Obituary: John Rushton Gard'ner

Battle of Britain pilot John Gard'ner has died in Tauranga a month short of his 93rd birthday.
Mr Gard'ner was born in Kew, Dunedin, on June 14, 1918. He will be remembered for his courageous acts in the Battle of Britain.
But behind his career with the Royal Air Force (RAF), Mr Gard'ner was a gentleman, a loving family man who was passionate about life.
His son, Richard, said: "He fully embraced life and everything he did, he did with precision and purpose."
Mr Gard'ner made his mark in his military career and he spent much time with his role in the Royal Air Force.
He joined the RAF in 1938 because he wanted to see the world.
He told people: "It just seemed a marvellous thing to do. I had no idea there was going to be a war".
After learning to fly and finishing his training, Mr Gard'ner was posted to 141 Squadron, first on Blenheims and then single-engined Defiants that carried a pilot and gunner.
The 141 Squadron joined the Battle of Britain on the south coast on July 11, 1940, and flew a few patrols without incident before being bounced over the Channel by Messerschmitt 109s on July 19. Patrolling at 5000ft off Folkestone, nine Defiants were attacked and seven of the eight crew on the Defiants downed in the Channel that day died, including fellow New Zealand pilots John Kemp and Rudal Kidson.
Mr Gard'ner, the only survivor, struggled desperately to get out of his cockpit, the water getting blacker and blacker as the plane sank.
He completed a number of tours during the war and after being repatriated to New Zealand in 1947 he accepted a post War RAF commission and served until 1965. His last posting was as the Air Attache to the British Embassy in Brussels.
Mr Gard'ner retired from the RAF in 1965 with the rank of Group Captain and moved to Bethlehem, Bay of Plenty, with his wife Martha.
The pair bought an orchard that grew kiwifruit, apples, pears and other sub-tropical fruit. After selling the orchard they moved to another property in Te Puna, where they lived until his wife Martha died in December 1999. After his remarriage, to Suzanne, the pair settled in Matua where they lived until Mr Gard'ner's death.
Richard Gard'ner said he admired his father for everything that he did. "Everything he did, he did well. It's very hard to think of a specific achievement or words to describe him, but he was a true gentleman and I think he was very proud of everything he did.
"After he retired he was able to look back over his achievements and he was proud to be able to go back to the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the unveiling of the Sir Keith Park memorial."
Mr Gard'ner died in Tauranga Hospital on Friday, May 6, after suffering a stroke earlier in the week.
His death leaves alive just three of the 95 New Zealand pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain.
Mr Gard'ner is the dearly loved husband of Suzanne and the late Ghita and Martha. He is survived by his three children, Carolyn (Belgium), Charles (USA) and Richard (Tuakau) and is the loved father-in-law to Ros and the late Barry, and stepfather to Cindy Fielding (Australia).
He will be dearly missed by his 10 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
A funeral service for Mr Gard'ner was held at St John's Anglican Church, on Wednesday , followed by a private cremation.Genevieve Helliwell