John McGhee Cumnock - Australia via Antarctica

There's not many a Cumnock lad had a mountain named after him! John McGhee born 1935 in Cumnock  has a mountain in Antarctica named after him. John lives in Dubbo, Australia with his wife Mary. He will be 90 this year (2025) and is still playing golf and riding a bike. His father John was adventurous too and had gone to Australia and then sent for his fiancée Margaret Murray to come and join him in Sydney. The two got married in Cessnock, NSW in 192 and had their daughter Shirley. They spent some time in America and then returned to Cumnock where John was born six years after Shirley. So being nurtured in that home, he at a very young age started moving and climbing around Scotland.  

John has had many adventures in life. After serving his apprenticeship as a mechanic with Cowan and Panton Motors in Cumnock he took off for British Columbia. Two days later he was working in Vancouver. Later he had a dream job in Garibaldi Park where he climbed mountains, was a guide for climbers and helped maintained trails.

               After about three years he thought he’d check out Australia. He found a photo of his father on the wall at North Bondi Surf Club. His father had brought home to Cumnock this wondrous woollen garment, his life-saving swimming costume. John wore it at Cumnock swimming pool once. He said it was so heavy, he nearly drowned. It was very heavy when it was dry; it weighed a ton when it was wet.

1961 saw him at Wilkes Station in Antartica working as a driver and mechanic.  The officer in charge Neville Smethurst also had a mountain named after him and they both were awarded the Polar Silver Medal. He later returned to Antarctica for another 15 months at Mawson Station. 

John flies the flag for Scotland 

John with base commander Neville Smethurst

photos John McGhee

Antarctica Detail

Antarctica ID: 9689 Name: Mount McGhee Class: Summit Latitude: -66.9333333 Longitude: 52.65 Description: Mountain 4 mi S of Mount Smethurst in Enderby Land. Plotted from air photos taken from Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) aircraft in 1957. Named by ANCA for J. McGhee, mechanic and driver at Wilkes Station in 1961. BGN: 01-JAN-65

POLAR MEDAL

Government House, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600  14 November 1969.

Her Majesty The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the award of The Polar Medal to the undermentioned for services rendered as members of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions between 1959 and 1967:

John McGhee – Silver: 1965 (ANARE – Field Engineer/Mechanic at Wilkes/Mawson)

https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/australia-in-antarctica/australian-antarctic-medal/polar-medal-1904-1987/

John on right with his cousin Ian McGhee in 1992 in Cumnock