[5] In January 1949 he led a mountaineering expedition of the Geelong College Exploration Society to climb the hitherto unclimbed 1224 m Federation Peak in Tasmania.
From there he led field trips of up to 600 km inland, exploring MacRobertson Land and the Prince Charles Mountains region.
John Béchervaise returned to the Antarctic on MV Nanok S on her first trip south with ANARE in the summer of 1979–80 which also carried a large contingent of naval personnel.
He gave many lectures detailing adventures in Antarctica as well as similar escapades in Europe, an altogether inspirational teacher for those lucky enough to be his students.
Béchervaise was married to Lorna Maude Elaine Fearn née Wannan; the couple had one son and three daughters.
1790, d. 1867) was born in Jersey, but migrated early to Gosport, Hampshire, England married twice and raised his children there, while spending many years as a sailor.
As a member of the Telegraph Electrical Society of Victoria from inception in 1874, he was a contemporary of Samuel Walker McGowan, Peter Robert Challen and Henry Sutton.
Mount Béchervaise is a great massif of brown rock in the Athos Range, Prince Charles Mountains which was first visited in November 1955 by an ANARE party led by Bechervaise and named in his honour.