Chapter 5: Burnley Horticultural College, 1891

Based on Extracts from Winzenried "A Centenary History of Horticultural Education at Burnley"

• Government Aid: 1891-1910
• Women and War: 1911-26
• Fruit, Floods and Frugality: 1927-41
• Bricks and Mortar: 1942-58
• More Courses: 1958-66
• Quiet before the Storm: 1967-77
• The Old Order Changes: 1978-82
• One Hundred Years On: 1983-90
• Centenary and Beyond: 1990-97

Government Aid: 1891-1910

The early innovations and problems of the Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria (RHSV), which have been introduced in Chapter 2, led to the development of Burnley Horticultural College.

In his address to a fruit growers' convention in 1889, Alfred Deakin said:

'We have agricultural and viticultural colleges or we are about to have them; and as far as we can judge by our experience, the work done by these colleges is good work, the value of which is likely to increase. It seems very desirable that something of the same sort should be done in connection with horticulture.'

In 1891, after the RHSV was declared bankrupt and Burnley Gardens were placed under the control of the Department of Agriculture, the future of the site was largely in the hands of the Hon. Alfred Deakin, the acting Minister for Agriculture. The school was opened with all the pomp and ceremony of nineteenth-century occasions, even during hard times. Officiating was government horticultural expert Daniel McAlpine, recently appointed as Vegetable Pathologist ,the first such appointment in the British Empire. In the six years before the new administrators appointed a principal, George Neilson was left in charge, having been previously employed as a curator of the gardens by the RHSV.

By March 1900 there were twenty students on the rolls, ten of whom studied full-time; the others were what the new Principal Luffman termed 'occasional students'. Up to the end of 1897, ninety-three students had passed through the school. Teaching included occasional lectures by State Department of Agriculture staff and possibly by some Royal Society notables. The inaugural lecture was given by Government Botanist, Baron von Mueller, on the topic 'Our Indigenous Plants in Relation to Horticulture'.

Students were required to be at least fourteen years of age for enrolment in the three-year Diploma. Regular daily attendance was required, together with satisfactory completion of practical work and lecture notes, and passing grades in all prescribed examinations. Meeting these requirements qualified them for a Certificate of Proficiency after two years and a Diploma after three years. As well as the full-time student body, there were the occasional students who attended lectures as they pleased, although no qualification was available to them. Training at Burnley was essentially practical, with lectures in botany, economic entomology and plant pathology. In the early stages very little Chemistry was taught; although a start was made, it was later discontinued. The new management from 1891 continued the emphasis on orchard training, research and testing of tree varieties. The school offered courses designed for professional orchardists, as well as basic instruction on specific topics especially for city dwellers and rural settlers. The first few years were an important time for the school, because many inexperienced settlers were placed in the various 'village settlement schemes' initiated by the government in an attempt to offset the problems of the economic depression.

Neilson died in 1897, leaving a vacancy for a new coordinator of the gardens. Considering this problem, the Department of Agriculture decided to appoint a school principal rather than another curator, and chose Charles Bogue Luffman (or Luffmann), who thus became the first principal at Burnley late that same year.

In addition to the extensive formal gardens laid out by the principal, there were the orchards begun under RHSV management and a dairy farm added in 1891. Fruit and vegetable growers came from all parts of the state to observe the methods used at Burnley and to ask advice.

Women were first admitted to the school in 1899, although only for part-time training. In that year seventy-two were enrolled. The following year eleven males were studying full-time, with eighty part-time female students. The minimum age was fourteen for males and sixteen for females. Hours of attendance were 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays. Females who enrolled in part-time courses paid the sum of £1 per annum to attend three afternoons per week from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for their course of one to three years.

The residence which Luffman established for himself in 1897 became the focal point of the gardens. Within this residence, though, his private life remains little known. In 1902 Luffman and his wife separated and Lauretta possibly returned to England. Shortly thereafter, another writer of some renown moved into the residence to 'look after the female staff and students at the school'. Elinor Mordaunt refers to her period with Luffman at Burnley in her later book, Sinabada, describing Luffman as 'a short, strongly built, very dark man, like a Spaniard . . . jealous, exacting and selfish'. The arrival of Elinor at Burnley coincided with a time of difficulty for the school, with some sixty women considered to be a source of 'continual trouble'. It was her 'fancy' that 'they fell in love with him [Luffman], for he had an uncommon gift of a speaking voice which would charm a bird off a bough.' When he left Burnley after resigning in January 1908, Luffman returned to Spain to continue research into fruit-growing. Elinor remained in Australia.

In 1902 fifty-six lectures and demonstrations of orcharding were given in rural areas to a total of 2,240 people. Eight separate courses, each of ten lectures, were given at the Working Men's College (later to become the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). In addition many lectures were given to horticultural societies. About 1000 people visited Burnley seeking advice during 1903, and up to 1,200 letters were sent out in reply to mail inquiries. These time-consuming services were continued until the formation of the Garden Advisory Service in 1980. Luffman reported in 1905 that over the previous seven years some 300 students had received training in fruit, vegetable and ornamental gardening. Classroom instruction was given on vegetable pathology, botany, chemistry, entomology, physical and economic geography and design of orchards, gardens and homesteads.

At that time there were four main divisions at Burnley:

• Farm - with cattle, pigs, poultry, horses; pig-sties, stables, sheds and a milking shed were built.
• Orchard - wide range of fruits and cultivations.
• Gardens - Luffman established the main features of an English style garden.
• Vegetables.

Luffman's resignation from the school left a vacuum: his work had been so wide in scope that he was not easy to replace. John Cronin, an eminently practical horticulturalist, succeeded Luffman as principal, but his term at Burnley was relatively short. In mid-1909, less than two years later, he resigned the principalship in order to assume the role of director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens.

Women and War: 1911-26

The new principal, E. E. Pescott made several innovations, while continuing the school much as Luffman had shaped it. Under Pescott the curriculum was extended to include a generous agriculture component, following the direction recommended by the 1901 Royal Commission on Technical Education. This resulted in the renaming of the school as the Burnley School of Horticulture and Small Farming around 1914-15. Later again, in 1917, this was altered to the School of Primary Agriculture and Horticulture as the trends begun under Pescott developed.

During 1909 the early (1894) two-year full time course was altered to reflect the changes and in 1911 the first 'modern' Certificate of Competency in Horticulture course was begun. It was to become the standard for the school until well into the 1950s.

An innovation by Pescott during the relatively short period of his principalship was the introduction of free demonstrations. Part-time subjects had been made available by Luffman from about 1903 and perhaps even earlier. Pescott introduced pruning demonstrations and other very popular field demonstrations, commencing some time before 1914.

