PAUL McGowan was a significant contributor to agri-politics, especially in the area of water reform.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
One of the founders and stalwarts of agricultural consulting, Paul died in Albury hospital last month. He was 88.
As an agricultural scientist and farm management adviser, Paul had a significant impact on the adoption of modern agricultural systems.
Born in Melbourne, the second of six children of Rose and Gladstone McGowan, he grew up in Glen Iris and attended Xavier College, matriculating in 1939.
Paul studied agricultural science at Melbourne University and at age 18, enlisted for service in World War II.
But as agriculture was a protected occupation, he was directed to work with the Victorian Department of Agriculture at Rutherglen.
There he met Marie Terrill before returning to Melbourne University at the end of the war, where he graduated with additional degrees in arts and commerce.
Paul married Marie at Rutherglen in 1948, and after a stint at Devonport, bought Yarrandoo, a dairy farm in the Indigo Valley in 1951.
In 1968, he established G.P. McGowan & Associates, one of the first major agricultural consulting companies.
Operating out of Albury, it went on to become one of the country’s most successful firms of its type.
Funded by agencies such as World Bank, he adapted Australian technologies to emerging countries, including Argentina, Kenya and Iran.
In 2002, he was awarded the medal of the Order of Australia for his services to agricultural science.
Following the death of Marie in 1993, Paul continued running the farm, moving from dairying to beef.
In his later years, he was cared for by his children and remained a keen observer of public affairs.
Paul is survived by his children, Frances, Elizabeth, Cathy, Patricia, John, Helen, Veronica, Paul, Ruth, Rebecca and Miriam, 32 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by wife Marie, and children Anne-Marie, Peter and Angela.