Vale Ian Jackson (Ausjacko)

[ozbilt]

We lost Ian Jackson (Ausjacko) yesterday (11/09/21) to a massive heart attack.

Ian was working on his E Type jaguar when he fell ill. Heather got him to the hospital, but he passed away there.


Vale Jacko

I have been sitting here the last few days, listening to music online while trying to get my head around the fact I will not get to hang out with Jacko anymore. Only last April Carol & I were in Canberra for his surprise 55th Birthday bash.

I first met Jacko in 2009 when he turned up to help with the building the grey 67 Mustang hardtop (then known as "Helping a Brother" or similar) at Duggo, that became known as "Pink Bits" after Jacko & Heather purchased it a few years later.

This was typical of Jacko, turning up to help those he had never met before. Being on the organizing committees for Canberra car events & how he pushed back when NSW car clubs tried to interfere with what was happening in Canberra was typical of him.

Jacko's visits to Duggo with Heather were anytime they were visiting Sydney and that always led to long chats into the night, long after the girls had gone to bed. Ian & Heather's home became our home away whenever we travelled to Canberra and again, led to long conversations into the night. Carol & I got to know the family & Stanley (the golden retriever). I even attended a baseball game he was playing in & photographed the proceedings (maybe Jacko was testing to see if I really had become a US citizen)

We had common experiences with living in China, Jacko with DFAT & me a FIFO to our Dongguan iron door factory. It was always easy to talk about a place we both have been immersed in. Their trip on Route 66 was often talked about & compared to our trip & memorabilia. The guest room at Duggo is the Route 66 room, so that fitted. Also the SEMA trip of 2019 was discussed at length both before & after the journey as Jacko sought information on how to tackle it. We had plans to attend the Canton Fair in Guangzhou. That would have been fun with my local knowledge & Jacko's ability to speak the language.

I did the body work on a couple of cars for Jacko & I loved understanding that his builds were dictated by what suited him rather than some commonly followed rules. Most of all, we all loved the write-ups on each weeks journey on those builds.

Working on the Jag was his last effort, nice to think that the enjoyment of playing with cars was in his life until the end.

We are missing you mate ........

[Nuts]

Shit! RIP Jacko.

[jbb]

"Jacko"

My best friend !!

I will miss having you to talk car shit with, solve problems and help each other out.
Not sure what to do now...........

Always willing to help everyone without any thought of rerward.

what more can one say, but too soon..................................

You will be missed by many
john (JBB)

[jbb]

Taken at SEMA 2019


Jacko
larger than life, but not a yankee truck

[soc123_au]

I'm in shock. The world has lost one of it's very best. Rest in peace mate, you will be sorely missed.

[ACTstanglover]

I’m in disbelief, so young, so fit, and a great bloke to go with it. So sad for Heather and the family. All our mustang social activities and car shows wouldn’t have been what they were without Jacko been involved

Another sad loss to our mustang family.

[MustangMedic]

So saddened to hear of Ian's passing this morning, Justin broke the news to me this morning and will also need support. You could not have met a better bloke the world will be a different place, my thoughts go out to Heather and the girls in the tragic loss of both a husband to Heather and a father to his daughters.

I can just picture the story he will be writing about his travels to the gates of St Peters.

A mate and a fellow pony rider.......god speed Jacko!

[nassi]

Shocked to say the least, condolences to Heather and family. RIP Jacko.

[Astro]

I’m still in shock about Jacko - have been on the receiving end of his and JBB’s help on many occasions, a man of many talents - hearing him speak fluent Chinese at his favourite restaurant was a moment I won’t forget.
I’m glad we had the trip to SEMA in 2019, he was a character that’s for sure.
Being the same age and having survived a heart attack myself late last year makes me both thankful but devastated by his loss.
Thoughts to Heather and his family at this time.
Cheers
JD

[Dwayne]

Very sad to hear of such an early passing, condolences go out to the family and friends.

[hybrid]

RIP Jacko
Such a great bloke and gone way too early.
Condolences to friends and family.

[Yellow66]

Terrible news. RIP mate

[gbx78]

Speechless when Kerry told me. So young, fit and just playing with his car.

I never met Ian but we spoke a few times on the phone. We always had a good chat about custom ideas, what we were doing with our cars and tips and tricks learnt along the way.

RIP mate, Im sure you are talking car ideas with David and Im sure he is spending your money too.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Enjoy playing with and/or driving your cars - Life is very short.

[ozbilt]

Updated opening post. Sorry if it is rough, but like how you all feel, it is still very raw.

[jbb]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update...

Ian's Funeral will be held friday the 24th around 3pm in Canberra.

It shall also have a live feed put online by the funeral home for anyone who wishes to
listen in /watch. As due to Covid restrictions, the funeral will only be attended by 20 people.
His AFP counterparts are assisting in giving him the appropriate honours as a
retired AFP member.

Once I receive the details from Heather for the link to access the simulcast( i think thats what you call it)
I will ensure that with Heathers permission, they are posted here for those who wish to access.

Regards
JBB