Remembering Sir John Pidgeon

The life of Brisbane building and property developer Sir John Pidgeon is nothing short of a masterclass on leaving a mark.

Sir John and his sister Valmai Pidgeon AM built F.A. Pidgeon and Son into the biggest construction company in Queensland, during the 1980s. The family business was founded by their parents in 1927 and left an unmistakable imprint on Brisbane’s landscape.

Sir John passed away, aged 89, in 2016.

His legacy, however, is not limited to his construction achievements. His philanthropic pursuits have had a significant impact on his chosen beneficiaries, including Brisbane Grammar School, where six of his 14 grandchildren attended (those six being from the Morton and Wikman families).

Sir John contributed $1 million to the construction of the Lilley Centre — a gift with lasting impacts for many generations of BGS students.

Throughout his life, Sir John supported a range of charitable organisations in the arts, sports, education and much more.

He was awarded Life Membership of Surf Life Saving Australia and earned his Bronze Medallion, in 1943. He served as a chairman of the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal and was also a major contributor to the Queensland Cancer Fund. He also served on many industry bodies and corporate boards.

Sir John was known for his selflessness.

“Many times, I’ve seen ego and greed contribute to the downfall of people and other companies,” Sir John told QUT professor Ray Weekes, in 2009.

“Ego and greed always seem to go together.”

Sir John joined the family business in 1945, starting as a carpentry apprentice after a short stint in the Australian Imperial Force. By the early 1950s, his father passed the reins of the already successful business over to his son.

The company soared under Sir John’s leadership. By the 1990s, an astonishing 30 per cent of Brisbane’s CBD had been built by his company, including iconic landmarks such Waterfront Place, Eagle Street Pier and the Cathedral Square Office precinct.

He was commended for his ability to develop new buildings that aesthetically enriched the city, by adding or preserving green spaces and including revolutionary design features. He held a deep affection for existing architectural landmarks, and he donated generously to the completion of the façade of St. John’s Cathedral and to the restoration of Brisbane City Hall.

In 1989, Sir John received a knighthood in acknowledgement of his “significant contribution to the construction industry and to the community”. With knighthoods abolished shortly thereafter, he is often referred to as the “Last Knight”. Sir John was one of the inaugural inductees into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.

He always acknowledged his sister Valmai Pidgeon AM, who is now 98, as being a major part of the success of the family business. Valmai is also a significant contributor to education as evidenced by The Valmai Pidgeon Performing Arts Complex, at Brisbane’s Somerville House.

Sir John was also known as a practical person with an extraordinary ability to ignore outside distractions and “a person who made everything seem so simple”.

In his acceptance speech when he was inducted into the Property Council Hall of Fame, Sir John said: “Many people have asked me to nominate my favourite project…I have never been able to single out any one in particular.

“My response has always been: the next one.”