John Herbert

John Desmond Herbert (11 February 1925 – 30 October 1978) was an Australian politician, who was the Liberal Party member for the electoral district of Sherwood in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1956 to 1978.

Herbert was born in Brisbane, to botanist Desmond Herbert and his wife, Vera Prowse (the daughter of John Henry Prowse, a federal politician from Western Australia). His sister Joan would also become a botanist like their father.

In 1943, Herbert enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy where he served in the Indian Ocean, Burma, New Guinea, and the Admiralty Islands until his discharge from the naval base in March 1946. He then worked as a bank clerk for the English, Scottish and Australian Bank (ES&A), and was involved in the anti-bank nationalisation campaign of 1947. A 1946 extension of the Sherwood Arboretum was later renamed the John Herbert Memorial Vista in his honour, and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register along with the main site. John Herbert was also patron of the Oxley Golf Club and Jindalee Golf Club, both of which were located in his electorate. The clubs contest annually for the John Herbert Shield named in his honour to recognise his contribution to the development of both clubs.