By 1914 Burnley was well known as a centre where females were able to receive full-time tertiary training - a very unusual arrangement in the days when universal suffrage was still a hot political issue. The issue of women in higher education was publicly debated. The early provision for females at Burnley had not gone unchallenged. Luffman had pioneered the move but in doing so had come into direct confrontation with his Board of Advice and even the Minister. The Melbourne Argus reported this particular incident in a style typical of the period. It is worth quoting the article in full.

Ostensibly the trouble in the Burnley Gardens, when Mr Luffman, the curator, refused to speak to the members of the Horticultural Board and treated even the Minister of Agriculture with the most distant hauteur, is about questions of pruning and nipping back and the propagation of phylloxera resistant vine cuttings. This is the surface view but in this matter we must put the French motto in practice, and 'Cherchez la Femme'. It is not necessary to search far for there are over 100 lady students in the gardens. That has nothing to do with the trouble, you may tell me to which I reply, Was there any trouble before the girls came? Mr Luffman is doing a noble work, as I shall proceed to show, and I hope the Hort. Board will abandon its base attempt to undermine his influence with the girls. The subject requires lofty and dignified treatment:

"There is a garden, far from city haunts,
Beyond the Richmond quarries, where the din
Of city tumult is not heard, and where
The perfume from the tanneries is lost
In the rich odour which the Yarra yields
To glad the summer air. The river winds
Round three sides of a garden, and the train
Which twice a week to far Glen Iris speeds
Circles the other. In this quiet spot
100 nymphs in a galatea clad
Of lustrous brown, with gloves and hat to match
Imbibe instruction. Here with hoe in hand
They tickle the rude earth until it smiles
Golden tomatoes, and anon it laughs
In huge pie melons. Here the mellow peach
Blushes to find its lustrous sunnyside
Out-bloomed by maiden's cheek. In vine clad bower
Oftimes they sit in lithe and sinuous rows
At Luffman's feet while he holds high discourse
In fluent language bubbling like a font
And purling like a brook - of plum and pear,
Of apple and of peach, while specimens
To illustrate his meaning are discussed
By rows of pearly teeth. He further tells
Of grafting, pruning, budding, of manures,
Of insect pests, which haunt the leafy bower
Of kerosene emulsion, Paris Green,
Of fumigants and sprays

An Eden this
Surpassing Father Adam's, for he had
Only one Eve, while Luffman has five score;
A paradise wherein they without reproof
Eat of the tree of knowledge, and alas,
A paradise wherein the serpent lurks,
The Serpent Board.

The devil takes many shapes,
But never any so insidious
As when, in airy phrase, he dubbed himself
The Horticultural Board, and boldly strode
Through the fair Eden in the pleasing shape
of Harris and of Draper and of Lang,
And others, fitly formed to charm the eye
Of simple garden girls, and to beguile
The maids from useful studies with the lure
Of honeyed speech, but, happily the disguises
Of the arch enemy could not avail
To blind the eyes of Luffman. He espied
The forked tail beneath the Harris coat
The cloven hoof upon the foot of Boyce
And with a flaming sword of bitter speech
He drove them from the place. Alas they are
Old enough to know better. Oh 'tis said
That with the fair seeing speech they should disguise
Their naughty purpose. Serpent-like they crept
into this paradise upon the plea -
the pruning liked them not.

Oh, wicked board
Oh sinuous serpent seeking to beguile
Beware of Burnley, Leave the arcadian nymphs
To their own Luffman, cease to circulate
Your tarradillies, so shall you regain
Your characters and this fair land shall be
A paradise where happy man shall sit
Beneath his vine and fig tree at his ease,
None daring lawfully to make him work,
What time his wife, thereto by Luffman trained,
Do all the garden graft. So may it be."

One of the early students to gain wide recognition was included in the graduation of 1911. Olive Holttum was granted her Certificate of Competency in that year. Born in 1891, Olive Holttum had migrated with her family from Britain around the turn of the century, at a time when Gertrude Jekyll was perhaps at her zenith in England as a leading landscaper. The influence of both Jekyll and English gardening tradition is clear in her later work. She married, and as Olive Mellor was among the first women in Australia to be a professional landscape designer.

The influence of the English gardening tradition can also be seen in the work of two other early women students, Emily Matilda Gibson (nee Grassick, graduated 1914) and Edna Walling (graduated 1916). Both these women were also of migrant families, and they share with Olive Mellor the credit as pioneering females in landscape design in Australia. It was Emily Gibson who set about gaining entrance to King's College at the University of Durham, England, one of the foremost horticultural educational establishments in the world. As the first Burnley graduate to enter the college, she paved the way for a number of later students, both women and men, as they sought higher education in the field of horticulture.

The vocation of gardening in its many forms was at that time a difficult one for an Australian woman to choose. Many of the female students attending the school, even up to the time when Thomas Kneen and Eric Littlejohn were principals, treated Burnley as a form of finishing school. For them horticulture was a respectable additional education. For Walling, Mellor, Gibson and a few others, it was a means of livelihood and the way was difficult. Gardening in early twentieth-century Australia was almost exclusively the right of English-trained professionals. Burnley reflected this: all the garden staff were English, and some, like George Neilson and George Russ, adamantly so. To gain employment with an Australian background was difficult; as an Australian woman, almost impossible. Walling and Mellor made their careers by being self-employed and using every possible means of publicity. Frequent articles in popular magazines such as the Australian Home Beautiful helped popularise both their own work and that of other Australians. Emily Gibson worked to provide herself with higher academic qualifications in order to secure her career.

For all the innovation and improvement he carried out, Pescott was a controversial figure with his superiors. Often, it seems, he chose to ignore official direction, going his own way and making his own decisions. This led in 1916 to some unpleasantness that resulted in the appointment of J. P. McLennan as principal. Pescott resumed his work within the Department of Agriculture as a botanist, becoming government pomologist and seed tester in 1917. He continued to teach botany at Burnley as a part-time lecturer until 1939. As an authority on orchids, he gave weekly radio broadcasts from the 1920s.

Burnley at this time continued to present the appearance of a private garden. Beyond the pavilion, the encircling fence kept undesirables out. The gate was locked in the early evenings. The years after World War I saw little change in the basic direction of horticultural education. The Certificate of Competency became firmly established, and fruit-related studies continued to be an important part of the curriculum despite the introduction of agricultural science. One development around this time was the almost standardised use of Coles Blight Proof Paradise rootstock for a great number of apple and pear varieties. The common stocks allowed considerable economies in propagating plants, despite the wide range of actual fruit types.

