Service honours

FORMER Growcom chair John Bishop cuts a towering figure both literally and figuratively across the Queensland horticulture landscape.

In recognition of John’s extraordinary 45 years of service, the Growcom board was pleased to award him lifetime membership at a special event in Gatton.

The Growcom board was joined by local growers, dignitaries, staff and members of the Chamber of Commerce to celebrate John’s incredible contribution as one of the horticulture industry’s most dedicated players.

It is a testament to the esteem in which John is held that the Director General of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Dr Beth Woods also made the trip to speak.

John began his horticulture career as a vegetable grower in the Lockyer Valley and in later years moved into orchard crops like mangoes and figs.

John first became actively involved in industry activities in 1973 and has since served on almost every possible horticulture committee, culminating in his 2007-2013 Growcom chairmanship.

He has been consistently involved in biosecurity and environmental initiatives as a member of Landcare Queensland from 1997-2005 and the Queensland Ministerial Advisory Committee on Biosecurity from 2002-2012.

In recent years he has found a home on the committee for drumMuster.

As a director of Growcom, John championed environmental and chemical initiatives.

His major achievements included helping launch the Farmcare environmental code of practice in 1998 and progressing the minor use chemicals registrations system. John has served on numerous agriculture boards and committees including Austsafe Super, Brisbane River Management Group, Queensland Farmers’ Federation and ChemCert Training Queensland.