In Memoriam: Peter Byrne

Chris Beytes

One of our well-known and well-loved international colleagues passed away recently. Peter Byrne, retired general manager/director of Bordon Hill Nursery in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, died August 27 after suffering an illness. He was just 64.

“Peter’s distinguished career was dedicated to large-scale plant propagation, where he was a truly inspirational industry figure who drove innovation throughout this sector from its very hands-on infancy to the high-tech automated industry we now have,” said his long-time colleague and friend Sandy Shepherd, managing director of Ball Colegrave, which distributed the young plants grown by Bordon Hill.

Before it was acquired by Colegrave and renamed, Bordon Hill was known as W.J. Findon & Son. Peter joined them in 1986 and continued with the company as its general manager/director after the sale to Ball in 2007 until his retirement three years ago.

“Peter was well-known not only in the UK, but internationally, and was a great contributor to the Ball organization in many parts of the world. He had great technical ability combined with being able to walk into a glasshouse and have that sense and feel for the growing environment, spotting any problems and suggesting improvements in a collaborative manner,” continued Sandy. “Peter was a truly outstanding manager and great communicator, who understood what made people at all levels tick.”

Peter is survived by his wife, Diane, two children and three grandchildren. GT