Penned in the Crummy

Born in Toronto, Ontario in 1939, Jon lived in Cabbagetown for fifteen years. Having spent four years in King City, Ontario, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1959 as a rating electrician. After two years of bobbing around in frigates, he applied for, and was accepted for transfer to the Navy's Fleet Air Arm, flying as a sensors operator in Grumman CS2F-2 Trackers from East Coast bases, and from Canada's carrier, HMCS Bonaventure, as well as from the American carriers USS Wasp and USS Essex.

With the integration of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1967, Jon transferred to the theretofore-RCAF domain of long-range patrol aircraft, flying around the World's oceans in the Great Aluminum Overcast aka the Argus as a long-range communications specialist.

Not quite knowing what to do with him, the Air Force commissioned him as an Air Navigator in 1979. When the Navy heard of this travesty, they immediately pulled him back to work as a Tactical Coordinator, flying in ten-ton Sea King helicopters, launched from the tiny flight decks of helicopter-carrying destroyers (DDHs). He eventually rose to command his own Air Department, sailing in HMCS Margaree (DDH230).

After 35 years of service -- 20 as an NCO, 15 commissioned -- Jon retired to edit a small-town newspaper. "Edit" is used loosely, here; in addition to editorial duties, he was typesetter, file clerk, layout body, publishing coordinator, PR man and general factotum.

In 1998, Jon retired from remunerative labour and took up many forms of unpaid industry i.e: volunteer work. He has spent much time working with Seniors, instructing in fundamental computer skills and teaching Taijiquan (aka Tai-Chi to the unwashed) to those who are averse to "withering on the vine".

Discovering Train Sim shortly after its release, Jon discovered NERR about a year later, with a resulting monumental increase in his overall MSTS enjoyment. Yielding to coercion and seditious threats from Brian Element, he has agreed to write reviews on NERR's ever-growing array of excellent activities, produced by the vRR's burgeoning list of talented authors.