Vale: Professor John J Pigram, pioneer leisure academic

Professor John J. Pigram, a pioneer in Australian leisure, recreation and tourism studies, an internationally recognised researcher in these fields and in the field of water policy research, passed away on 5th January.

In tribute to 'Triple J', Professor John Jenkins, PhD; Head, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Southern Cross University has written "John had a long battle with illness through which he maintained an incredible sense of generosity and concern for others.

"John held a Certificate of Teaching (1951) from Wagga Wagga Teachers College, a Bachelor of Arts (1964) from the University of New England (UNE), a Bachelor of Arts with Honours (First Class) (1968) from UNE and a PhD (1971) from UNE. He was first appointed as a full time Lecturer in the Department of Geography at UNE on 1st February 1970. John published more than 150 refereed papers, books and book chapters and monographs, and supervised about 30 PhD students, more than 20 Honours students, and more than a dozen Masters by Research students. He maintained a strong commitment to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research throughout his entire career.

"John was the recipient of major grants from the Australian Research Council and other national and international bodies. In 1987, together with Professors Warren Musgrave and John Burton, John received an award of $750,000 from the Australian Government to establish the Centre for Water Policy Research at UNE. He was Executive Director and Director of the Centre until 2001. He was a founding member of the Board of Governors of the World Water Council, President of the 2001-2003 International Water Resources Association (IWRA), and chaired the organising committee for the Xth World Water Congress of the IWRA in Melbourne (2000). In 2001 he was appointed Fellow of the International Water Resources Association and in 2006 received the Distinguished Service Award of the Association.

"Some of John's first leisure/recreation papers were published in the mid 1970s. They included a 1975 co-authored article with the climatologist Dr. Jack Hobbs entitled 'The weather, outdoor recreation and tourism' in the Journal of Physical Education and Recreation; a 1976 book chapter on scenic attractions and tourist information and another on tourism in New England in the book An Atlas of New England (Vol's 1 and 2); and 'The resource base for outdoor recreation' in the Journal of Environmental Management (1976). One of Johnâs first publications in a tourism journal was that entitled 'Environmental implications of tourist development', which appeared in Annals of Tourism Research in 1980. His first major book was Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management (published in 1983 by Croom Helm). John was a Fellow Emeritus of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism.

"John was my great friend, teacher and mentor for 25 years, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been an undergraduate, Honours and PhD student inspired by his passion for and commitment to leisure and tourism studies and working in a University. It was a wonderful privilege to have known John J. Pigram."