World War I had an indirect effect on the school. Following the death of J. P. McLennan in 1921, his place was filled by a war veteran, Frederick E. Rae. Rae had signed up for military service in the early days of the war, but returned from active duty shortly after being seriously injured. He joined the Burnley teaching staff for some years while gradually recovering a measure of health. During this time, in addition to its normal courses, the school became involved in the training of returned soldiers. Six months training in various aspects of horticulture and poultry was given to twenty ex-servicemen between 1918 and 1921. Rae operated the establishment as best he could despite his own physical problems, but by March 1922 his health was of such concern that Burnley's science master A. W. Jessep (one of the first Master degree graduates of the University of Melbourne's new Faculty of Agriculture and later to be principal of Burnley himself) joined Rae to share the workload of operating the school. Both had received their early training at Dookie Agricultural College and together they had headed for the war zone. Curiously, this period of joint principalship coincided with the two years during which J. L (Les) Provan was a student at the school. He was to become principal himself in 1942.

From its inception in 1923, the Fruit Preserving Branch of the Horticultural Division of the Department of Agriculture was located at Burnley. A short course of lectures and demonstrations in fruit preserving had been part of the Certificate of Competency course since its introduction in 1911. The arrival of a Department of Agriculture branch, catering especially for that aspect of primary agriculture, provided improved facilities for students and a series of resident experts.

Many of the girls came to Burnley from top Melbourne private schools and with excellent academic records. They were often uninterested in horticultural careers, and regarded Burnley as a finishing school. George Russ had his own way of dealing with the girls so as to determine whether or not they would last the course. On their first day in the garden he would often assign them a bed of onions to weed. 'That soon sorted them out!' The boys, on the other hand, were choosing Burnley when their academic results were not sufficient to enter university or other tertiary institutions. Their academic records were frequently, but not always, lower than the girls'. Staff found themselves attempting to get the same material to reach two very different types of student.

Curriculum in the 1920s had changed little from that set out in 1911 for the initial Certificate of Competency course. Improved poultry and fruit-preserving facilities provided greater expertise in these areas but the basic teaching remained unchanged.

In 1925 Frederick Rae left Burnley to become director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens; which had become vacant through Cronin's death. Alexander W. Jessep, previously the school's science master and joint principal, took over as principal.

Fruit, Floods and Frugality: 1927-41

A. W. Jessep taught botany, physical science and ornamental horticulture to Certificate course students, and agricultural science to Year 12 level. Much of the teaching was still in the hands of part-time lecturers. In both cases subjects included plant pathology, entomology, fruit culture, apiculture and poultry management. Clearly, the basic course had changed little since its inception in 1911.

In 1931, an Agrostology (Pasture) Branch was established at Burnley with offices in the pavilion and an experimental area in the western section of the property. It was here that James Harrison centred his pioneering work on subterranean clover strains, and growing-on trials for seed certification were conducted, along with other pasture and sporting turf investigations. Jim Harrison and his associate Frank Drake taught agricultural science at senior secondary level.

The Biology Branch of the Department of Agriculture had been established as early as 1889. The appointment of Charles French Snr as Government Entomologist in that year was followed by the appointment of Daniel McAlpine as Vegetable Pathologist in 1890. These appointments marked the beginning of invaluable research and advisory work on the control of insect pests and plant diseases. In 1929 the section was transferred to a new building at Burnley and adopted the title of Plant Research Laboratory.

The Plant Research Laboratory was of great benefit to the school. It gave the students all the advantages of a better syllabus in plant diseases and pests and at the same time the biologists and researchers had more space to experiment and carry out their field work than before. For the next few years though, there was pressure on facilities until the research building opened in 1931.

It was in 1929 that another innovation began. With the financial assistance of the Nurseryman's and Seedsmen's Association of Victoria, regular demonstrations of fruit-tree pruning for the public were instituted. Similar demonstrations had been carried out before World War I but by 1920 the practice had been discontinued for some time. Their reintroduction was an immediate success. They were well supported and have continued practically without interruption. The first demonstration took place on Saturday, 1 June 1929, with rose pruning for the first hour and a half followed by fruit-tree pruning.

Throughout this period and certainly into the mid-1930s, the nineteenth-century Royal charter to the HSV continued to be incorporated into official school documents. Report cards, like that of Frank Keenan, for example, bore a laurel wreath logo enclosing the letters 'BSH' (for Burnley School of Horticulture, the official title of the school from 1891 until 1915); below this was the current school name, School of Primary Agriculture and Horticulture and its location, 'at the Royal Horticultural Gardens, Burnley'. To add to the confusion the entire title was surmounted by 'Department of Agriculture, Victoria' in bold print. Elaine Pearce, a student some six years later than Frank, received her reports on identical cards, indicating that the wording was still in use up to 1936.

During the lean years of 1929-32, a number of classes were operated specifically for those 'boys who were not able to gain employment'. In this way they could be assured of some practical training, perhaps towards a level of self-sufficiency, and something constructive to do while out of work. A number of these students completed their courses only to join the armed forces as war broke out again in 1939. In an attempt to help students, members of the Past Students' Association grouped together to provide work. The association had been inactive for some years up to 1930 but the needs of the time saw it revived and throughout the depression years a large number of students were grateful for its practical help.

One event which stands out in the minds of those at Burnley during the early 1930s was a flood which reached disaster level on the night of 30 November 1934. After several days of steady rainfall the Yarra flooded its banks from well above Fairfield, all the way into the city. Burnley, located as it is on the bend of the river, did not miss out on the excitement. Flood waters at their highest point filled the incinerator and reached to the doorway of the main potting shed. Water dashed through the orchard taking with it a boxthorn hedge, the fence, dozens of fruit trees, the vegetables and the nursery section. It also dislodged a structure known as the bird cage, a wire enclosure in which special plants such as vines and experimental tomatoes were grown.

During 1937 the Royal Horticultural Society started trial plots for dahlias and a number of other floral plants in the school grounds. The students did most of the daily care of these plants, and there was extensive experimentation over the next few years though little of it was ever advertised. This connection with the RHSV was one which had been maintained off and on over the years since the government take-over in 1891. George Russ, then retired, acted as judge and general supervisor of these trials, together with several society officials.

During the 1930s and 1940s, involvement of local secondary schools in part-time courses at Burnley continued to be popular. A number of schools and colleges sent students to spend time at the school completing courses in agricultural science. By the end of the decade Burnley had changed only a little from what it had been, following the departure of Luffman. Somewhat antiquated in its general appearance and still teaching a basic course which had barely altered since first introduced in 1911, the school in the garden was a friendly sort of place. Student life included extensive practical work and so the gardens themselves remained a focal point for most activities. The indoor teaching was an extension of and a comment on what was discovered outside. In the gardens the strong English gardening tradition, that had begun with the first students training under George Neilson, continued to dominate.

