Eight Bells-John Young
John Young co-founded the Shipwright’s Point School of Wooden Boat Building, which went on to become the Wooden Boat Centre, died on Sat 22nd February 2025, less than two months after his wife Ruth.
Born in England in 1934, after a childhood spent between Africa, British public schools, and the Yorkshire moors, at 17, John set off alone for New Zealand to be a forester and then to university, paying his way with an assortment of jobs from boatbuilder to wharfie to postman.
Pursuing a career on the stage was somehow combined with completing an MA degree, as John energetically threw himself into working out where to live, what to do, and whom to love. He eventually settled on an academic career at the University of Adelaide in South Australia.
John also maintained a parallel career as a social entrepreneur, organising the building of the 100-foot sail training ship, the One and All, and later moving to Tasmania with his wife, Ruth, to start the school of wooden boatbuilding that later became Franklin’s famous Wooden Boat Centre. John and Ruth Young were hugely influential to preserving the art of wooden boat building in Franklin,Tasmania.
Ruth said in a interview before she died
“We came here (to Franklin) looking for something to do. It was all very boaty."
This 'boaty' environment led to the establishment of the Shipwright's Point School of Wooden Boat Building in 1995, where they taught students how to build and restore wooden vessels, preserving an art that was at risk of being lost.
"We didn't want people to lose sight of boat building in the future," Ruth said.
The couple leased Crown land to build what is now the Wooden Boat Centre in Franklin, ensuring the survival of Tasmania's rich maritime heritage.
John's contributions extend beyond the boatbuilding community.
He was instrumental in restoring the Palais Theatre in Franklin and played a significant role in building the 100-foot sail training ship, One and All, in South Australia.
His academic contributions include several books and numerous articles on maritime and environmental history, including Australia's Pacific Frontier and Sustaining the Earth.
His legacy lives on in the boats that grace Franklin's waters and in the hearts of the many students he inspired.