Supporting the McKillop Family after loss

Our friend and colleague John McKillop recently suffered a heart attack whilst sea kayaking in his home state of Tasmania. He leaves behind his wife Linda and three children, Nicole, Alexander and Nathan. John was the primary breadwinner and supported his family whilst Nathan and visually impaired Nicole study their respective university degrees and Alexander pursues his Para Olympic athletics dream.

Sea kayaking was a relatively new hobby for John. He enjoying the Monday night skill sessions in a swimming pool. These allowed him to improve and thus participate in club events that required kayakers to be at a higher level.

A senior Naval Architect, John was a respected member of the BAE Systems Engineering team. He helped and mentored colleagues when he could. He supported numerous projects and his “can-do” attitude will be missed.

John was a great team player during his time at BAE. He participated in team activities with great enthusiasm and encouraged all to participate. He was a member of the Williamstown Social Club and particularly enjoyed going to their breakfast events.

John was selfless. He was always on the lookout for others. He welcomed all new employees and would touch base with a colleague if he thought they might have been struggling, particularly over the last few years during lockdowns.

John returned to Hobart at the start of the COVID pandemic and had been working remotely since March 2020. He was glad to be home with his family, but he also missed being in the office.

Being in Tasmania made it easier during the pandemic for John to support a number of Inclining Experiments in Western Australia. He enjoyed this time because it allowed him to meet and connect with WA staff to a level that might otherwise not have occurred.

The family have pulled together for emotional support, however with a significant and unexpected loss of income our aim is to help them their day-to-day expenses. Any help at all is appreciated.