The original WSUD thought leader
14 September 1933 – 18 September 2022
We honour the memory of John Argue OAM, who sadly passed away on Sunday 18 September 2022 at the age of 89.
A true gentleman, innovator, teacher, researcher and mentor to so many in the urban water industry, John generously shared his time with students and urban water practitioners well beyond his formal retirement, such was his passion to support others in the creation of high quality urban spaces through better (water sensitive) design.
We were extremely fortunate to speak to John earlier this year to showcase the New Brompton Estate development some 30 plus years on from its inception. New Brompton Estate is a 1990s medium density infill land division with beautiful tree lined streets encircling a passively irrigated central park, Rowley Reserve. The design was cutting edge at the time, and has since been the inspiration for a long list of infiltration projects in public and private spaces around Adelaide.
John’s influence stretched beyond South Australia, where he worked on a simplified stormwater assessment tool to assist adoption of lot-scale infiltration systems for the City of Gosnells in Western Australia.
Not only has John influenced undergraduates, in recent years he continued to supervise post graduate students. Many devotees of his design approach have come to the realisation mid-career that on-site retention is an effective method to bring balance back into the urban water cycle.
John’s life’s work and legacy will be upheld by those in the urban water industry who have been incredibly fortunate to have known and worked with him.
If you were unable to attend John’s funeral in person, a video of the service is available to watch for several weeks. This celebration of John’s life, which he lived to the full, gives deeper insights into a remarkable man who gave so much of his time not only to our industry but to so many others in the community.