A red dirt man who was the king of dad jokes: tributes flow for Broome’s ‘bird man’ John Zinner

He was the carpenter from country Victoria who, like many of us, found a new life in this far-flung patch of paradise we call home. John Zinner was a “king of dad jokes” and a “silly man” who became widely known in Broome as “the birdman” due to his unwavering passion for wildlife which led to the establishment of 12 Mile Bird Park. Mr Zinner, who died last month aged 63, has been remembered for his loyalty, committent and dedication to Broome’s people and organisations. He grew up in Warragul, Victoria, then moved to Coffs Harbour before arriving in Broome in 1998 where he decided to settle. A carpenter by trade, the community-minded man was known to do “a little bit of everything”. His daughter Samantha described her father as a “silly and lovable man”. Samantha said she had fond childhood memories of travelling the North West with her dad. “Other kids would go on holidays to Kalgoorlie, but we would always get to go up north to Broome, the Gibb River Road or the Bungle Bungles,” she said. “I think Dad always felt at home in the Kimberley.” Mr Zinner’s mother Joan said he was a family man and always kept in touch with his loved ones. “He was dearly loved and will be sadly missed,” she said. Mr Zinner was a committed member of the Broome Speedway community, where he raced, volunteered and was made a life member. Making his speedway debut in a Holden Torana, the avid racer progressed to driving a VL Commodore and a VT Commodore during his time on the track. Close mate and Broome Speedway member Mick Johnson said Mr Zinner was a “true gentleman”. “He was so generous with his time and was always the first one to put his hand up to volunteer,” he said. “For him it was never about winning, he just loved to compete.” Mr Johnson described his mate as the “king of dad jokes.” “He had a dry sense of humour and was never racist or sexist, he was just clever funny,” he said. After retiring from racing in 2009, Mr Zinner decided to focus on his passion for wildlife, which led him to build the 12 Mile Bird Park with the help of his son Ben. Mr Johnson said Mr Zinner had an extensive knowledge of the park and cared deeply for his birds. “He had a caravan full of bird cages which he kitted out with air-con just to keep them cool,” he said. “He’d be outside in the heat in his swag and the birds would be in the mobile aviary.” Ben said he had fond memories of building the bird park with his father. “We worked together and I helped him build the bird park,” he said. “We were really good mates.” After travelling to Perth to undergo surgery last month, Mr Zinner never made it back home to Broome, due to complications with the operation. Ben said in the weeks leading up to his father’s death, he was fortunate to spend quality time with his three grandchildren. “He always made time to see the kids and got to spend a lot of time with them in his last week,” Ben said. The Broome Speedway association held a special ceremony in Mr Zinner’s honour. Mr Johnson said the community would “miss him terribly”. 12 Mile Bird Park took to social media on Monday to announce it would be closing down this week.