John Edward CRAVEN

My condolences to the Craven family and close friends of John.
John was a team mate of mine at Leinster CC and was part of a very successful trophy winning side. I was the youngest member of the team and always looked up to John who in turn made me feel very welcome and was always supportive, he was a fine off spinner bowler, great competitor and great fun to be around on and off the field. A real character and gentleman. Rest in Peace

It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing on of John. As Peter Wakeling has indicated we first met John in 2010 and got to know him well over the years. He was a perfect gentleman with a kind soul. I greatly admired is deep understanding of petroleum geology and the oil industry in general which I came to trust a lot. May the good Lord keep his soul in peace.

Sincerest condolences to Sharman and Cal .. John was an amazing guy for sure and loved his family more than anything
Jacinta Jane Jill and John

I first met John through Cove Energy in 2010 when Don Riaroh and I were working as consultants in Kenya. The association carried on and expanded into Bahari Resources and new exploration in the Comoros islands offshore East Africa. John was a great character and a real gentleman - always courteous, always a pleasure to work with and a deeply knowledgeable oil finder. We will all miss him greatly.

My sincere condolences go out to the Whelan family and to all John's many friends.

John was a great geologist and explorer and, as many others have commented, a true gentleman.
I first met John when he was with Gulf Oil in Ireland and I was working at the Petroleum Affairs Division of what was then the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy. The early 1980's was an exciting time for exploration in the Celtic Sea and Gulf made the Helvick oil discovery. I caught up with John a number of times over the years and by an amazing coincidence we ended up living down the road from John and Sharman in Sandymount Avenue.
I have many happy memories of chewing the cud over coffee outside Browne's on Sandymount Green with John. He was always coming up with new ideas.
Sincere condolences to Sharman, Cal and all the family.

Deepest condolences. I worked with John in the late 70’s at Cluff Oil then we regularly crossed paths in the industry over the years. He was always full of good ideas and projects and was that very rare technical person who turned ideas into commercial reality. Admirable. His memory and legacy will live long in the industry.

I was so sad to hear the news about John’s passing. I first met John at Dana Petroleum, and we travelled together several times together to Ghana and Ivory Coast. Subsequently when I started Faroe Petroleum he joined me in the unbelievably challenging early days. Such a class act, with amazing insights and knowledge, I couldn’t have done it without him. We talked a lot about our families and I know how devoted he was to his. I recall pulling a tendon in my leg lunging for another of his testing shots, as we played tennis in Abidjan. We also ran together, often around Hyde Park on many occasions (he always ran further), before dinner usually at the Enterprise in South Kensington. So many fun and happy memories.
My deepest condolences to Sharman, Cal and the family
Graham and Vivian

Deepest condolences to the Craven family. John was a gentleman and pure explorer; his intellect guiding his appetite for exploration risk. What a legend in our industry, one of a kind. best Ed

Very sad news that we received this week. John played a role in some of the bigger moments of our lives. Kara and I left Canada and joined John at Petroceltic in 2008. We often shared an after-dinner limoncello or two in Rome during that time while we discussed exploration, travelling or even how we could translate the buzz of oil exploration into a board game! More recently, I worked closely with John again after he brought me into the Discover team in 2017. His love for geology and exploration always endured.
Our deepest condolences to Sharman, Cal and the rest of the family. Joe & Kara

John and I were were part of the leadership team at Cove Energy (2009 to 2012) and although it only lasted a little over 3 years, we covered a lifetime of experiences in that time. We shared trips to Maputo, Houston, Bangkok, Paris and weekly to London, he was always an interesting and engaging companion. A night cap on the deck at the Houstonian Hotel was something he really enjoyed and which I always looked forward to on our trips to Texas. He loved being in that city of the oilman and that he had his greatest work success, working with our partner Anadarko in Houston, was of huge pride to him. Rest easy John. Our sincere condolences to Sharman and Cal and all John's family. Ni bheidh a leithead aris ann.

Michael Nolan & Family

John will be sadly missed, my deepest condolences to his family. I first met John back in the late 70s then worked with him at Tuskar and finally with him in Mozambique and Kenys

I first met John in the early 80s playing cricket. He was great fun liked a party, fine dining (Digbys now gone), talking about the stock market and of course cricket. I was his vice captain for two years. He led a tour to Shropshire & Brighton, He was a decent intelligent cricketer who later went to Leinster CC. I’ll always remember “know what i mean” and “think we’ll win ?” It was sad to witness his health decline. A good man. sincere sympathy to Charmaine & Cal

Deepest sympathies to Sharman and the Craven family.

John joined Merrion CC in the 80s and straightaway he fitted right in.
Great memories of playing and touring with JC.
Always good humoured, a true gentleman.

Rest in peace.

