January 5, 2011, saw the passing of one of the giants in Australian and international tourism and leisure research, a loss that will be shared by family, friends and colleagues, and researchers throughout the world. John Pigram was one of the fathers of tourism and leisure research in Australia and a Founding Member of the Academy. He began his academic career with an honours undergraduate degree in Geography from the University of New England in the 1960s, followed directly, as was the norm in those days, with a PhD from the same institution in 1971. He had already achieved a Teaching Certificate in the 1950s, and was appointed as a Lecturer at University of New England in 1970 and remained a Professor at that institution until his retirement.

John's first leisure-focused 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 (Vols 1 and 2); and 'The resource base for outdoor recreation' in the Journal of Environmental Management (1976). One of John's 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), and this was followed by a collaborative book with a fellow Academician, the late Salah Wahab, Tourism Development and Growth the challenge of Sustainability in 1997. In 2003, in conjunction with a former student, Dr John Jenkins, he edited The Encyclopedia of Leisure and Outdoor Recreation, which contained contributions by a number of other Academy members.

While to most Academy members John will be remembered for these and other contributions in tourism research, he was much more than a scholar of tourism and leisure, and indeed his first book was on cotton (and water) published in the early 1970s. Like many geographers trained in the 1960s and 70s his interests and talents were broad, and he went on to become an international expert in water resources, a subject of great interest and concern in his native Australia. In 1987, along with two colleagues, 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 that Centre until 2001. He also 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.

During his distinguished and lengthy career John published more than 150 refereed papers, books and book chapters and monographs, and supervised some 30 PhD students, and more than a dozen Masters by Research students. He maintained a strong commitment to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching as well as research throughout his entire career and was generous with his time for colleagues and students alike. He was an active participant in Academy business and conferences, and a visiting professor at institutions in Canada and the United States on several occasions.

John was in many ways a typical "Aussie", blunt, honest, hard working, patriotic, cricket loving, and a loyal friend. He expected a lot from colleagues and students in universities, sharing what he regarded as a privileged position, and in turn he contributed a great deal in support, training, and imparting knowledge. Like many other colleagues and former students, I was inspired by his contribution and commitment to leisure and tourism studies and to the environment at large.

I feel honoured to have known him and to have shared his and his wife Jenny's hospitality at their home, and I can recall listening to him defining the uniquely Australian concepts of "a bluey" and "a mate", while sharing more several "stubbies" in his back garden. John had a long battle with illness and leaves his wife Jenny, and children Mark, Paul, Sue and Kate. Our sympathies and thoughts are with them.

It was a wonderful privilege to have known John J. Pigram and he will be sorely missed.

Richard Butler (University of Strathclyde)

(I much appreciate the assistance of Professor John Jenkins (Southern Cross University) in preparing this In Memoriam).