JOHN David Evans was born in Griffith on October 17, 1953, and passed away suddenly in Brisbane on October 7.
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He was the husband of Sarah and father to James, Nick and Emma.
John was the son of Marj and the late Ivor Evans and brother to Judith, Craig and Janine Makepeace.
He grew up on the family farm at Hanwood and attended Hanwood Primary School, Scot's College and Griffith High School.
John worked alongside his father on the family farm and share farmed.
As a mature student, he graduated with a degree in Law Jurisprudence from the University of NSW.
He then joined the litigation department at Mallesons in Sydney.
He joined Henry Davis York in 1991, becoming a partner in 1992.
John was recognised nationally and internationaly as one of Australia's leading insolvency lawyers and was one of the founding partners of the Henry David York office in Brisbane.
He was a leading practitioner in restructuring and insolvency laws and acted for banks, financial institutions and insolvency professionals for more than 25 years.
He worked on a large number of prominent collapses and restructures, both domestically and internationally.
These include The Bond Group, HIH Insurance, ABC Learning Centres, Hastie, The Reed Group and Wickham Securities.
John became recognised by his partners, peers and was knows as one of Australia's leading insolvency lawyers.
He was mentioned by the Intercontinental Finance Magazine as one of the top 500 lawyers in the world.
John played a huge role in the Banking and Financial Services Law Association.
He joined the board in 2005 and was president from 2009-2011.
He organised many high profile speakers such as judges from the Supreme Court of NSW and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
These included Lord Hoffman, Lord Kerr and Hope and the current president, Lord Neuberger.
John was passionate about law and Henry Davis York and had a huge impact on those who worked with him and for him.
He will be greatly missed by them all as a brilliant lawyer with a steel trap memory.
The partners frequently consulted him on personal issues covering wills, neighbourhood disputes, family law and even criminal matters.
John never professed to be an expert in these areas but he had an inate sense of how to handle particular situations and how to get the best outcomes.
He mentored many junior partners.
John travelled extensively, enjoying his hobby of photography and extending his cooking abilities which he loved to do in his spare time.
His specialties included relish, pickles and hot chilli sauces.
John was also an avid supporter of the Sydney Swans for more than 30 years and never missed a grand final.
He will be remembered as a phenomenal lawyer, loyal friend and a great inspiration to his fellow workmates.
His family remember him as a generous and loving father, son, brother and friend.
