Sir John Allan Stewart Pidgeon (15 July 1926 – 2 June 2016) was an Australian contractor and property developer. He and his sister, Valmai Pidgeon, have been involved with the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

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 capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, the son of Frederick "Allan" Pidgeon and his wife Margaret, and the younger brother of sister Valmai. He attended

Yeronga State School Yeronga State School is a heritage-listed state school at 150 Park Road, Yeronga, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Its buildings were designed by Department of Public Works (Queensland), Thomas Robert Gladwin and Boulton & Paul Ltd and ...

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, day and boarding school for boys, located in East Brisbane, an inner suburb of Brisbane, ...

("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. 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 Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. Key construction projects undertaken by the company are: The Brisbane Club;

Waterfront Place Waterfront Place is an office building in the Brisbane central business district in Queensland, Australia. It is located at 1 Eagle Street, beside the Brisbane River. It was constructed by renowned Queensland builder and developer F. A.&nb ...

; 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 in ...

; the

Broadbeach Broadbeach is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Broadbeach had a population of 5,514 people. Geography Development in the area today mostly incorporates low rise structures, consisting of single bedroom house ...

Monorail; The

Oasis Shopping Centre The Oasis Shopping Centre is located on the Broadbeach Mall in Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It was purchased by Brookfield Asset Management in 2012 from Thakral Holdings. In March 2015 it was purchased by Abacus Property Gro ...

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 (branded BOQ) is an Australian retail bank with headquarters in Brisbane, Queensland. The bank is one of the oldest financial institutions in Queensland, having begun as a building society. It now has 163 branches througho ...

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 orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

on 24 June 1989. Pidgeon was the recipient of the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

Distinguished Constructor Award The Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. ...

in 2002 and was inducted into the Construction Hall of Fame. In 2009 he was inducted into the

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame In 2009 State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Qu ...

. In 2010, the Sir John Pidgeon Sports Complex was opened at the

, 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 :''This list is for St. John the Evangelist Cathedrals. For St. John the Baptist Cathedrals, see St. John the Baptist Cathedral (disambiguation)'' St. John's Cathedral, St. John Cathedral, or Cathedral of St. John, or other variations on the name ...

in Brisbane on 13 June 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pidgeon, John Australian Knights Bachelor Australian businesspeople 1926 births 2016 deaths People from Queensland Place of birth missing People educated at Anglican Church Grammar School