Person

Possingham, John Victor (1929 - 2023)

AM

Born
28 October 1929
Barmera, South Australia, Australia
Died
20 April 2023
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Occupation
Agricultural scientist and Horticulturist

Summary

John Possingham revolutionised the Australian wine industry in the 1970s by introducing mechanical grape picking and pruning. The amount of money and labour this technology saved grape growers essentially led to a restructuring of the entire wine industry. Other research included the development of nematode-resistant root stock, and the introduction for research of vine stocks from Europe and California. Possingham was Chief of the CSIRO's Divisions of Horticultural Research and Horticulture from 1967 to 1991. He published over 250 papers. In retirement he produced wine at his Possums Vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia.

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Details

Possignham received the following CSIRO awards:

1991 - CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement for developing (with the Viticulture Group) for the mechanisation of Australian viticulture;

1994 - Sir Ian McLennan Impact from Science and Engineering Award for his work, as Chief of CSIRO's Division of Horticulture from 1967 to 1971, on a package of technical advances for growing wine grapes that have contributed significantly to the recent economic success of the industry. These include: grape mechanical harvesting and mechanical methods of pruning grapevines.

Chronology

1952
Education - Bachelor of Agricultural Science (BAgSc),University of Adelaide
1952 - 1962
Career position - Research Scientist, CSORI Division of Plant Industry
1955
Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Adelaide
1957
Education - DPhil, University of Axford
1962
Career position - Officer-in-Charge, Commonwealth Research Station, Merbein, CSIR/O
1962 - 1967
Career position - Officer-in-Charge, CSIRO Horticultural Research Section
1967 - 1988
Career position - Chief of CSIRO Division of Horticultural Research
1979
Award - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Oxford
1979 - 1987
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences
1988 - 1991
Career position - Chief, CSIRO Division of Horticulture
1990
Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to science particularly in the foeld of horticultural research
1991
Award - CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement (with the Viticulture Group)
1991 - 1994
Career position - Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Horticulture
1992 - ?
Award - Fellow, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences
1994
Life event - Retired
1994
Award - Sir Ian McLennan Impact from Science and Engineering Award, CSIRO
1997 - 2023
Award - Fellow, Australian Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
1998 - 2023
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
2001
Award - r
2002 - 2023
Award - Life Member, International Society for Horticultural Science

Published resources

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

Rebecca Rigby

Created: 12 April 2012, Last modified: 28 March 2024

EOAS ID: biogs/P005034b.htm

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