A birth registration was found for Jack K Ramsbottom: Mother's Maiden Surname: Ramsbottom; Date of Registration: Oct Nov Dec 1922; Registration district: Thanet; Registration county: Kent; Volume Number: 2a; Page Number: 1667.

John Ramsbottom was fostered out at the age of 2 years. He stayed with his foster parents for 7 years and was then recalled to London by Barnardos.

In 1933, John Ramsbottom, 10, arrived at Fremantle, Australia, in a group of more than 50 children from the Child Emigration Society, en route to Fairbridge Farm School, Pinjarra, Australia. He was placed in Rhodes cottage.

John Lane is remembered for his outspoken attitude and on one occasion for fighting to to have justice prevail at Fairbridge. John ran away from the farm because he missed his foster family but was returned. John was a fairly plain-spoken lad who retained the characteristic of writing how he speaks. He was always determined and very honest and open. He didn't shirk demanding tasks.

He became involved very early with music lessons on the trombone which were given by the head cook and, later, becoming involved in the boys' brass band.

John left Fairbridge in September 1938 to work on Monty House’s farm.

John joined the Australian army during World War II. He had been a prisoner of war taken at Singapore up to the Burma/Thailand railway then onto Japan as slave labour on the docks at Kobe. He wrote a book, Summer Will Come Again, on his experiences which was translated into Japanese and distributed among the schools in the Kobe district. In 2004 John was invited by the Japanese
Government to visit Japan as a guest of honour to share his story as a P.O.W. in the Japanese concentration camps. John was able to speak to many Japanese young people about the challenges he faced and how he overcame them. This was a very special time for John and helped him in putting that traumatic period in his life to rest. John was honoured to have the University of Japan reprint his book Summer Will Come Again in Japanese so the young people of Japan could learn from his experience.

John was an early member of the Western Command Band serving 1950 to 1967 up to Corporal, with a stint at the School of Music as a Brass Instructor.

After the war, he decided to discard his association with Jack Ramsbottom and resume his life with the legally acquired name of John Lane.

John Lane was also a well-known author of another book, Fairbridge Kid, an outspoken account of his days spent at the former Pinjarra boarding school for English orphans. He said "For most of us Old Fairbridgeans, we were the rescued children. Most of us were really grateful. It gave us a life. We would never have had a life back in England."

In the early 90s John’s passion for Fairbridge burned strong and his desire to tell the story r nof Kingsley & Ruby Fairbridge culminated in him developing and running heritage tours at Fairbridge Village for many years.

In 2004 John’s health was deteriorating to the point where his voice was no longer able to cope with speaking publicly to large groups so he, at his own cost, produced a DVD called “Fairbridge—The Vision Splendid” to ensure the story or Fairbridge would not be lost. In producing the video John commented “Personally, I regard my selection to go to the Fairbridge Farm School as having given me an opportunity for the fulfilment that otherwise would not have been available in the ‘Old Country.’ For this I am eternally grateful. I join the majority of Old-Fairbridgians who remain ever mindful of the heroic struggle, tenacity and dedication expounded by Kingsley & Ruby Fairbridge in establishing their Farm School against enormous odds and almost insurmountable difficulties.”

While not being well enough to speak to large groups John would still take time out to come out to Fairbridge to share his personal story to the Fairbridge Kids of tod