Bricks and Mortar: 1942-58

The onset of World War I brought many changes to Burnley. Principal from commencement of the school year 1942, Provan was later to recall that conditions were difficult for administration. Staff, services and materials were in short supply, but everyone realised a general spirit of helpfulness and cooperation was necessary. Staff members Frank Ellery, Victor Cole and Peter Stratton left Burnley for active duty. By 1944 the depleted staff had been joined by Mrs Bonnie Huhlhan, Mrs McCrea, and Misses Pauline Chancy, Val Mason and Joan Hamberg. These assistants were sought in order to continue the school programme. That they were all women reflects the trend of the war years.

During the war student numbers were just a little lower than during peacetime. In total the horticulture students numbered between twenty-three and twenty-nine each year. Anything from thirty-four to ninety-seven agricultural science students from local secondary schools joined them at the school. Wartime brought several changes to the school. Vegetable-growing received assistance from RASV members and some American army personnel. Several trial plots of opium poppies were planted for local production when normal morphine supplies were cut off. The Garden Army and Women's Land Army both carried out exercises at Burnley. Staff cooperated with government promotion of home produce by giving radio talks, public lectures and demonstrations, and judging competitions. Several promotional films were also made at the school as part of the war effort.

Despite the limitations, there were opportunities for some physical improvements. Much of the establishment by this time was ageing; the classrooms in particular were well out of date. Several appeals to the Public Works Department resulted in, improved roads around the grounds as an item of defence spending, new paths, kerbs and channel drainage. Water supply was also improved. Perhaps most importantly of all, approval was given for planning to go ahead on a new administration and teaching building, to be built with Commonwealth government funds. Although this was not completed until 1949, its approval improved the morale of staff and students. It continues in use as the main administration building today.

Commencing in 1946, the Department of Agriculture began a programme of retraining which included both reconstruction scheme trainees and a small group who were enrolled in a six-month fruit inspectors' course initiated by the department. The course, conducted by the Horticultural Division, began in April 1946 with an enrolment of fifteen. Although the new administration building was under way at this time, temporary accommodation was required until the work was completed. This was provided for the college in the shape of two standard issue quonset huts which were located in the old bull paddock, presently the staff carpark. One was divided into two teaching rooms with one room set up as a very spartan science room and the other as a general teaching area. The second hut was divided into three areas to provide administration needs, a small locker room for students, and staff accommodation.

It fell to Les Provan to cooperate with the Public Works Department to design the new administration block. The plans were completed by the close of 1945, when Provan left Burnley to take up a position as principal of Dookie College. Arriving in March 1946 as the new principal of Burnley, Tom Kneen found construction had begun the previous year. Postwar restrictions and shortages of building material extended the project over three years. In order to construct the new building and leave as much garden unspoilt as possible, the old pavilion was partially dismantled to make way for the new structure. Meanwhile the principal was required to cope with a partly demolished pavilion and a long building process with all its attendance inconveniences.

A small ceremony took place on 28 August 1946 when the Hon. W. E. McKenzie, MLA, Minister for Agriculture, laid the foundation stone. This event marked commencement of the first major building project undertaken by the Public Works Department since the close of the war. Erection of such a substantial building for a school, at a time when there were a multitude of other urgent needs, was a sensitive issue. The stone-laying ceremony was small with only a few invited guests who partook of afternoon tea at the principal's house.

The Department of Agriculture report of 1951, claimed that 'no fewer than 150 ex-servicemen and women have been given horticultural training at Burnley Gardens, the majority undertaking the 2 year course for the Certificate of Competency. Others taking courses in dairy technology, fruit inspection and other subjects.' Various aspects of College life must have intrigued the ex-service personnel. Returning from a technology-orientated war scene, they found Burnley very much a horse-powered farm. Hand mowers were the norm, with only one very temperamental power mower. Draft horses, cared for by George Manley the stockman, carried out all the heavier tasks. It was not until the early 1950s that the first tractor appeared at Burnley.

The years 1947-8 were busy ones for the College. Annual College camps to Wilson's Promontory began about this time. Student numbers which had been averaging around twenty-five per year prior to 1946 had risen to 100. To help provide facilities for the additional students, a fruit-tree nursery was established on a portion of the Department's Scoresby Horticultural Research Station. The area of land available for college use had always been limited but as other branches of the Department of Agriculture began to extend their operations it had diminished. Increased student numbers brought about by the influx of returned servicemen had further limited the area available for each student's work. During the last years of the 1940s some 1.25 acres of land was added to the college property. This area lay on the south boundary adjacent to the Heyington railway line. The addition was an important one as it provided a buffer for the new administration building which was otherwise right up against the boundary fence.

Moves toward a new foundation course in horticulture had begun before 1948. In the early months of that year Dr Bowman, Honorary General Secretary of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, suggested that a Diploma in Horticulture was needed at Longerenong, Dookie and Burnley. The idea was presented to the principals of these colleges and, following their advice, the superintendent of the Division of Agricultural Education, G. B Woodgate, approved the idea of a Diploma for Burnley. From 1 February 1949 a Diploma course had operated at Hawkesbury Agricultural College in New South Wales and this raised hopes that a similar course in Victoria would quickly follow.

Details of such a course were prepared at Burnley during 1949 and forwarded to the Department of Agriculture for approval. The carefully worded proposal for a replacement three-year course to Diploma standard was presented to the Director of Agriculture, H. A. Mullett. He was not impressed and responded with the brief reply, 'Try evening classes.' This was followed through by the College with great success. Completion of the new building in 1949, and the ending of the returned servicemen courses shortly after, provided an excellent opportunity to offer part-time courses for adults.

A range of short courses was offered in fruit, flower, vegetable growing, plant propagation, bee-keeping, poultry-keeping and basic sciences related to horticulture (botany, soil science, plant pathology, entomology, weed control), commencing in September 1951. In addition, plans were made to introduce short day courses for home gardeners, who since 1946 had not been accepted in Certificate classes, because of timetable restrictions. Day courses began in 1950, including subjects such as propagation and floral design, each of five Wednesday afternoons twice a term. Replaced In 1951 by evening classes, these courses were filled with the minimum of publicity and have continued to be successful to the present time. A number of additional courses have been added over the years, including greenkeeping and landscape design.

Completion of the administration building presented the college with a massive landscaping challenge. The box-like structure with its flat roof stood at first in stark contrast to the surrounding turn-of-the-century garden. No design had been developed prior to erection of the building to fit it in with the garden and little consideration had been given to its initial placement.

