THOMSON CBE John

John Thomson (1887-1960) was a visionary figure in the development of Western Australian agribusiness through his work for Westralian Farmers, especially as general manager from 1925 to 1957. Among his achievements were the organisation of the Western Australian Wheat Pool for orderly marketing; the establishment of the State’s first radio station, 6WF; and the foundation of the State’s first pasteurisation plant for milk processing.
During the Depression years of the 1930s he was largely responsible for persuading wheat farmers to adopt co-operative bulk handling and successfully fought to negotiate better terms for the overseas shipping of Western Australian grain. He continued to diversify the activities of the co-operative throughout his career and made a lasting contribution to the rural community.