John Holliday

John Holliday, grew up in England, where he served in the Royal Air Force and later with IBM. After moving to Canada and initially continuing to work with IBM, John started the first of many businesses, mostly in the IT industry. A subsequent business opportunity resulted in a move to Australia where he continued his entrepreneurial activities. John's interest in writing arose when he decided to write a memoir of his business life, published under the title Toughing it Out: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur. John had been aware of having an ancestor who was a famous missionary to China, but it was not until 2008 when he discovered that an orphanage founded by his ancestor in Jakarta in 1832 and All Saints Jakarta, the oldest English institution in Indonesia were both still functioning today. A visit to Jakarta and a commitment to build a library for the orphanage started the research into Walter Medhurst's life that kindled a desire to write his biography. The result is Mission to China: How an Englishman Brought the West to the Orient, published by Amberley Publishing in England in September 2016, followed by a Chinese edition published by a Taiwan Publisher. It tells the story of Medhursts's life as a missionary, adventurer, printer, writer, translator and teacher initially in Malacca, Penang and Batavia, which led to his achievements as a 19th Century pioneer to China. Medhurst was best known for translating the Bible into Chinese. During the research into Walter Medhurst, John discovered the extraordinary life of his sister's granddaughter, Clara Bewick. It was this discovery which led to his latest book, Clara Colby: The International Suffragist. John lives with his wife Colleen on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, with three children and four grandchildren close by.