PORTSMOUTH, UK (Portsmouth.co.uk) — Geologist Jason Read, 39, died on Monday, April 5, when his military escort were ambushed in the conflict ridden region of Ogaden in Ethiopia.
Mr Read was killed and his guards wounded before they were able to return fire.
Mr Read, well known in the Portsmouth area as Justin Packham before he changed his name approximately 15 years ago, had been working in Ethiopa for a geophysics company based in Derbyshire.
In a statement, his father, Stan Packham, said: ‘Justin lived his life to the full and made many friends. He will be sadly missed by a lot of people.
‘Everyone who knew him would have a different story to tell about him.
‘He was due to come home to see Pompey play in the semi-finals, but he never made it. He was Pompey-mad and would have been so pleased to see them win.
‘He grew up in Paulsgrove as a youngster and went to the City of Boys school.
‘He was extremely close to his grandmother. Wherever he was in the world, he would always send her a postcard and a gift home.
‘Justin loved his work because he hated being out of work. We’re a very large, close family. Justin’s got three brothers and a sister, and was uncle to 11 nieces and nephews. He’s also got two step-brothers and a step-sister
‘When he was home, he adored the kids. He went to see each one of his brothers and sisters to spend time with all of them. But once he’d done that, he had to get back to work wherever it was; he hated being out of work.
‘When Justin was 18, he bought a one-way ticket to Hong Kong and slept rough for about six weeks before he got a job at the airport. He ended up driving trucks with massive wheels without even knowing how to drive. When he came back to England, he flew straight back out to Germany to work with me as a bricklayer again.
‘It takes a certain breed of worker to do the jobs he did. He’s been to Uganda, Ethiopa, Madagascar, Somalia as well as Europe with the same firm.
‘He knew what to expect from the job he was doing. The firm, Tesla IMC, has been very good. They’ve been very supportive throughout.’
2 thoughts on “Family pay tribute to British geologist killed in Ethiopia”
so sad r i p Jason
How unfortunate for a decent human like Mr. Read has to die in a crime ridden region where genocide is taking place. He should have been informed of the situation prior to giving him of a clear path, the regime in Addis is responsible for not telling Mr.Read of the truth about the region. The people in Eastern Ethiopia are under intense pressure from different direction, military, aid blockade and economic. So they are very angry and they would kill anyone that comes to their land to benefit while they are under oppression. I hope others will learn from this tragic outcome and avoid the area all together, till solution to the problem is found.