John Shaw was born in Ndola in 1947, in what was then Northern Rhodesia and received his primary and most of his secondary education in that country. Shortly before Zambian independence in October 1964, his father, a chief superintendent in the Northern Rhodesia Police, resigned and his parents immigrated to Rhodesia. John attended Chaplin School, Gwelo, to complete his GCE certificate. In March 1966, he joined the British South Africa Police and served in the district branch of the Force until his retirement in August 1981, with the rank of superintendent. Shortly after Zimbabwean independence he moved to South Africa with his wife and three daughters, securing a job with Johnson & Johnson, Midrand, in the security field where he remained for 28 years, retiring as their Industrial & Employee Relations Manager in 2008. He settled in White River where he spends his time writing, playing tennis and visiting the Kruger National Park.
