John East was a dairy farmer from Jamberoo when he joined the new club as one of its foundation members. He was one of the few original members who knew how to ski, having been introduced to the sport in Canada while he was in the RAAF during the Second World War. For him the formation of the club would have been a pleasant surprise, because it was to be a means of picking up the threads of skiing again, and he quickly became known to members as a keen, competent and stylish skier with a sound technique. He became known nevertheless for his periodic tendency to lose concentration and ski off the groomed trails and the catwalks into the trees. He was elected to the club's committee in its second year of operation and served in that capacity for four years. Then, in 1965, he began what was to become a 14-year stint as club treasurer; nobody since has matched that length of service in the club's treasury portfolio. John's calm efficiency in the role, and his ability to postpone debenture repayments when the club's financial position demanded it (not to mention mollifying the feelings of those who were anxious to see an early return on their investment), are remembered with gratitude many years later by people who were involved in the club's affairs at the time. His concern for the financial welfare of the club was always uppermost in his mind and his effectiveness and integrity in the treasurer's role were never in doubt. After relinquishing the position in the alpine club in 1978, he contributed in the same capacity for many years to the Jamberoo Golf Club. During the 1970s he served on three of the alpine club's sub-committees, charged with investigating the possibilities of building a second lodge at Guthega or Smiggin Holes and considering the potential for a major redevelopment on the existing site at Thredbo. John East became a life member of the Kiama Alpine Club in the early 1980s and remained active attending AGMs until his death in 2016.