Jan Green, Jack Bower's daughter, has provided the following biography of her father: Mangapehi was the home of his parents, Vincent and Dorothy Bower.

John (Jack) Bower met an Australian, May Brown, at the Hotel Australia, Rotorua, where his mother worked as Head Chef. During the period of his war service, May, and baby son John, lived in Mangapehi until the end of the war

After the war, May and Jack settled in Rotorua where he completed his auto electrician apprenticeship. Jack worked in the motor industry for the rest of his life in Rotorua, Tokoroa and Tauranga.

While he seemingly had an uneventful life he was a wonderful husband and dad and a hard worker. He did not retrieve his medals from the Ministry of Defence until 1981 under pressure from his family.

He died suddenly of a heart attack at a Motor Trade Association Golf Tournament in Te Puke aged 63 years. He had an RSA funeral

The only recollection I have of him talking about the war was his life long aversion to tinned tomatoes and bully beef and just where that bomb was going to land. AWMM