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John Patrick Anthony O’Brien OBE, ED
Geologist – Soldier – Family Man 1942 – 2007
Rick Sibson, Dunedin
(with help from J. Ash, J. Ashby, R. Briggs, M. Brown, A. Happy, and K. Stanaway)
John O’Brien left us suddenly and without warning on February 14, 2007. To those of us
who passed through the University of Auckland Geology Department in the late 1960’s -
under the benign sway of Arnold Lillie and Nick Brothers – we had lost our Sergeant Pepper.
John’s life and career were hugely influenced by a father he barely knew. A Major in the NZ
Army Medical Corps, Desmond O’Brien was killed in Egypt in the last days of World War II.
Mother Kitty was a physiotherapist, sister Maureen a doctor who spent many years in Beirut.
John was, in a sense, an accidental geologist. His early university life had been driven by a
wish to follow the family tradition in medicine, first at Otago University (where he satisfied
another personal goal by enlisting as a paramedic in the Territorial Force of the NZ Army)
and then in Auckland where he pursued a BSc in Chemistry as an alternative path to Medical
School. Geology was taken as a filler but eventually won him over and he went on to
complete an MSc with Honours in Geology.
As our senior by a few years, John was mentor, advisor about life in general and, to some
extent, father confessor. This extended not only to the blokes but also to young women who,
much to his exasperation, persisted in regarding him as an entirely trustworthy father figure to
whom they could pour out their hearts. An unquenchable party man, he was always good for
an argument, rarely making concessions. At a memorable graduate party at the Brothers
where pitchers of martini were offered to unsuspecting beer drinkers (Nick had just returned
from a Californian sabbatical and thought the department needed toning up) it was only John
who was unfazed when Rhoda Lillie swept in declaiming “Well lads, what shall we talk
about – religion, politics or sex”. He was game to discuss all three and at great length. His
paramedical abilities were also in demand – he was drafted as a field assistant on Geology
Department field research in New Caledonia. No band-aid medic, he relishing the prospect of
injuries arriving fully armed with splints and tourniquets.
Work as an exploration geologist took him first to the Northern Territories of Australia in
search of uranium, and then to Thames in Coromandel re-evaluating the Monowai Reef and
other gold prospects. It was about that time that he met up with the twin Rowland sisters,
recent arrivals from Lebanon, one of whom – Karen became his wife in 1977 and the other,
Kate, a lifelong friend. It was also during this period that he developed an enduring
professional relationship and friendship with another exploration geologist - Ian Grant –
together they went on to establish a consultancy group - Applied Geology Associates (AGA)
- which expanded rapidly operating throughout New Zealand, up into the Pacific, and to
Southeast Asia. Projects included mineral exploration, rehabilitation of old dredging ground
in Malaysia, geotechnical engineering including quarry, landfill, and slope design, and
aggregate supply for industrial development in the Auckland area. AGA grew to become one
of the leading non-governmental employers of geologists in Australasia but was not immune
GSNZ Newsletter 143 (2007) Page 27