John and I worked together from 1986 until 1995 - during the days of Ardmore Petroleum and Tuskar Resources.. We had an exciting time together drilling wells in the Porcupine basin; the Celtic Sea and Colombia resulting in the discovery of the large Rubiales Field. John was such a pleasure to work with as he combined deep geological knowledge with an explorers instinct and great humour. He was always a challenge to travel with as he invariable left leaving for the airport until the last minute! Unfortunately my contact with John declined over recent years as his health deteriorated but, whenever we met, we had some great discussions about ‘new plays’ as well as great reminiscences.

The exploration industry has lost one of its true legends.

My sincere condolences to Sharman, Cal and John’s wider family.

John was a great man for chatting oil and stockmarket as we walked around the boundary, always informative and interesting with a good knowledge of cricket and a great knowledge of oil. He was only a good off spin bowler but was a great friend. That so oft repeated phrase "Do you know what I mean". God bless Sharman, Cal and all the family.

John was a dear friend and I will always remember times we shared with great fondness. We explored many of the remote reaches of Africa together, he truly was one of the few great explorers I had the privilege of working with. He was also as stubborn as a mule when he knew he was right and taught me a lot about conviction. Rest in peace John, God speed.

Every conversation with John was either very informative or entertaining, and most of the time, it was both !

We will miss you dearly John. Deepest sympathies to Sharman, Cal, Michelle, Cameron and Georgia from the Whelan and Zajc families.

I met John through Cove Energy. John was a highly impressive person. He was modest, deeply thoughtful and consistently sharp with his approach; he was simply one of the nicest and most genuine individuals I have met. A highly respected professional, he will be deeply missed. My thoughts and condolences to his family and friends.

I first met John through Cove Energy and we worked together throughout his time there and at the start of Discover Exploration. John’s drive and passion were inspirational - even in tough times he was unfailingly considerate, polite and his wicked sense of humour was never far from the surface. A true gentleman - he will be much missed. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

To me, John was one of the best person I met in my life...I have been working for him since 2010, he gave me access to many projects worldwide and my collaboration with him had always been very friendly and fascinating. He was really a gentleman , an optimistic who believed in the existence of a "driving force" always present to lead our paths in this world. Best regards John and condolences to Sharman and Cal.

John was an Explorer in the best old school traditions of the oil industry. It was a pleasure to have known him and to have worked with him.

Condolences and Regards

John was my greatest mentor, inspiring me to forge a career in the industry when I started out in Dublin in the late 80s. He remained a friend through the decades and will be greatly missed for his honest advice and his wicked sense of humour.
As an extraordinary explorer and proven entrepreneur, John has left a proud legacy for our industry.
My thoughts and condolences to Sharman, Cal and all the family.

Meeting John was a turning point in my life. It was in 2007 when we first met in Algiers. We had mutual interests in the oil business. We developed a friendship and a partnership that resulted in 2009 in the start of Cove Energy. John was a brilliant explorer and key to pursuing the successful exploration projects in Mozambique. His knowledge and personality were inspirational to all members of the Cove and Discover teams and to our business partners. Traveling was one of his passions. We made some great trips, sometimes together with our spouses. John has remained my dear friend, mentor and partner until he died. Francien and I wish Sharman, Michelle and Cal a lot of strength to overcome this enormous loss.

I knew John from his days at Petroceltic but only really got to know him well during our days working together on Cove Energy. We enjoyed an exciting voyage together and, ultimately, a hugely successful outcome on which John made his firm mark. Then, onwards again, leading the charge as part of the Discover team.

John became something of a legend amongst his professional peers and will always have a special place in my heart. My deepest sympathies and sincere condolences at this challenging time.

I worked with John, first at Cove Energy and then later at Discover Exploration.

John always had time and patience to answer my (often silly) questions about geology which I was desperate to learn more about.

Armed with a brilliant sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye, it was always lovely to see him.

My condolences to the family, John will be dearly missed.

All my best wishes go to the family of John at this difficult time. He was a geology legend who never gave up, who fought for what he felt was right and who had the confidence to plough his own furrow. With Cove Energy, wasn't he right when it came to, not just the sub-surface, but almost everything else. He has been a great support to my career going back to 2004 and I will remember John very fondly. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. All best Billy

I go to know John when we started Discover.
I have always been impressed with his knowledge and wisdom but also kindness.
We will miss him and wish you strength in this very difficult period

My heartfelt condolences to all John’s family. John and I started our oilfield careers almost simultaneously with the same company. I came across his name frequently in those days but we did not meet until much later at the time of the creation of Discover exploration. Discover was an inspired project which will ultimately be a great success and owes much to John’s inspirational leadership.

I came to know John as a driven explorationist and a great team leader - he will be greatly missed