John Pidgeon
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Sir John Allan Stewart Pidgeon (15 July 1926 – 2 June 2016) was an Australian contractor and property developer. He and his sister,
Valmai Pidgeon Florence Valmai Miller Pidgeon AM (born c. 1927) is a leading figure in the Arts and the construction industry in Queensland. After completing her education in 1945, Florence joined her father's building construction business F.A. Pidgeon & Son P ...
, have been involved with the
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
construction industry since joining their father's business in the 1940s.


Early life

Pidgeon was born on 15 July 1926 in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, the son of Frederick "Allan" Pidgeon and his wife Margaret, and the younger brother of sister Valmai. He attended Yeronga State School and the
Anglican Church Grammar School The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in ...
("Churchie").


Career

Their father's business, F. A. Pidgeon and Son Pty Ltd started in 1927, and Pidgeon joined the family company in 1946 after service in the
AIF AIF, A.I.F., AiF or aif may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Argumenty i Fakty'' (AiF), a Russian newspaper * Australians in Film (AiF), a Los Angeles-based organisation for the promotion of Australian actors and filmmakers * Aspen Ideas ...
. His addition to the company, along with his sister Valmai, soon expanded the company's activities throughout Queensland, notably in the hotel and commercial building market. The continued success of the company left its mark on the skyline of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Key construction projects undertaken by the company are: The Brisbane Club; Waterfront Place; the
Brisbane Transit Centre The Brisbane Transit Centre, at 151–171 Roma Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was a long-distance bus station. It was closed and demolished in 2020 along with its three office towers. It was commonly regarded as the ugliest building ...
; the
Broadbeach Broadbeach is a Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Broadbeach had a population of 6,786 people. Geography The Broadbeach stretch was originally coastal forest. This gradual ...
Monorail; The Oasis Shopping Centre and Hotel; The Suncorp Metway Building; the Stradbroke and Macleay Towers – Dockside; Cathedral Square; 313 Adelaide Street; and the
Bank of Queensland The Bank of Queensland (BOQ), formerly known as the Brisbane Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society (BPBBIS) between 1874–1970, is an Australian retail bank with headquarters in Brisbane, Queensland. The bank is one of the oldest fi ...
Building. Pidgeon's leadership style in pursuit of great construction projects has made him one of the most respected figures in Queensland's construction industry. Pidgeon served the wider community as a committee member of the Queensland Cancer Fund, chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, and the Red Shield Appeal, as well as chairing the Queensland Master Builders Association, the Builders Registration Board, and subsequently founding chairman of the Building Services Authority. His passion for lifesaving has led to continued support of the Surf Lifesaving Association over many years.


Honours and awards

In recognition of his contribution to the construction industry and to the community, Pidgeon was awarded the title of
Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
on 24 June 1989. Pidgeon was the recipient of the
Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...
's Distinguished Constructor Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Construction Hall of Fame. In 2009 he was inducted into the
Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame recognises a set of the leaders in business and social development in Queensland, Australia. Inclusion in the hall of fame can be of individual people (living or dead), groups of people, and organisat ...
. In 2010, the Sir John Pidgeon Sports Complex was opened at the
Anglican Church Grammar School The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in ...
, named in his honour. He was inducted into the Property Council's Australian Property Hall of Fame. Despite his many achievements, he claimed that his greatest achievement was his family.


Later life

Pidgeon enjoyed snow skiing until he was 89 years old. He died on 2 June 2016 at his home in Brisbane. His funeral was held at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane on 13 June 2016.


References


External links


John and Valmai Pidgeon digital story and oral history: Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame 2009
State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pidgeon, John Australian Knights Bachelor Australian businesspeople 1926 births 2016 deaths People from Brisbane Place of birth missing People educated at Anglican Church Grammar School