John Brittain was born in Wales and migrated to Australia at the age of ten. He became a lecturer in astronomy and surveying at the Ballarat School of Mines. Ballarat School of Mines. When the Ballarat Observatory was on the brink of extinction, Brittain breathed new life into it and virtually rebuilt it during the period 1914-15, at which time the unique set of stained glass windows were installed. Several of these were donated by organisations in which Brittain was a very active member, namely the Welsh Cambrian Society of Sebastopol, The Orion Masonic Lodge and the Methodist Church, in which he was a Local Preacher for many years. Others were donated by friends with a great interest in astronomy.
He was Superintendent at the Observatory for 30 years, and contributed a monthly column, "Astronomy Notes" to the Ballarat Courier for forty years.

His legacy to the people of Ballarat is the set of fine, historic buildings and the historic telescopes which, without his intervention, would have been lost to Ballarat.