Jon Buchan

Rob

Well-known member
Jon's family are sad to announce the death of Dr Jon Buchan on June 25th, after a short illness complicated by his Parkinson's and inherited kidney disease.

His many expedition caving friends from PNG, China and Mulu will remember him with great fondness.

His funeral will be at Carlisle Crematorium on Fri 15th July at 11:30am.
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
Sorry to hear that. I remember him talking his experiences on the early Mulu expeditions back in the eighties.
 

DickW

Member
That's really spoiled mye day. The news is hardly unexpected, I spoke to him on the phone a few months ago and he said that he and Eleanor had been in a care home - she was undergoing treatment for cancer and wasn't able to care for him, and he wasn't able to care for her because of his Parkinson's.

I have so many great memories of him - singing Gilbert and Sullivan duets with Jack Sheldon around the camp fire in New Guinea, flogging up the side of G.Api in Mulu in a futile search for the mythical 'Big Feature', playing charades in the boat on the way down river to L.Terawan on Christmas day 1980, playing his fiddle in China... A lovely, hugely compentent, quiet, compassionate man .
 
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Kevan Wilde

New member
So very sorry to hear about Jon. Fine, caring, lovely man. Extremely fine caver. First man on the scene for my rescue from Langlang Tem, Telefomin, PNG 1975 when I was struck on both legs by a large rock on the top pitch. Immediate emergency treatment - hot coffee & a cigar! Kevan Wilde, New Zealand.
 

hardstal viewer

New member
This is really sad news. He was one of the greats, an excellent doctor with a wonderful sense of humour that at times during the New Guinea expedition of 1975 often seemed like it was all there was holding the team together when things got rough or morale flagged. I cannot find sufficient words to convey how I feel at this loss of this fine example fo humanity. You will be very much missed Jon, and remembered when our expedition 47th Anniversary dinner takes place in two weeks time.
 

pauleverett

New member
Sadly I only met him once or twice after New Guinea. I was impressed with his calmness while treating Stephen Crabtree's fractured skull, giving us very precise instructions on observation. When I was a child, I was not able to accept that a doctor could fall ill and while in PNG I found it difficult to accept that he managed to break his arm. Caving and whatever the outside world is will remember him. Enjoy you current exploration Jon.
 
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