The No. 1 Australian, John Miller

August 26, 2009

In February 2008, at La Transjurassienne, John Miller obtained his fourth Master and became the foremost Australian. Who has not seen the jovial John at some Worldloppet race? Indeed, John is also a Global WL Skier; he is listed as the 30th skier in the world having accomplished all WL races.

John was born in Melbourne in 1930. It would be too long to give the full list of John’s academic and professional achievements. He first became a certified accountant at the age of 24, later he completed his Ph.D. John started his career as an accountant for the Wangaratta Woollen Mills Ltd. In Wangaratta, the biggest town in NE Victoria, he commenced skiing with the famous Wangaratta Ski Club, one of the first in Australia. Then he lived in UK and Canada for six years and continued his snow romance. Later he has acted as Dean of a Business School that is now part of Monash University - Australia’s largest university.

The rest of his career was in companies and governmental appointments: Director of Consumer Affairs for the Victorian Government, Dean of another business school, CEO of a company etc. Although John stopped full time work in 2000, he has now a portfolio of Directorships from Government and the private sector, concerning mainly water and education. Two of these duties are connected to skiing as a Director of  Lake Mountain Ski Resort and Mt Baw Baw.

The photos we have of John illustrate his character. The first two pictures show his sense of humor; a picture from the Kangaroohoppet (the hair is not his own!) and John helping us model the logo of IAWLS. The other two show him skiing in the Engadin valley and in La Transjurassienne.

On skiing John is inexhaustible. Let us listen to his words:
Wangaratta Ski Club has produced four Olympians and consequently we all aspired to do some international events. Del Welsh’s husband Graham and her brother in law Norm Allan were early pioneers of international racing. I was inspired by them. Of course, we all did Kangaroo Hoppet each year. My first Worldloppet trip was in 1990. What a disaster: all races cancelled!

But in 1993 I did the Canadian short races and in 1995 completed my first Japanese race. After retirement from full time work I was able to travel more freely and again met up with friends of the WL races whom I had met in Australia initially - especially Hannes Larsson, Paddy Field, Bengt Karlsson, Robert Palliser and Akira Komori - all who had stayed with the hospitable Del and Graham in their Falls Creek apartment or at Howmans Gap Hostel. I achieved my first Silver Master award in 2003 and the other three through to 2008 when I also got the GWLS. I am now in the schedule to complete #5 in 2010.

I like each WL race because they are all different. But I particularly like those that do a circle route beginning and ending at the same place – thus Koenig-Ludwig-Lauf, Finlandia Hiihto, Japan, Kangaroo Hoppet etc. I also prefer races that are accessible to public transport and have some cultural life, such as Marcialonga. I also like the events that my non-skiing wife Ruth appreciates – she is fluent in French and Spanish and she likes the Engadin and Marcialonga especially! So we go there.
As to keeping fit: walking, swimming, cycling, jogging are mine… and good food…a good reason I love the Transjurassienne, French regional wines and cheeses are tops, as we Aussies love those delicacies…and the French admire our cyclists!

I do not intend to stop skiing…because as I say to non skiers: “If you can walk, you can ski!” The Worldloppet is one of the great things in my life… in addition to 11 grandchildren. It keeps us fit and we have so many friends. Ski the world and see the world!

This page was last revised on February 13, 2010