During construction and before she resigned in 1947 to visit South Africa, Hilda Dance prepared a design for landscaping the building and presented it to Tom Kneen for his consideration. It was not until completion of the building work that plans for the landscaping could be finalised and the task was presented to Mrs Emily Gibson, a former student and current teacher highly experienced in landscape design. Together with Grace Fraser who had succeeded Hilda Dance on the staff, and the principal, the matter was discussed with architect Percy Everett. It was as a result of this meeting that a plan was developed by Mrs Gibson and implemented to provide much of the present day layout.

The Burnley Certificate course, established in 1911 with a low standard of entry and limited range of subjects, had little standing in the educational and employment world. Over the years it attracted students with a wide range of ability and background. As we have seen, many girls from well-to-do families regarded it as a form of 'finishing'. Many of these proved to be first-class students and developed lifelong interests in horticulture. Others, often boys, came to the course with poor academic records. Many of them developed skills and real interests to become competent operators. Most with a genuine interest in plants and natural history. Those seeking employment, often in difficult economic times, found they were given little credit for their attainments at Burnley.

By the mid-1950s, change was in the wind. Town planning considerations were beginning to place considerable importance on landscaping, and the gardening and landscaping profession required better local training. A course of study almost unaltered since 1911 was a handicap to the College.

One of the early Australians to become involved in this issue was Frank Keenan, first Cronin Scholar and a Burnley graduate of 1930. Frank was Deputy Director of the Melbourne City Council Parks and Gardens Department by 1954 and had to find suitable people to employ for parks and gardens responsibilities. Burnley graduates were well trained, but unable to compete on equal terms with more highly qualified people from outside the State, despite better horticultural training in many cases.

Frank Keenan had acquired an unrivalled knowledge of training provisions for horticulture and park administration in Australia, Britain and America. The Institute of Park Administration of Victoria, the precursor of the Royal Australian Institute of Parks and Recreation, shared Frank's concern for the future staffing of municipal parks departments.

Encouraged by the developments at Burnley, the institute on 28 November 1956 submitted to the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. G. L. Chandler, MLC, a...

'request that consideration be given to the establishment at the Burnley College of Horticulture of a 3-year course leading to a Diploma in Horticulture equivalent in standing to the Diploma in Agriculture issued by Dookie and Longerenong Agricultural Colleges'.

On 13 May the Director recommended to the Minister that the course start in 1958. The Department recognised that Burnley did not have all the necessary facilities for all the practical work desirable and made its Horticultural Research Stations at Tatura, Scoresby and Mildura available for specialised training in commercial fruit production practices. This led to sojourns at Tatura and Mildura of approximately two weeks' duration twice a year for second-and third-year students.

The first intake of Diploma students at Burnley took place in 1958 and the old Certificate course, established in 1911, was terminated that same year. Thus it came about that in 1959 there were no students graduating from the College. Coinciding with this upgraded course came yet another name-change to help lift the image of the College. Burnley became officially known as the Burnley College of Horticulture, later to be renamed Burnley Horticultural College. On 21 February 1961 the Technical Colleges Board of the University of Melbourne approved the Diploma of the Burnley Horticultural College for the purposes of matriculation, subject to holders also having passed the subject of Matriculation English Expression. On 15 March 1961 Ministerial approval was given for holders of the Diploma of Horticulture to place 'DipHort (Burnley)' after their names.

More Courses: 1958-66

The Diploma of Horticulture introduced in 1958 brought Burnley's qualification into line with the Diplomas of Agriculture awarded by Dookie and Longerenong, allowing Burnley diplomates to compete for technical positions on equal terms. The content of existing science and horticultural subjects was extended and additional subjects - English, mathematics, rural economics, horticultural mechanics and park administration - were added to the curriculum. For the first time all three colleges had much in common in their curricula. The minimum entry standard was raised to completion of Intermediate (Year 10).

Experience gained in fieldwork at Burnley was supplemented by short residential stays at Tatura and Mildura Horticultural Research Stations, a period of training at Scoresby Research Station, and visits to commercial nurseries and municipal parks and gardens departments. These sojourns were introduced to strengthen the commercial horticultural training of Burnley students especially in fruit production. As part of the upgrading there was specialisation in horticulture. The days of Burnley as a centre of small farming, begun just before the time of Pescott's principalship in 1909, were over. The dairy herd, which had never been large, had always been butterfat tested under the Department of Agriculture standard herd test introduced in 1912. Some very satisfactory production results were attained and surplus stock sold readily. But the area available for grazing diminished as land was apportioned to other departmental branches. In 1959 it became necessary to transfer the herds. The Jersey herd was transferred to Glenormiston on 27 August 1959 and the Friesians to the State Research Farm at Werribee at the same time. The old bull paddock became a carpark for the increasing staff and the stockman's house became the caretaker's cottage.

It was also in 1959 that the evening classes saw a further innovation. During June the first proposals were formulated for a course of training for greenkeepers and curators of golf courses. Concerned parties gathered on 1 June 1960 when representatives of the Victorian Golf Association and the Royal Victorian Bowling Association met with Burnley staff and officers of the Department of Agriculture. Official approval by the Minister for Agriculture was granted the following month and the course began operating at the beginning of 1961.

Providing staff for the course was a problem. College commitments were heavy and, although everyone wanted the project to succeed, few had time to contribute. The solution was found by establishing a teaching panel made up of staff from the Plant Research Laboratory, the college, the State Laboratories and pasture Branch. E. Hammond, a well known expert on golf-course construction, was invited to give the first lecture, and several firms with interests in turf management provided machinery demonstrations at the end of the year.

The building of the canteen was one of many achievements of the hard-working Ladies' Auxiliary. On one occasion when preparations were under way in the hall for annual pruning demonstrations, Dorothy's work was interrupted by the arrival of Sir John Medley, then the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. During the ensuing conversation she told him that the ladies' current project was to provide a piano for the college hall. Sir John told Dorothy to contact a friend of his, Paul Fiddian, at the Conservatorium of Music to see if he could suggest anything that might be suitable. Within a matter of days the college was proudly taking delivery of a valuable piano bought for the modest sum of £160.

Principal Kneen and his wife Dorothy followed the example of their predecessors in working as a team for the good of Burnley and its students. Tom was a capable administrator, and he set about placing the college firmly on the industrial scene. In particular, Burnley became a regular venue for meetings of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, of which Tom was a founding member. Association with the Institute improved Burnley's profile with agricultural authorities and added to its reputation.

More immediately, college staff worked as a team to have their Diploma course recognised as a standard tertiary qualification, particularly by the University of Melbourne. With increasing numbers of Burnley students choosing to further their studies at the university, it was important to ensure that adequate recognition was given to their work at the college. Students wanted the college to offer course material which was relevant to industry, as well as being of sufficiently high standard to maintain its status among other tertiary courses.

