ABOUT ME

John Campbell Rees: A Short Biography

School and College

John Campbell Rees was born on 13th June, 1967. If the meeting his father Gwynfryn was attending at work had not finished early, he would not be here today. At 4.15 pm, he phoned the maternity ward at Llwynypia Hospital for news about his wife and second child. At this point, his mother Patricia had been in labour for several hours, in a side ward, and completely forgotten about. The phone call had prompted a midwife to check on her.  At 4.26pm, John came into the World, but the damage had been done.

In 1979, John was diagnosed with Dyspraxia. This was just five years after the condition had first been identified. He went through school at a time when 80% of the medical professionals and 100% of the teaching did not believe that the condition existed. School was a problem, but his father managed to persuade the Local Education Authority to help John. In 1982, he began using the Microwriter portable word processor for his schoolwork and in examinations.

Between 1986 and 1988, he attended Coventry Polytechnic, living away from home for the first time. He left with a Diploma in Higher Education.

He eventually returned to higher education in 1999, when he began working towards a Bachelor’s Degree by taking the modules in Science and Science Fiction that the University of Glamorgan’s Astronomy Department was offering. Having completed them, in 2002, John completed a module in Astronomy focused on Life in the Universe. John then completed a workshop module called Athrobiotics which used the LEGO Mindstorm system to study the basics of robotics and space-probe design. Finally, he completed a module entitled Selected Topics in Modern Astrophysics.

In 2005, John graduated with a 2:1 BSc (Hons) in Combined Studies. An achievement he is very proud of.

This is when he made friends and first encountered the community of science fiction fans. He started attending science fiction conventions. The first was Novacon16, held in the De Vere’s Hotel, located in the centre of Coventry, next door to the halls of residence he was living in.

Work

For somebody who has always loved reading, a job in a library would be ideal. John started working for the Rhondda Borough Council in its Library Department in 1988 and worked for its successor, Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council until 2023, when ill health forced him to retire.

For