1933

Born at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

1952

National Service at Puckapunyal.

1953

Studies for Trained Primary Teacher’s Certificate at Melbourne Teachers’ College.

1954

Taught in north central Victoria and then at Northcote Post Primary School until 1957.

1954 — 57

Studied for the Certificate of Art, painting and drawing, at Melbourne Technical College.

1958

Commenced Diploma of Art course at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Meets William (Jock) Frater.

Joins the Victorian Artists’ Society.

First solo exhibition at the Tasmanian Tourist Bureau in Melbourne.

1959

Meets Arnold Shore and Len Annois. Paints at Cheshire Park, Wollert with Jock Frater.

Exhibits at the Victorian Artists’ Society.

Awarded the Yorick Club Acquisitive Art Prize for Watercolour.

1960 — 63

Taught at Merrilands High School

Awarded Associate Diploma of Art, (painting, drawing and print making) at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

1961

Painting trips to Alice Springs and outback Australia.

Awarded the F.E. Richardson Prize for Watercolour by the Geelong Art Gallery.

Awarded the Cato Prize for Watercolour (jointly with Len Annois), at the Victorian Artists’ Society Autumn Exhibition.

Awarded the Norman Brothers Prize for watercolour at the Victorian Artists’ Society Spring Exhibition.

1962

Painting trip to the Kiewa Valley, Victoria.

Painting trip to Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

National Gallery of Victoria purchases - Heavitree Gap, Alice Springs.

1963

Painting trip to the Grampians, Western Victoria.

Participates by invitation in a group exhibition by fourteen ex-students of RMIT at the Argus Gallery, Melbourne.

Painting trips to Spain, England and Holland.

1965 — 68

Senior Art Teacher at Newlands High School.

1967

Painting trip to southern coastline of western Victoria.

1968

Awarded the major watercolour prize at the Camberwell Rotary Club Acquisitive Exhibition.

1969

Joins the T Square Club, Melbourne.

Awarded the major watercolour prize at the Camberwell Rotary Club Acquisitive Exhibition.

1970

Appointed Lecturer in painting and drawing, Melbourne Teacher’s College.

Awarded the Ansett Prize.

1971

Awarded Norman Brothers Prize at the Victorian Artists’ Society Exhibition.

1972

Fellowship Diploma of Fine Art (painting and drawing) Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Elected to the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society.

1975

Painting trip to Germany, France, Spain and Holland.

1978

Awarded Camberwell Rotary Acquisitive Prize for Watercolour.

1979

First painting trip to Renmark, South Australia, followed by a series of exhibitions in Adelaide.

1980

Postcard commission for the Adelaide Arts Festival.

Awarded the Caulfield City Council Acquisitive Prize.

1982

Resigns Lectureship from Melbourne State College in order to paint full time.

Painting trip to Italy and England.

Painting trip to the Glasshouse Mountains, Queensland.

Exhibits at the Australian Invitational Exhibition, Pittsburg Watercolor Society, West Moreland County Museum of Art, Greensburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

1983

Painting trips to Broken Hill, Mootwingee and Menindee Lakes in New South Wales.

1985

Painting trips to Mount Isa, Chartres Towers, Atherton Tablelands, Cairns and Townsville in Queensland.

Exhibits Ten Watercolourists Salute Victoria, Freeland Gallery, London.

1986

Painting trips to Cape York and Innisfail in North Queensland.

1988

Becomes member of the Australian Watercolour Institute.

1990

Painting trip to Kakadu in the Northern Territory.

1992

Painting trip to Pilbara in Western Australia.

1993

Painting trip to Khancoban Station in New South Wales.

Painting trip to the USA visiting Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

1994

Painting trip to East Kimberly in Western Australia.

1995

Painting trip to the USA visiting New York, Chicago, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

1996

Retrospective exhibition John Borrack: A Retrospective 1956 to 1996 at the City of Whittlesea Gallery, Melbourne.

1998

Writes, illustrates and publishes — Lamplight and Bluestones: Recollections of the Ziebell Farm at Thomastown, Victoria.

1999

Painting trip to Europe visiting England, France and Italy.

2001

Visits and paints the Kimberleys, (coast and inland) Western Australia.

2002

Federation Bequest exhibition — a gift of forty John Borrack paintings to the City of Whittlesea.

2004

Visits and paints the East Kimberleys, Western Australia