In this interview John talks at length about his family origins in Estonia and the lives of his forebears who came to New Zealand in the 1850s. John was born in Otautau and moved to Dunedin after he started primary school. John’s family later moved to Waitati and it was here that John’s involvement with deer hunting started. John started with the Forest service in 1959 and in the early 1960s John and his wife Aloma moved to Te Anau. As well as hunting, John describes his role in search and rescue and the Te Anau Fire Brigade, which he joined in 1973. John describes the changes he has seen in Te Anau over the years. In 1986 John was awarded the QSM for public service.