John, along with son Martin and wife Cath formed Audio Equip in the late 1970s. The highly respected store was among the first to bring CD players to Australia, and was also one of the first to demonstrate and sell home theatre systems in Perth. A focus of the store was early custom install work and as a result the store was one of the original CEDIA members.

In the 1960s, John took over Les Eade’s London Court store, Lesley Leonard HiFi and built it up and expanded. The shop moved to City Arcade around 1971 and John teamed up with another hi-fi identity Ross Bullard.

After selling Lesley Leonard HiFi, John ran the original Bang and Olufsen shop in Walcott St, Mt Lawley. It was after that that John and Cath started Audio Equip from their home in Applecross and then in Shields Cres, Booragoon, eventually moving once more to Norma Rd, Myaree.

John was one of the gentlemen in the industry and regarded for his service approach with many loyal clients. A keen sports and wine lover, John infected everyone with his ‘get up and go’ enthusiasm and was ever the practical joker. He was also an actively involved member assisting many charitable organisations.

Providing great mentoring to young members of the industry, John has assisted numerous people over the years who continue to work in the custom install industry today.