
I knew of John Hasell many years before meeting him for the first time at an Outward Bound International event in the late 1990s. Back in 1979, when I began my OB career at the Canadian Outward Bound Mountain School in Keremeos, John was already a legendary figure. He was among those instrumental in the beginnings of Outward Bound in Canada, and he was the first director of Canada’s first Outward Bound school.
John had embarked on another career by the time I arrived on the scene, but I became acquainted with him, nevertheless. Mostly this was through the strong tone he had set for the school, but it was also through the recollections of senior staff, and because he figured prominently in the photo albums that lined the shelves of the staff house; visually connecting the new instructors to the old, and the past to the present. The photographs captured John as a man in motion, always leading: leading students on a morning run, leading students across the nearby Similkameen River, leading his staff, and leading, apparently, those who hadn’t even met him.
But I did get to meet John, and over the last decade have had the remarkable privilege of working with him as he volunteered his time in support the organization he loved—Outward Bound. Thank you for what you have given, John. You are missed, and my thoughts are with your family.
Please accept my sincere condolences at John’s passing. I had the privilege as an OBI Board member to work and travel with John. It is impressive to see the outpouring of gratitude for his help from all corners of the globe. He was the courier and ombudsman for OBI principles and skills. Untold programs and young people will endure and prosper due to John’s enthusiastic, insightyful, and kindly influence. He leaves big shoes to fill.
With kind regards,
Peter Britton
What a wonderful man and what a wonderful legacy he has left Outward Bound : to strive to serve to seek and not to yield.I first met John at the Thuinder Bay airport as he arrived to help us at Home Place look at our aims and objectives. What compassion what understanding what respect for divergent viewpoints! Later I had the privilege of accompanying him on an Algonquin Park canoe trip with International instructors. He delighted us with tales of his adventures and various encounters. His memory will live on for a very very longtime. My condolences to his family
I met John briefly in 2007 at an OB conference. John’s passion for life and his optimistic look on the world was not only inspiring, it left a deep impression on me of the human spirit. It made me look forward to the years ahead of me and what I could achieve.
Your spirit will be missed but it will certainly live on. My deepest condolences to the family.
Natalia
Dear Sue I want to extend my sincere sympathy to you and all your family. I know that John will be greatly missed by you and his many friends and colleagues.
I had the good fortune of meeting John last fall at an Outward Bound Canada Visioning meeting, even thought we had limited conversation his presence was felt and his thoughts and input truly impactful.
I don’t doubt that John has had a profound impact on this world and on many lives, including mine, as OBC is a large part of my life. Thank you John and to all those who have supported him though his life and illness. May you have strength through support and Peace in body, mind and spirit.
Richella Hyde
John provided leadership to Outward Bound Canada in it’s early years, and more recently, guidance and support – joining us last year for a strategic retreat and visioning session as well as joining in on staff training in BC. An unsung hero, definitely not celebrated enough, we will miss his boundless energy and passion for all things Outward Bound. Sue and family – our thoughts are with you during this time. You have been and will continue to be an important part of the OB community in Canada.
I was introduced to John via a Skype video call using a jury rigged wireless connection from an Outward Bound retreat he was attending a few years ago. His energy literally exploded through the screen. When I met him shortly after, at an Outward Bound meeting in Belgium, his stories of the early years of Outward Bound revealed he was older than he looked.
His energy and passion for the outdoors and the value of Outward Bound was evident from the first moment he spoke and his use of technology, uncommon for someone of his age, was intimidating. He embraced the development of the Outward Bound wiki continuing to develop it by teaching himself coding skills that were beyond many (me included). For him it was just another tool to share the Hahnian ideas that he cared so much about.
To read above that this passion extended to all he did and that he did this for as long as he could muster the strength is no surprise. His commitment and passion inspired me then as they do now.
John was always such an enthusiastic supporter of people, ideas and efforts for the commopn good. Going way beyond what was expected. He will be missed and OBI has lost a great spirit. Sincere condolences to Sue and the family.