INTERVIEW
Howard's way!
First of a two-part interview with charismatic Island
farmer Howard Johnson - by Peter White
Howard Johnson can only be described as
a complete one-off and not just because he
is set to become the only generation in his
family to engage in a career in farming.
Howard has led and a full, active and
sometimes close-to-the-edge life, but he
wouldn’t change much. He has a warm
personality, sharp sense of humour and a
wealth of tales.
He and his wife Alison have been living
on the Island more than 40 years, and
during that time have enjoyed the highs and
endured the lows. But even before Howard
decided to make Little Upton Farm, near
Ryde, the family home he went through a
series of hell-raising experiences that he can
now thankfully laugh about.
He might well have been living in
Australia rather than on the Island for all
these years, but his hopes of emigrating
Down Under were dashed because of a ‘blot’
when he was a carefree teenager. So instead
of taking the slow boat to the antipodes,
he made the hop across the Solent. Many
are glad he did because there is little doubt
the Island would have been a poorer place
without him.
Howard was born in Bournemouth before
moving to Hambledon. He recalls an idyllic
lifestyle, but also vividly remembers his first
school, that was run with military precision.
So much so that when he forgot his PE kit
one day he was forced to spend an hour
completely naked doing the lesson. “I never
forgot my kit again,” he smiled. “But that
school was an important part of my life
because I learned a lot of lessons there,
including boxing, which sometimes came in
quite useful!”
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