John Percival Jennings (9 May 1923 – 16 December 2003) was a Senior Horticultural Adviser for the South Australian Department of Agriculture.

Early life, education and career

Jennings was born on 9 May 1923, in Renmark, South Australia, the youngest child of Mary Milne Paterson and John Patrick Jennings. He attended Renmark West Primary School for six years (1928 – 1933) and then completed grade 7 at Renmark Town Primary School before going to Renmark High School, where he won a scholarship to attend Roseworthy Agricultural College. He graduated with a Diploma in Agriculture in 1944. Shortly after graduating, Jennings was appointed the first Assistant Manager of the Berri Experimental Orchard on 14 February 1945. In 1948 he was appointed the first Officer in Charge of the Viticultural Research Station at Nuriootpa. In early 1957, just as the great

1956 Murray River flood The 1956 Murray River flood involved the rising of waters in the Murray River and flooding of many towns in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The flood was and still is considered the biggest flood in the recorded history of the Murr ...

was receding, the family moved to

Waikerie Waikerie ( ) is a rural town in the Riverland region of South Australia on the south bank of the Murray River. At the , Waikerie had a population of 2,684. The Sturt Highway passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs. There is a ca ...

when Jennings was appointed Horticultural Adviser. His district covered

Nildottie Nildottie is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east side of the Murray River about east of the state capital of Adelaide and about north-east of the municipal seat in Mannum. Nildottie's boundaries were crea ...

, Swan Reach,

Blanchetown Blanchetown is a small township in South Australia, on the (west) bank of the Murray River, northeast of Adelaide. The Blanchetown Bridge is the westernmost (and farthest downstream) of the four crossings of the Sturt Highway over the Murray Ri ...

Morgan Morgan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend * Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin * Morgan (singer), ...

, Cadell, Ramco,

, Kingston On Murray and lots of smaller areas in-between. John retired in 1982 as Senior Horticultural Adviser.

Other interests

Jennings had a wide range of interests and memberships: He was Chairman, President, or Secretary of numerous organizations, including the Waikerie Agricultural Bureau (Life Member), Waikerie Hospital Board, St John Ambulance,

Probus Probus may refer to: People * Marcus Valerius Probus (c. 20/30–105 AD), Roman grammarian * Marcus Pomponius Maecius Probus, consul in 228 * Probus (emperor), Roman Emperor (276–282) * Probus of Byzantium (–306), Bishop of Byzantium from 293 t ...

Meals on Wheels Meals on Wheels is a programme that delivers meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programmes, not all of which are actually named ...

, Waikerie Amateur Swimming Club (Life Member), Waikerie Progress Association, Waikerie Arts Centre Committee, and the Caravan Park Committee. The story goes that he was on the committee of some 25 organisations within a year of coming to Waikerie from Nuriootpa. At various times, Jennings was also Secretary of the SA Avocado Growers Association and the SA Citrus Improvement Committee and was a member of the River Murray Water Resources Advisory Committee, Golden Heights Irrigation Area Board of Management, Loxton/Waikerie Animal Plant Control Board, and the Riverland Community Health Services Inc. John also served as Councillor on the

District Council of Waikerie The District Council of Waikerie was a local government area in South Australia from 1914 to 1997, centring on the town of Waikerie. It was proclaimed on 19 February 1914 as a seven-member council comprising the cadastral Hundreds of Waikerie and ...

for 12 years representing both Ramco and Town Wards. As recognition for his tireless work, Jennings Park in Waikerie and Jennings Road in Golden Heights are both named after him. Jennings had citrus orchards in both Golden Heights and Ramco Heights.

Recognition

• 1978: Serving Brother, Order of St. John • 1980: Riverland Citizen of the Year • 1982: Imperial Service Medal • 2004: Medal of the Order of Australia (posthumous), Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia) John P Jennings Park in Waikerie named after him.

Personal life

Jennings married Erica Lucy Price in the Sandy Creek Congregational Church 21 August 1948. Erica died 25 August 1991

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. John married Judith (Judy) Good (née Hudson) 27 July 1996

. Judy died 17 October 2002

. John and Erica had two children: the entomologist John T. Jennings and his sister Meredith.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, John Percival 1923 births 2003 deaths Australian horticulturists Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia