Vision Australia is saddened to note the passing of Mr John W Wilson, AM, on January 28, 2013.
For more than three decades John was at the helm of the Association for the Blind (AFTB), which became Vision Australia Foundation in 1999 and was one of the four organisations to merge to form Vision Australia in 2004.
John joined AFTB as company secretary in 1953 and retired as executive director in 1984.
His concerted and considerable efforts, during 32 years of leadership, brought major transformation and innovation, modernising the organisation's business practices and bringing in government funding to facilitate consistency and extension of service delivery.
John was also a prominent Australian contributor, to the international blindness movement and was made a life member of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, now the World Blind Union.