A Fixture of the Glebe scene has left us

Editor, Glebe Report

For more than 35 years, Glebites have been used to seeing my father John Horvath taking his daily walks around the community and holding court at the local coffee shops, eagerly engaging neighbours in discussions on a multiplicity of topics, from the science of vegan diets to Xi Jinping’s four brick volumes on the governance of China. Our community is a little quieter now, with his sudden passing on April 13.

“This above all – to thine own self be true.” John Horvath was a fervent believer in the power of great written words, with a radical authenticity of character that would surely have endeared him to Shakespeare.

His natural charisma, passion for debating ideas and big heart drew people to him from all walks of life, endlessly expanding the circle of people that he called “family”.

As an immigrant from the revolution in Hungary, he always remembered even the smallest kindness and lived his life with a deliberate practice of actively finding ways to pay it forward tenfold. If he found a five-dollar bill on the street, he would turn and give $50 to someone he thought could use it. If he saw a student struggling, he would buy them a cup of coffee – or ten. He approached each day as an opportunity to be of service – in the truest, most profound manner – to his family, friends and community.

John Horvath was a fixture of the Glebe community. His loss will be deeply felt.

Kathryn Aubrey-Horvath

John Horvath remembered