About Me

The inaugural AGM of the new local NGO for indigenous people in Mondulkiri, Cambodia. I am a bit too centre-stage for my liking, but they like it!

I am of course a long-time worker in international community development and human rights, but have come a long way from my Northumbrian origins. In this blog, you'll find more stories and details than in my website.

I was born in Longhoughton near Alnwick (so not quite a Lad of Alnwick), Northumberland in 1951; moved South to Leicester; next to Kingston-upon-Thames, and eventually the South-West of England, until my “itchy feet” took me to foreign climes in 1984.  What finally prompted me not to keep climbing "the greasy pole" is narrated here; go to "Personal Anecdote". My latest CV can be accessed here.

Longhoughton Church of England Primary School Admission Register

These days, not being a great fan of long-haul travel, I spend my time between Northumberland and Cambodia, with stopovers.

Professionally I have always worked in and around how people relate to each other and work together. Whereas I started in local government in the UK concerned with efficiency and performance at work, I soon found that underlying factors were more interesting and challenging.  What is it that makes people motivated?  What differences do good and bad leaders make?  (I have met plenty of both kinds.)  How important are rights and a sense of justice, especially where those notions are not generally well-understood or respected?

Over the years I have gained some answers to these questions but for too many, especially vulnerable people, they can't ask questions or expect proper answers.  Anyway you can look me up on Linked-In, to follow my career, or access my latest short or full CV here. You may like to see "Inspirations" too.

This is a seasonal series of my pictures of home town Alnwick, showing the War Memorial and the Percy Tenantry Column on the hill behind.  In some ways that monument is a clue to my life’s course.  The folklore story is that the column was built by grateful tenants of the Duke of Northumberland after he gracefully conceded to their pleas not to increase their rents.  So in his honour and to show gratitude to him, they erected the column.  Then, because the Duke thought that if they could afford to pay for that, they could afford higher rents, so he put them back up.  Hence the local name the “Farmers Folly!”  (Read Mal Davidson’s account on and see the great photographs.

Alnwick, Northumberland

By the way being a Longhoughton lad born, I can’t claim to be an Alnwick Lad unlike my elder brother, but well you’ll forgive me so you can hear the tune of this name by Kathryn Tickell on the Northumbrian Pipes!

This great map of my home district adorns the walls of the Plough Inn in Alnwick.  Judging by the features it must dated around the 1940s.  The distance between Alnwick tand Longhoughton is just 4 miles. 

We used to get the United bus to and from Alnwick throughout our childhood and of course for secondary schooling in Alnwick. You can see them under the Town Clock in the Market-Place, thanks to Gary Pentleton's excellent photograph of that 1950s era that we can date by the models of the vehicles.  The Austin A40 Devon in the centre was the same model as I bought for £7/10 shillings in 1971.  We used to park it there when we frequented the Globe, sometimes after driving up overnight from Kingston-upon-Thames.

For an exact location of our home What3Words: cyber.noble.cubed

I shed more light about where we grew up in my blog about a "Blessed and Charmed Childhood". I also say a little more in this blog. 

In the choir Longhoughton Church c1961 

I'm peeping out just behind Sandra Allen at the head of the group, her sister Carol in the foreground. (Both now RIP sadly.) Sandra very warmly spent time with our Mother recalling the old days before she died in July 2021.

Today in Cambodia and in many countries, we still see too many land conflicts and exploitation of both rural and urban poor.  You can read about some in Cambodia in blogs here.  

Cambodia is associated with tragedy and yet as one US Ambassador warned (follow link but read all or scroll down to my comment), it is a place that you can easily fall in love with - as my chums in Krom sing. St Helena, my first extensive foray abroad, is another place you can fall in (and out of) love with easily.

As well as my personal website I used to maintain one specialist website on indigenous people's issues; so also comment there on topical issues - click here to go there!  

You will also see my "Andy Capp" avator and can read about this lovable but roguish character here.

My Alnwicdotes (anecdotes) are usually lighter, entertaining stories, that usually have "development" aspects. A summary of them can be accessed here - scroll down the page, please. The "St Helena Milkman" is one of my claims to fleeting fame.

Update February 2025

Yet again I have succumbed to the latest fad - new Artificial Tools - encouraged by a mutual acquaintance ahead of me who's asked what AI came up with about himself. So I did the same. Fun?

CHATGPT: "What does John Lowrie have to say about St Helena?

John Lowrie is a retired overseas development and human rights practitioner who has worked extensively in developing countries, including St Helena. He has expressed concerns about the UK's approach to governance and development in St Helena, emphasizing the importance of internal-driven change and cautioning against top-down impositions. Lowrie advocates for greater autonomy and self-sufficiency for St Helena, suggesting that the island should have the option to seek support from international partners beyond the UK. He also proposes the idea of a shared constituency and Member of Parliament to better represent the interests of smaller British Overseas Territories like St Helena.

In his communications, Lowrie highlights the need for governance models that are tailored to the unique contexts of small territories, rather than attempting to replicate larger systems that may not be suitable. He emphasizes the importance of community involvement and ownership in the development process, advocating for solutions that are both effective and respectful of local cultures and needs.