The advent of town planning altered the way industry viewed the Burnley course and its standing in industry. The qualification was labelled as 'undirected' and 'pseudo-academic', and moves were made to see it upgraded once again. Apprenticeships were suggested by industry but not wholeheartedly welcomed by college management. Parks and gardens authorities, on the other hand, saw such a development as providing them with improved trainees and the college with a new impetus for development. Discussion on apprenticeship training proceeded over about ten years. It was not until 1964 that a final decision was made. The Department of Agriculture could not provide the facilities for apprenticeship training and suggested that the Apprenticeship Commission look to other establishments.

In 1967 an era ended when Tom Kneen, principal since 1946, was promoted to the position of principal at Longerenong Agricultural College. The departure of the Kneens was a sad day for the college who had for so long looked upon Uncle Tom with considerable affection and had relied on Dorothy's meals on wheels for daily sustenance. From October 1967 Eric B. Littlejohn officially became college principal. The new Diploma of Horticultural Science course began in that year. The next few years were to be ones of further change for the college, its staff and its students.

Quiet before the Storm: 1967-77

In the early years of Eric Littlejohn's term as principal, Burnley continued to operate much as it had done for many years. However, there were increasing pressures to modernise courses and educational practices. In response to these pressures, a new technical block and extensions to the ageing chemistry laboratories were prepared in 1968.

A new Diploma course was planned during 1965-6 which included more tertiary-orientated content. Introduced at the beginning of Kneen's last year as principal, 1967, the Diploma of Horticultural Science was a three-year course, replacing the Diploma of Horticulture which had begun in secondary education with passes in chemistry and mathematics at fifth form (Year 11). The course provided training in all major areas of horticulture, basic sciences and business methods. It also contained matriculation English, economics, maths and additional chemistry. Completion of the new course was equivalent to matriculation and thus students could move directly into university study.

Important to the academic improvement of the college was an extension of science teaching with increased emphasis on chemistry in particular. The new Chemistry Centre and Plant Production Laboratory was the first of several new buildings to open. The administration building had by now become inadequate as student numbers had grown and the education offered at the college had increased in complexity. The chemistry building was the first of a small number of separate constructions to remedy this problem. Development of the technical block took somewhat longer. The sum of $110,500 was voted for the project in 1968 but it was almost two years before the facility became available for use. Included were a mechanics instruction area, welding and building construction teaching facilities, and a small cool store for fruit.

In the 1960s and 1970s full-time student numbers more than doubled, stretching available resources to the limit. Part-time courses also continued to attract capacity enrolments. In 1969 the ten subjects offered in the evening Certificate course attracted over 1000 enrolments. In 1967 Burnley was approved for Commonwealth financial assistance as a college of advanced education. Ornamental gardening, floriculture and propagation classes continued to be the most popular with students from a wide variety of backgrounds and vocational situations. The year 1970 saw the establishment of the first College Advisory Committee, a group of experts to advise on matters of training and policy. In particular, it was hoped to keep the establishment in closer contact with industry and its needs. The inaugural meeting of this committee was held at the college on 12 August 1970, being attended as well by the Minister, Director and Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture. On that occasion the committee also officially met the college staff and the Students' Representative Council.

The 1970s was a time of new employment opportunities for horticulture graduates, and the college easily filled its full-time classes. One of the interesting part-time courses associated with Burnley was an Associate Diploma of Landscape Design, offered by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in conjunction with the College. Commencing in 1965, this post-graduate part-time course was open to students holding a tertiary degree or diploma in architecture, horticulture, engineering or other approved qualification. Credits were given for subjects completed in previous courses. Eric Littlejohn was involved in teaching this course, and several Burnley graduates completed the course to strengthen their landscape qualifications and, incidentally, qualify for membership of the Institute of Landscape Architects.

Around 1968, work had begun on construction of the South-eastern Freeway. Of major significance was the re-routeing of the river. As it had originally flowed, the Yarra ran through a sweeping bend close to the rear of the old principal's house. To prevent the need for bridging the river twice with the new freeway, a deep cut was made adjacent to the river on the Heyington side and the water redirected through it. This produced a new land area at the rear of the college, much of which is today occupied by the City of Richmond sports reserve. However, many of the old river red gums once standing on the river bank were now high and dry in the playing field. Despite efforts to save them, few survived this change in environment.

Pruning demonstrations, twenty-six of them, to more than 2000 people in 1975, continued to be a popular point of contact with the public. However, there were many other areas in which Burnley was influencing and meeting the needs of the community, often well out of proportion to its small staff and physical size. Monthly notes on home gardening prepared by the staff were published in the Journal of Agriculture for many decades. Other publicity, and community help, which emanated from Burnley reached more people than did articles in departmental journals.

Commencing in 1958 staff member Jack Plumridge pioneered a successful ABC radio programme aimed at the home gardener, and later, Bill Nicholls did the same for television programmes. This same programme evolved to today's popular phone-in programme. Among the presenters since that time have been Kevin Heinze, Rod Cantrill, Alan Gardiner, Rosemary Davies and Eric Dalziel, the last four being Burnley graduates. In Canberra another Burnley graduate, Tony Fetherston, developed a strong following for a local version of the programme.

As the nature of Burnley changed, some staff members found that the increasing emphasis on theory as well as practical work, made teaching less rewarding. Formerly students were required to spend at least half of their two years' study intimately acquainting themselves with all aspects of plants in all seasons; by the late 1970s the syllabus included only a fraction of practical work. From more than 50 per cent in the 1930s, practical work had been cut to around 20 per cent - largely because increased academic requirements took up most of the course time. Later in the 1970s, practical work increased to become about one-third of the students' time.

September 1977 marked the close of Eric Littlejohn's time as principal at Burnley. On 30 September, the staff and their guests who gathered to farewell him on his retirement, heard Tom Kneen give a résumé of the long years of dedicated service which he had given to the college. His place as principal was taken by Brian Pell who acted in this position for the remainder of the year, until officially appointed from the beginning of 1978.

The Old Order Changes: 1978-82

Less than twelve months after Eric retired from Burnley, Tom Kneen retired as Chief of Division of Agricultural Education of the Department of Agriculture. Bob Luff, then principal of Glenormiston Agricultural College, was appointed Chief of Division and later founding director of VCAH.

New rose gardens were designed and laid out over the next two years. Herbaceous borders in several locations were replanted and by 1980 work began on an Australian native garden. It was redeveloped again in 1987, and was one of the largest new sections of landscaping carried out since construction of the administration building.

