John was educated in Secondary School to Year 10 after which he left school and worked on sheep stations in the Murchison/Pilbara area of Western Australia before becoming a truck driver for Brambles.
In his early 20s John undertook mature age studies, eventually graduating with a Law Degree from the University of Western Australia in the mid 70s.
John practised as a Barrister and Solicitor for 25 years mainly in the Criminal Law area, where his principal client was the Western Australian Police Union.