UK Parliament Committees

Through his advocacy, John Lowrie seeks to promote a more equitable and effective approach to development and governance in St Helena, ensuring that the island's residents have a voice in decisions that affect their future.

Grok: What does John Lowrie have to say about Cambodia?

John Lowrie, a human resources professional and long-term foreign aid worker with extensive experience in Cambodia since 1998, has shared detailed perspectives on the country through his personal website, blog, and social media. His observations focus on social issues, human rights, and the complexities of foreign aid in Cambodia, reflecting both his professional background and his advocacy for marginalized groups.

Lowrie expresses deep concern about Cambodia’s societal challenges, particularly the exploitation and lack of opportunities for vulnerable populations. He highlights the persistent sight of "old white men with young Cambodian women" in Phnom Penh as indicative of broader societal issues for women and their families. However, he cautions against oversimplifying this dynamic, suggesting that many of these women make rational choices given their limited options, such as low-paying garment factory or domestic jobs that fail to meet family financial needs. He laments that Cambodia "cannot do better for its young women," pointing to systemic failures in providing equitable opportunities.

He also critiques the Cambodian government’s handling of health and disability issues. Lowrie has warned about growing resistance to malaria treatments due to misused anti-malarials and antibiotics, alongside the government’s failure to address basic public health hazards like mosquito-breeding ponds created by construction. He notes that Cambodia remains "deficient in its approach to disability issues," despite some progress, with cultural stigmas persisting—such as beliefs that interacting with disabled individuals brings bad luck.

On human rights, Lowrie is vocal about the struggles of indigenous minorities, poor people with disabilities, and the state of civil and political freedoms. He describes Cambodia’s indigenous groups, numbering around 200,000 in a population of 15 million, as facing significant threats from land exploitation and a lack of centralized leadership or support for self-advocacy. He has advocated for a national conference to unite these groups since 2010, with little traction. Additionally, he finds Cambodia’s elections "frustrating" and "disappointing," having observed them since 1998 and labeling the 2018 election as "neither free nor fair" due to the banning of the main opposition party.

Lowrie’s views on foreign aid are critical yet nuanced. He believes Cambodians can solve their own problems with external support rather than imposed solutions, but he questions the effectiveness of aid interventions. He argues that some leaders have a "vested interest in not solving problems" to sustain donor funding, citing human trafficking as an example where criminal enterprises and aid efforts paradoxically coexist. He also recounts personal experiences of confronting fraud and corruption within NGOs and donor systems, often finding himself in "a lonely place" for challenging the status quo.

Culturally, Lowrie appreciates Cambodia’s resilience and potential, as seen in his praise for a blog by another observer that delves into its history and culture. He also shares lighter anecdotes, like describing two "character-full" elderly men in Phnom Penh who treat poor hustlers with kindness, contrasting them with less savory expatriates. Overall, his commentary blends frustration with Cambodia’s persistent challenges—poverty, corruption, and rights abuses—with a belief in its people’s capacity for progress if given proper support and accountability.

Archives

And my passport pictures to give you a laugh, at my expense!

1970-80s............................................................................................2018 on

 The Rogue's Gallery updated; August 2021 for Railcard: 

Our Mother died in July 2021.  Here are some pictures that she had kept of me.  The first is when aged about 10; the second the following year when at the Duke's Grammar School, and the third on graduating from Kingston Polytechnic.

Explanatory Notes

(1) Development Aid and Emergency Aid

Often the terms are mixed and inter-changed.  In fact "overseas aid" is usually a spectrum. At one end you have sudden needs after a natural or man-made disaster, right through at the other end, to trying to bring best international standards [of human rights and access to education, health, etc] in to countries judged to be lagging behind.  I have been responsible at both ends.  Most of my comments tend to relate to the second end where I think things can be and should be done much better see for example "Smarter Aid, not more Aid".

(2)  Freedom of Expression

As readers will see in my blogs and tweets I am a great supporter of freedom of speech.  The internet, with social media, is transforming the ability of Cambodians to receive and convey information. In the past, and in conventional media today, restriction or control of content is the norm.

Therefore I encourage comment and onward transmission of information.  I do give one warning.  There can be a paranoiac reaction to criticism in Cambodia that can even lead to defamation charges. The kind of robust exchanges exemplified so well, say in Australia, are just not yet acceptable.  It is best to refer to institutions; offices and titles, not to people by name. And certainly, the habit should be eliminated of adding quirky asides - regardless of relevance – such as the Prime Minister has lost an eye or was a former Khmer Rouge Commander.  If, however, someone has been singled out in public by the Prime Minister for castigation, then he or she does of course have the right to reply, and should be allowed to exercise it without penalty.

Normally I do not reply to comments that “shoot the messenger” instead of addressing coherently the message.  This is too common in social media.  I will not reply to people who hide behind a pseudonym, unless I know the person or know why they need to do this.

Answer to the Greggs' Test:

 "Other" and the reason is "Because this bakery gives better rewards than the other places to the taxi-drivers who take their passengers there.