For the older generations of Burnley students, and for the garden purists, demolition of the old principal's house was a tragedy for the gardens. Luffman had designed the entire area with his home as its focal point. For eighty years or so, the house and its occupants had been the hub of the gardens and the college. With demolition the heart of his inspired and beautiful gardens, maintained by generations of students and staff, was ripped out. There had not, it seemed to them, been time or adequate consideration given to finding alternate means of financing restoration or alternate land for student training.

The principal's house, long the focal point of the gardens at Burnley, was demolished in 1980.

During 1979, a review of the College by Dr R. N. Rowe was tabled in the Victorian Parliament. Entitled, Report on the Role of the Victorian Department of Agriculture in Horticultural Education, it looked particularly at the economy of operating Burnley. Among other things it found that the college had 35 per cent of the Victorian students studying in the field of horticulture but only 13 per cent total budget and 21 per cent of the staff. At the time Burnley was still an 'agricultural college' operating under the Agricultural College Act of 1958. It was directed by the Department of Agriculture through the Division of Agricultural Education which had been established in 1944.

Fundamental to the report was criticism of the long-accepted role of horticulture as being primarily concerned with fruit and vegetable crops. This idea dated back to the Horticultural Society of the 1850s and the importance of food crops since that time. By the 1970s though, a large part of horticulture in Victoria involved the ornamental aspects of amenity horticulture. That part of the industry included nurseries, domestic garden design and plant supply, industrial landscaping and new town-planning requirements involving horticultural expertise for revegetation programmes.

One significant aspect of the review was that Burnley, alone among tertiary institutions in Australia, was already presenting courses emphasising amenity horticulture. Since the introduction of the Certificate of Competency in 1911, it had been attempting to provide a balanced horticulture, teaching ornamental, utilitarian and general aspects of the study. Many graduates later moved into amenity areas.

Proximity to 70 per cent of the total Victorian population, made Burnley popular for part-time study, with short courses especially designed for suburban gardeners as well as those already employed in the horticultural industry. In this respect Burnley differed from other colleges which were isolated in terms of the larger population and even, to some extent, from their local communities - a particular feature of Dookie, for example.

In order to meet the various demands for more courses and better qualifications, the college applied to the Department of Agriculture for accreditation of three new Diplomas in the year 1979. These were named the Diploma of Applied Science in Amenity Horticulture, Diploma of Applied Science in Nursery Production and Management, and the Diploma of Applied Science in Horticultural Crop Production and Management. However Brian Pell found it difficult to administer the college as part of the public service while at the same time satisfying industry requirements for professional horticultural education. He proposed that the college should be separated from the Department of Agriculture. The Department did not agree and a new position of Principal Planning Officer was created in the Division of Agricultural Education, to which Pell was appointed.

In 1980 with the imminent departure of Pell, Frank Keenan was appointed the industry representative on a panel to select the new principal. This recognition by the Department of Agriculture that industry should have a say in the appointment, contributed to the selection of James Davis as the new principal. He differed in many ways from those who had preceded him.

Davis was a New Zealander who had completed the bachelor and master degrees in Agricultural Science at Lincoln College, University of Canterbury. He worked in sales for Austral Pacific Fertilisers, as an agronomist at Gympie and as marketing manager for Yates Seeds, Sydney. James Davis arrived at Burnley during July 1980. His appointment was an interesting one as he was the first academically qualified horticulturalist to be principal at Burnley. He had been encouraged to apply for the Burnley position by Bob Luff, the new Chief of Division. Jim had a sound horticultural background and, following a line of zealous agricultural principals, was able to strengthen the horticultural subjects on campus.

Over the next few years a number of major alterations took place in the daily running of the college. The Diplomas of Applied Science were approved and additional horticultural academics were employed to teach the various new courses. Not everyone welcomed the changes, particularly as more academics arrived. Those with lesser academic qualifications began to feel out of place, and a number left. In the longer term this allowed easier establishment of degree and even higher degree courses, but in the process some practical skills were lost.

Numerous short courses for the industry were run. Ivo Dean, previously Principal at Marcus Oldham College and a respected person in agricultural education, with a wealth of experience in course design and industry liaison, was engaged as a specialist consultant to Burnley to prepare and organise a short course program. The programme included farm courses, horse management and even mudbrick building (the gazebo behind the Plant Science Laboratory is the product of one such course). The role of Short Course Coordinator ended in December 1982 when it was claimed that the college resources were over-stretched and that short courses contributed to this situation. At that time there were no less than forty short courses with a total attendance of around 7,300 students. Whether short courses should have been curtailed at this time remains a subject of conjecture. Short courses were a critical part of maintaining Burnley's public image and then, as now, there may have been the possibility of full cost recovery on short courses.

By 1982, past student Frank Keenan was chairman of the College Advisory Committee which showed some changes in membership. Representation now included Trevor Arthur of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works; Fred Brown from the Northern Golf Club; Ross James, a nurseryman; Ian Peggie from the Knoxfield Research Station; Les Riley from Safeway Stores; and Geoff Sanderson, a landscape architect. Other members of the committee included James Davis, Peter Wood (nurseryman), Peter Harrison (City of Melbourne Parks and Gardens), Barry Cranston (college registrar) and staff representative, Dr Peter May. Jeff Kennett, advertising executive and member of parliament, now Premier of Victoria, had been a member of the revised College Advisory Committee. He and Les Riley, among others, were encouraged to participate in order to broaden the basis of advice received by the college.

Through these advances, Burnley lost its fruit and vegetable instruction. In the Diploma of Applied Science course, Horticultural Crop Production and Management, there had been a decline in numbers both of students and of industry positions available to graduates. By 1981 it was clear that something major had to be done about the situation. It was decided to close down the fruit and vegetable sections of Burnley, transferring all teaching in that area to Dookie College, as had been recommended by the Rowe Report.

It was the work of the Morton Committee in Victoria which provided the final encouragement for specific course changes. In its report tabled in October 1982 the committee, chaired by I. K. Morton, then also chairman of the Rural Finance Commission, suggested that Burnley needed a three and a half year degree course, together with associate diplomas and Certificate courses run under TAFE organisation. The Morton Committee's report set in motion, moves which were to further change the nature of Burnley's course profile.

One Hundred Years On: 1983-90

In 1983, the VCAH came into being - six campuses under one council, each with a Head of Campus (refer to Chapter 11). As soon as the VCAH was formed, Burnley staff began to prepare proposals for a postgraduate Diploma, a degree course, an Associate Diploma course and a Certificate course, along the lines proposed by the Morton Committee.

The introduction of the new programs in 1985 heralded the arrival of Burnley and its courses in mainstream Tertiary Education. Teaching the Associate Diploma, Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) and the Graduate Diploma programs placed a considerable burden on the academic and physical resources of the College. Nevertheless, the courses were a success, and attracted large numbers of high calibre students. The cut-off scores for entry in 1985 and 1986 were high for the sector and have remained so ever since.

