The pioneering work of a Surrey-based pest management expert was celebrated at a trade association event.
Dr Jonathan Wade’s colleagues and friends attended the British Pest Management Awards - organised by UK trade body the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) - to see him officially receive the Lifetime Achievement of the Year Award, in recognition of a far-reaching career that has made a real impact to society in the UK and overseas.
Held at ExCel London, the award ceremony formed part of the BPCA’s esteemed biennial exhibition and conference PestEx, the UK’s pest management show.
With a career spanning nearly 50 years, Jonathan started his journey in academia studying Zoology as the University of Liverpool, before moving to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where he achieved a PhD and became a post-doctoral researcher.
In 1978, Jonathan became a Government Advisor, delivering a focused programme in Libya on the control of Musca sorbens, the cause of the infectious blinding disease, Trachoma.
After that Jonathan worked as the Head of Pest Control for the Emirate of Dubai and describes his times there as one of the major milestones that stands out in his career.
Jonathan, from Haslemere, Surrey, said: “When I was working in Dubai the labs and testing facilities we built were badly damaged by a nearby house fire.
“The government understood the impact we were making and rebuilt our pest control operations area bigger and better, with laboratories, insectaries and an excellent new training facility.
“As a legacy that showed me that I’d made a difference to Dubai, and I was able to return to the UK safe in the knowledge that it was in much better shape than when I arrived.”
In 1987 Jonathan received an Honorary Lectureship from the Medical Entomology Department at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and two years later was appointed Technical Manager in ICI Public Health and then Regional Technical Manager for the Near West, South America and Western Europe.
Another milestone in Jonathan’s career was the decision to join with the business of Dr Gareth Capel-Williams, PelGar Ltd, soon to become PelGar International Ltd.
He added: “Pest control has been my life for so long, it’s just become part of the furniture.
“It’s very rewarding that after all these years I have something on the mantle shelf to remind me of what it’s all been about.
“Above all, my fondest memory was working with two of my sons, whose efforts, along with their close friends, helped to build PelGar.”
Jonathan retired as Technical Director for PelGar International last year.
His son, Alex Wade, PelGar’s Technical Manager, credits his father for his own passion for the industry.
Alex said: “All I have learned can be laid at his feet.
“By his example, leading as always from the front, he set the bar high for integrity, knowledge and excellence.”
MORE INFORMATION
Read more about Dr Jonathan Wade
Read more about the British Pest Management Awards
Read more about PestEx 2019
Source: Online