“So we started calling him John and it ended up there were four Graemes and five Johns.” Ray said when his brother was older and bought some land he grew and sold potatoes to help pay his bills.
MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/STUFF
John Gardner, a lead organiser with trade union E tū, died suddenly on May 1. (File photo) Hawking potatoes where ever he went earned Gardner the nickname “Johnny Potato”, while his thick head of hair meant he was also known as “Thatch”. As fate would have it Gardner ended up winning Bonus Bonds twice, pocketing a tidy $30,000 in total, enabling him to build a house and a pool, Ray said.
John Gardner, pictured in 2017, had been an E Tū lead organiser in South Canterbury since 1997.
A man who fought for fairer conditions for thousands of South Canterbury workers has died. Graeme John Gardner, known as John, died suddenly on Saturday. An E tū organiser in the region since 1997, Gardner would be remembered as someone who was a good advocate, with a passion for work’’, South Island director for E tū Alan Clarence told
Stuff on Wednesday. Clarence said across the country, E tū employees had been saddened to hear of Gardner’s death.
READ MORE: “The sudden passing of a long-serving organiser has been a huge shock to all of us,’’ Clarence said.