Once the Higher Education programs had been developed it was only a matter of time before the TAFE courses at Burnley were also accredited and improved. From 1986, the Advanced Certificate in Horticulture proved itself to be a large and successful course with enrolments often exceeding six and seven hundred students. In a similar way the Advanced Certificate in Arboriculture has proved an outstanding program for people specialising in this industry. Other Advanced Certificates and Certificates in Landscape, Nursery and Turf have also received strong student and industry support.

The introduction of the university-equivalent courses marked another milestone for Burnley. Since the principalship of Tom Kneen, moves had been in progress, both within and outside the College, to have students receive a qualification in horticulture which would be acceptable to employers and a tertiary achievement in its own right.

The Exhibition Buildings and even the Ringwood Community Centre were found to be inadequate sites for Garden Week and the event was moved to Burnley. It was an immediate success. The ideal nature of the campus's garden setting and its proximity to the city, combined with the reputation of the association to produce a record crowd. Since then crowds have increased in most years, with as many as 60,000 visiting in 1990. Benefits have been considerable although the high costs of repairing the gardens, not fully covered by returns, led to some disruption of teaching. The event has given the campus a first-class opportunity to involve itself with the industry and to publicise its own work. For the nursery trade it has provided a venue which allows ideal display of products and plants.

Jim Davis resigned his principalship at the close of the 1987-8 financial year in order to become directly involved with VCAH Services Limited, a company established by VCAH. His position as principal was filled by Dr Greg Moore. In February 1989 a total of 120 new students were enrolled in courses for the Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Horticulture), Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) and Associate Diploma in Applied Science (Horticulture). During that year 1,750 students were admitted to the various TAFE courses including Recreational Turf Management, Landscape Technology and Horticultural Studies Certificate, and Advanced Certificates in Horticulture and Arboriculture as well as the Horticultural Training programme.

Centenary and Beyond: 1990-97

The celebration of the Burnley College Centenary in 1991 provided a major focus for activities in that year and an impressive launching pad for a number of developments that would take place over the next few years. The celebrations began with an Open Garden day, an expanded and high quality Garden Week and a Centenary Graduation ceremony that were outstanding successes and attracted significant public attention.

There were other more tangible signals of a new era. The new Plant Materials and Soils Laboratories that occupied the site of the old tennis court were used for the first time in the teaching programs at the beginning of the first semester. The Landscape and Arboriculture Teaching Facilities were also completed during the year and were used for classes in the second semester. The Student Recreation Hall however, could not be completed due to a lack of funds and it was a further eighteen months before it became available for student use.

The Centenary year also saw some major academic and teaching initiatives. The first intake of Masters students occurred in the second semester of the year. This new program expanded the profile of professional level courses available, and saw an increase in research activity at Burnley. The initial intake saw eight students commence their Master programs. All had fine academic records, most were mature age and all were part-time and working within the horticultural industry. Already two of these students have completed their courses in minimum time, the first graduating in 1996 and the second in 1997. It is expected that another four to six students will complete their programs during 1997 and be eligible for graduation in 1998.

The Masters course has expanded to the point where there are now, on average, about fifteen students undertaking research. The research is invariably of an applied nature and directly relevant to the industries that Burnley College serves. This research has already seen an increase in relevant publications from Burnley and this is expected to expand quite dramatically in 1997 and beyond. Given the success of the Masters program it was inevitable that PhD students would soon be supervised for their research projects at Burnley, and 1997 saw the enrolment of the first three PhD candidates at Burnley.

Among other academic initiatives that occurred in 1991 was an impressive Convocation Ceremony which featured Sir Ninian Stephen as the guest speaker, and which was attended by, in excess of two hundred academic and other dignitaries. The Ceremony was the beginning of a month of celebrations which included a large Alumni dinner hosted in the new recreation facility and which culminated in the Burnley Centenary Conference. Scientific Management of Plants in the Urban Environment attracted an international range of outstanding speakers such as Ted Kozlowski, Joe Sabol and Gary Watson from the USA, Peter Thoday and Bill Simpson from the United Kingdom and Ken Milne from New Zealand, all proven leaders in their respective fields. The Conference attracted some 400 participants and the proceedings were subsequently published and circulated widely. For many staff the Centenary Conference marked the beginning of publishing efforts which have continued until today.

The old dairy building which had become something of a possum-infested eyesore at Burnley, and which was on the verge of demolition in the late 1980s, was restored by the beginning of 1990. The transformation allowed for a display of memorabilia, and artefacts were on display for the whole of the Centennial year. Subsequently the building has become well known as the Burnley College Book Shop, while the upper floors house the Burnley College archives and some staff offices.

During 1991 and 1992 the College's need for another tiered lecture theatre was remedied with the construction of a new light frame 120 seat lecture theatre. This theatre with its good acoustics, allowed the College to take larger numbers of first year groups into its Diploma and Degree programs and also allowed the bringing together of large groups of staff and students for special events and joint lectures.

The Centre for Urban Horticulture commenced activity as the consulting and industry liaison arm of Burnley College in 1993. The Centre is housed in its own building which was constructed at the end of the Engineering Building in 1992. The Centre has participated in important horticultural tenders and turnover quadrupled over the period from 1993 to 1995.

The affiliation of the VCAH with the University of Melbourne first mooted in 1988 received strong support from Burnley College staff, although the real impact of affiliation has only been felt with the creation of the new Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture in April 1995. Burnley College has taken the opportunity that this new structure created to build links with colleagues at Parkville and Creswick.

The period 1992 to 1997 has also seen some major activities which affect the Burnley College grounds. The departure of the Department of Agriculture from the Burnley campus and the subsequent sale of their portion of the site, degraded the integrity of the grounds. The College began a major five year project to rejuvenate and restore the gardens in 1995.

The calibre of students entering Burnley College continues to be excellent. Those entering straight from year 12 continued have high TERs for the sector, and the College continues to attract significant numbers of mature age students with outstanding employment records in relevant industries. Graduates from all courses are in demand by industry and employment rates are well above the average. The ability, enthusiasm and dedication of such students augurs well for the future of Australian ornamental horticulture.

College staff have continued a significant program of staff development. Many have upgraded their qualifications and others are making substantial contributions to national and international conferences and relevant industry, technical and scientific journals. The College has continued to see the value in offering high quality programs in the TAFE and Higher Education sectors. During 1997, the College will trial and deliver modules from the National Horticulture Core Curriculum. As the primary amenity horticulture education facility in the country, Burnley has come a long way from being an agricultural school in a garden setting to become a valued part of the Institute of Melbourne School of Land and Environment.