Pink Lady pioneer’s daughter plans trail to celebrate 50 years of beloved apple

The legacy of WA’s apple industry and Pink Lady and Sundowner apples creator John Cripps will be celebrated with an apple trail, organised by Mr Cripps’ daughter. John Cripps’ daughter, ECU part-time academic Dr Helen Cripps, said she wanted to start an apple trail to boost tourism and understanding of the apple industry in the South West. She said the John Cripps Horticulture Scholarship was a starting point for acknowledging her father’s impact and legacy, which she wanted to further commemorate with the trail. “The first thing that’s been done is the PhD Scholarship, which is aimed at horticulture and the apple industry,” Dr Cripps said. “The next idea was an apple heritage trail, because of the history of the apple industry, especially in the Perth Hills and the South West. “And I thought, instead of just talking about the history, why don’t we talk about the current industry, including the produce here, and engage in some agri-tourism.” She said the motivation in planning the trail came from celebrating the apple industry and the contributions from the South West region, where her father spent time working. “The idea is to get people to find out where the apples come from, so they know there’s an apple industry and they can learn about the history, the current production, where the Pink Lady, Sundowner and Bravo names came from, here in Western Australia, and understand they might be picking up an apple grown here in Manjimup,” Dr Cripps said. “The aim is to get people down, get people interested in the region, to buy local from the farm gates, come to the Donnybrook Apple Festival, and the orchards can do orchard tours and have people pick their own apples. “It’s about trying to build interest in the industry and that the history of the industry is not lost. “We want to celebrate the past, get people interested in the present and showcase and help the industry.” Dr Cripps is now in the process of writing a proposal to gain funding for the trail and surrounding features. “My biggest issue now is raising funds to pay for the trail, as I need to pay for the interpretation, look at the history and find out what tools were used, putting signage up and putting a website up,” she said. “I also want there to be an oral history of the industry so that way people can learn more about the apples here. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to make an announcement at the Donnybrook Apple Festival next year in April and do something where we release points on the trail first. “We’re looking to try and announce the launch in Manjimup about the middle of next year.” John Cripps worked at the then-Department of Agriculture and Food WA for more than 40 years and created one of the most popular apple varieties — the Cripps Pink — along with the Cripps Red, known as the Sundowner, leading to the creation of the Bravo apple. The Pink Lady hit the market in 1991, becoming known as one of Australia’s top 100 inventions. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the first seed planted to breed the Pink Lady apple, having been planted in 1974, after the first crosses were done in 1973. Dr Cripps had been thinking about bringing the trail to fruition for six months and wanted to do it to help the industry in the region and her father’s legacy in helping the apple industry. “It’s been whirling, but it’s been waiting for me to finish work at the university, so I can dedicate my time to it,” she said. “I thought about how I can use my father’s legacy to help the industry and I thought I could start with that. “My dad’s aim was to breed apples that made a profit for the growers. “He was invested in building the industry and spent a lot of time in Manjimup, he used to spend his working week in Manjimup to help the industry.”