By Professor Wallace Cowling

Dr John Gladstones was probably the most revered agricultural scientist of the 20th century in Western Australia, from the point of view of farmers and viticulturalists as well as most of his peers in agricultural science.

This article focusses on his achievements in The UWA Institute of Agriculture where he studied or worked from 1951 to 1970.

John was one of the most highly talented, resourceful and impactful faculty members of the Institute in its formative years.

John was a brilliant undergraduate student 1950-53 in agricultural science at UWA, but he shocked Professor Eric J Underwood (Director of the Institute and Dean of Agriculture at UWA from 1946 to 1970) when he burned all his undergraduate lecture notes after graduation.

Image: Dr John Gladstones (centre) in a field of lupins that he bred, with lupin grower Viv Carson (left) and WA Department of Agriculture agronomist Peter Nelson (right), in 2004.

An important part of John’s character is revealed in his memoir when he says: “It was for me a symbolic rite of passage: the closing of one book to clear the decks for another. Being a mere recipient of information was now about to give way to creating one’s own. The feeling of release and freedom was almost beyond description.”

John was strongly encouraged to focus his research on lupins in his Honours year (1954) and PhD (1955-58) at UWA by his mentor and supervisor Professor Andrew Stewart, Deputy Director of the Institute. 

This was fortuitous for WA farmers, as John went on to fully domesticate and breed narrow-leafed lupins and release subterranean clover varieties while at UWA, and he also found time to pursue his hobby of climatology and viticulture through which he identified prime wine-grape growing regions in WA. 

His research was immensely valuable for the agricultural and wine industries.

Professor Underwood recognised John’s potential and offered him the position of lecturer in agronomy in the Institute upon his return from a post-doctoral year in Canada in 1959. 

John revelled in what he calls the “golden years” of research in the Institute from 1959 until 1970, during which he fully domesticated narrow-leafed lupins and released several varieties.

He also bred and released low-oestrogen subterranean clover varieties. 

These formative years cemented his belief that scientists should be free of bureaucratic intervention to follow their path of research “to bring about a better, more caring, sustainable human society which can live in harmony with itself and with its natural surroundings”.

John endured criticism for taking stands that were not deemed to be politically acceptable at times, but nearly always he could take credit for being right in the end.

However, when presented with convincing facts, understanding, information and wisdom he would make way for alternative approaches.

His research at UWA was largely funded by the Soil Fertility Act fund, which farmers supported through a levy of one farthing per bushel of wheat (about eight cents per tonne). 

As John gleefully described in his memoirs, those were the glory days of industry-funded research. 

Image: Dr John Gladstones pictured with some of the many books he authored.

The funding committee sought nothing in writing from applicants, but relied on scientists to explain how their research would benefit them and their production on farm.

John excelled in his arguments to farmers on the committee and was well funded in his research.

He became a proponent of the holistic approach to agricultural science – his research was done in farmers’ paddocks, he developed a keen eye to observe and interpret results, and he developed practical solutions for farmers. 

John enjoyed conversations with farmers, and they in turn respected him and valued his contributions to sustainable farm production.

John set very high standards of intellectual rigor to his science, based on facts, information, understanding and wisdom, which he wisely summarised in his Occasional Address to students at a UWA graduation ceremony in 1988 where he was awarded the Doctor of Science in Agriculture.

John is one of only 10 such recipients at UWA and is among eminent names such as Professor Underwood.

John’s numerous awards include Foundation Fellow of the Institute of Technological Sciences and Engineering (1976), the Farrer Memorial Medal (1975), Fellow of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science (1990), the Royal Agricultural Society Hall of Fame in WA (2000), and the Cullen Award for Excellence (2017). He was awarded Member (AM, 1986) and Officer (AO, 2022) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his work in primary industry, particularly agriculture and viticulture, and as an author. 

John may be the only agricultural scientist who has domesticated a crop and brought it into commercial production in their lifetime.

But he was also a devoted son, brother, husband, father and grandfather.

His wife Pat Gladstones, who sadly passed away in 2019, was a talented musician and music teacher in WA. 

John and Pat raised two children; daughter Helen Gladstones is recipient of the Public Service Medal (2023) and editor and publisher of John’s 2018 memoirs, and son Robert is Principal 3rd Horn in WA Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly as French horn soloist, music teacher, and Music Director in WA.

John’s memoirs are extremely interesting, humorous and surprising – a complete picture of a rewarding and valuable life (Days of Lupins, Pastures and Wine, 2019 PH Publishing, Bassendean). Well done, John!