John Cann

Born in 1938, John Cann is the youngest of George and Essie's three children and the last Cann family member to perform the La Perouse snake show. He is also an author, Olympic decathlete, boxer and played three codes of rugby.

The Snake man of La Perouse
John tells his story in this 2010 documentary by Michael Power.

(C) Copyright 2010 Michael Power, Afterglow Film Production.

The 1956 Melbourne Olympics
When he was 18 years old, John competed in the Decathlon at the Melbourne Olympics. Click here to see his results.
John beats Yang from Taiwan to win the 100 metres in the decathlon.

Competing in the discus.

Did you know?
John is also a world-renowned expert on Australian turtles and has published a compendium, Australian Freshwater Turtles. The Cann's Snake-Neck Turtle (Chelodina canni) was named after John in 2002.

In 1997, John helped Steve Irwin verify a new species of turtle that Steve and his father discovered, which is now known as Irwin's Turtle.