Former Mountain Creek Wholefoods owner John Needham poured his heart and soul into the business. Photo: Facebook.
There are health food shops in Canberra, and then there is Mountain Creek Wholefoods at the Griffith shops.
The man who devoted his life to the iconic business for over 40 years, first with his wife Jenny Needham and then his partner of 17 years, Marg Cuthel, has died suddenly, leaving his family and community in shock.
John Needham, 72, went to have a nap on Monday, 19 January. He suffered a catastrophic brain bleed in his sleep and never woke up.
Dumb, cruel luck, the doctors said, according to his son, Sam, who said his father was one of the healthiest and fittest men he knew.
“There’s some mercy in that it was painless and peaceful,” he said.
John walked the talk when it came to health, practising martial arts (he had only just received a black belt), yoga and meditation, taking walks, doing woodwork and eating well.
“He was just so energetic and excited for life, and so conscious of his health and wellbeing and fitness,” Sam said.
“I would half joke to people that I expected my Dad to outlive me, and I was only half joking, so I just really can’t emphasise how much of a tremendous shock it is to everyone in Dad’s life.
“We were completely blindsided.”
John was only two months into a well-earned retirement after selling the business to Giada Peloso and her husband Ignace Diompy, who are also the duo behind the L’epi Bakery stores around Canberra’s South, as well as Crust at the Fyshwick Markets.
Born in Melbourne, he moved to Canberra with his family because his father worked in Defence.
He studied accountancy, then sociology and politics at the then Canberra College of Advanced Education, becoming a researcher for the Senate department at the original Parliament House, and then as a research assistant for Tasmanian Labor senator Ken Wriedt, the leader of the opposition in the Senate at the time.
It was there that he got together with Jenny, who worked on the other side of politics as secretary of the government Senate leader, John Carrick.
But in 1984 the winds of change were blowing through Parliament House for John, and for Jenny, who by then was at the Australian Chamber of Commerce.
Sam said both his parents wanted a change at that point in their lives.
“Dad had recently discovered vegetarianism and the whole foods movement and had become very interested in that,” he said.
“So it was a combination of factors, but it just so happened that there was this opportunity that was aligned with a passion of his, and they both wanted a change, so it all just came together at the right time in the right place for them, and I’m very grateful that it did.”
Jenny said they were customers of Mountain Creek Wholefoods and the owners wanted to sell to someone who would keep it going in the same spirit.
A friendly bank manager gave them the loan and after a lot of hard work the business became the go-to place for organic foods, vitamins and supplements, healthy lunches, and an eclectic collection of sustainable goods, including cosmetics and homewares, servicing customers way beyond the Griffith catchment.
It also helped nurture the distinctive ecosystem that developed at Griffith shops, including the Organic Energy fruit and vegetable store and The Hierophant dispensary.
Jenny said both owners were friends and part of their network. “We all got on very well, all very supportive of each other,” she said. “It was actually lovely. It was a really lovely environment to be working in.”
Jenny and John split 25 years ago but she remained a business partner until about five years ago when she retired to Queensland.
The news was a shock, but the support had been “absolutely extraordinary”.
Mountain Creek Wholefoods set a benchmark for businesses of its kind. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Sam said John never lost his interest in politics, reading voraciously and having lively political discussions with his customers in the shop.
His father gave him a tour of his old workplace last year, showing him his office and spinning yarns about his time there.
“When he first bought Mountain Creek, he would work at Old Parliament House in the morning and then go for a run to Mountain Creek and work at the shop over lunch and then run back to Old Parliament House and work the afternoon there again,” he said.
Sam said his father poured his heart and soul into Mountain Creek.
“The outpouring I’ve had from people over the last week has just been tremendous,” he said.
“There are so many people who are just expressing their love for Dad, and it means the world to us.”
Sam said his father always presented his true face to the world and to people every day.
“I would just want people to know that that’s what he was always really like,” he said.
“That’s who I got as a Dad, and that’s who I always saw, and that he just really was that extremely kind, curious, loving man, always.”
Mountain Creek Wholefoods posted on social media that John had built more than just a business.
“For over 40 years, John created more than a store – he built a sanctuary for our community,” it says.
“His generosity, warmth, and pioneering commitment to health and wellbeing touched countless lives across Canberra and beyond. He had an extraordinary gift for making people feel seen and cared for, and that genuine care will never be forgotten.
“His spirit will continue to guide us as we honour his vision and carry forward the community he loved so deeply.”
A memorial book has been opened in the store for those who would like to share a memory or message.
