GRDC in Conversation: John Woods

[@vagabond_vanner]

Good interview. I have been thinking about young John a bit over the last few weeks, he told me about 10 years ago we should visit the Murtoa stick shed, and we just have, so he popped into my thought bubbles. I actually searched him this morning to see if he was still chair of the GRDC and here we are. I dealt with John a little bit over about 20 years and probably got to know him a little bit over my last 10, buying some of his crop, mainly sorghum, perhaps some wheat that didn't make spec at the flour mill. It was always good to have John turn up in his own road train, always found him engaging, informative, funny and entertaining, except the day, and it was the only time it happened, John turned up in his road train and we rejected him for insects. He was horrified and then nervous on every visit. John's grain quality was always high, and as he says himself, he is a bit of an urger, always trying to negotiate with me out of hours unloads in the harvest period, have to admit he won on a couple of occasions and I knocked over a couple of road trains on a Saturday morning to help him out. I think John was also about developing good relationships, and he had a good one with me, the flour mill he sold to and another feedlot localish to him. I haven't spoken to him now for more than 2 years but do wonder what he has been up to, as he is a mover and a shaker. I hope life post the GRDC is good for him. He is also known as the defacto mayor of Goondiwindi.