Hi Bunster
Your plant is Neo. carcharodon if it has white petals or Neo. Gigas if it has lilac tipped petals (Leme). Both plants are very similar in appearance & size to 1.5 mtr.
I have this plant also with white petals & have been told it is getting a cultivar name of Neo. Great White.

Hi Bunster
I may have given you a bum steer there, I only had a quick look at your pick yesterday & have thought you might actually have Aechmea Bracteata which gets a tall branched spike with red bracts. Where did you get your seed from, if you collected it your self you should be able to confirm I.D from a photo of a flowering plant on f.c.b.s.

Hi there pinkbroms from 'downunder'-here it is much later, I had forgotten my post, but it looks like you just might have it with the Aechmea ID-it looks closer to that than others I have considered. Thanks!!!