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| The School of Forestry at Creswick, 1994. |
The Forests Act, 1907 established the State Forests Department in Victoria. It also prescribed an examination system for the training of professional foresters. By 1910, this had led to the purchase of the residence of Dr John Tremearne at Creswick for the establishment of the Victorian School of Forestry. Sir Alexander Peacock, the local Member of Parliament and later Premier of Victoria, was a driving force in the establishment of the School.
To quote a 1977 University of Melbourne citation:
'Creswick is a unique town. On a population basis it has probably produced more distinguished Australians than any other town in Australia. It was the birthplace of Sir Alexander Peacock, Premier of Victoria; of Sir John Northcote, soldier and Governor of New South Wales; of John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia; of the Lindsay family, painters and writers. The Holy Ground of Trade Unionism, it produced W.G. Spence, founder of the Amalgamated Miners' Association and David Temple, co-founder with Spence of the Shearers' Union. Creswick is in the heartland of the great Ballarat Mining District, was world famous for deep-lead gold mines such as Madam Berry; the greatest mining disaster in Australia's history occurred at Creswick's Australasian mine in 1882.'
The first six students arrived in 1910. Their teachers were from the Ballarat School of Mines. Their Board of Examiners was led by Professor Alfred Ewart of the University of Melbourne, the leading Victorian botanist of his time.
By 1912 the adjacent Goldfields Hospital (established in 1856) had also been purchased and a long tradition of forestry education at Creswick had begun. Early trainees included Reg Lindsay (of the Lindsay family) who was killed in action in World War 1.
Successive Principals of the School contributed to the progressive development of high standards of professionalism during these early years. They included in order : T.S. Hart, Charlie Carter, Karl Ferguson, and Dr. Ted Semmens - all people of considerable character. The story is still recounted in pathology circles of Charlie Carter's practical tests which often included a grey human hair or a shark's tooth, in the guise of fungal hyphae or fruiting bodies, for the unsuspecting innocents to identify and classify.
Edwin James SemmensEdwin James Semmens was born in 1886. His early education was at the Maryborough State School and the Bendigo School of Mines. He graduated to the degree of Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne, with Exhibitions in Botany and Zoology and was a Howlitt Research Scholar in Zoology. He was later elected a Fellow of the Linnaean Society. Ted Semmens began his career as a teacher in the Education Department of Victoria. In 1927, while at Shepparton High School, he was invited to become the Principal of the Victorian School of Forestry. The appointment was seen as a challenge because the school was at such a low ebb that it was in danger of being closed. The outstanding progress in the next 24 years is indicative of his leadership and initiative in guiding the school's development. Ted Semmens was not just a good Principal. He was an accomplished field botanist and historian, and active in community affairs. In 1968, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) for his services to the community, particularly to local government. His historical collection was transferred to the University of Melbourne and stands internationally as one of the great collections for historical research. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Forest Science by the University of Melbourne in 1977. |
Creswick's intake of students was about four to eight annually from 1910 until the mid 1940's. The three year course undertaken by the students leading to an Associate Diploma of Forestry. This qualification equitably mixed theory and practice, a tradition that has continued. Entrance was by competitive examination. The training was robust and the conditions spartan. Students worked in the classrooms and laboratories and in the school grounds, at the State Nursery and in the surrounding forest. The forestry profession was automatically considered a male preserve in those days even to the extent that the advertising brochure used for many years described the Creswick diploma as 'The Gateway to a Man's Career'.
During the late 1920's, the Commonwealth Government also established a forestry training academy, the Australian Forestry School (now part of the Australian National University), at Yarralumla and there was considerable tension between the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments about forestry education. Leading foresters in the rest of the country wanted all forestry training at Canberra. Charlie Carter supported this thrust and transferred to the employ of the Canberra school. The Institute of Foresters of Australia was reluctant to grant membership to holders of the Creswick diploma, causing strains within the Institute that did not ease until the 1960's. More importantly, the argument resulted in other State forest services employing predominantly Canberra graduates until the 1980's, while Victorian graduates were more confined to Victoria, at least in the early years of their employment.
During these early years, the Forests Commission obtained most of its professional forestry staff though cadetships at the School and established a practice of sending the best diplomates to finish a Science Degree at the University of Melbourne.
Following representations by the Forests Commission and the Victorian Government, the University of Melbourne established a Bachelor of Science in Forestry course in 1943. Competition between the two forestry schools has continued to this day with undoubted benefits in promoting both excellence and a diversity of emphasis. Karl Ferguson and later Frank Moulds of the Forests Commission were seconded temporarily to undertake the duties of the Senior Lecturer in Forestry.
The University of Melbourne course was initially restricted to Creswick graduates who completed their degree by undertaking two additional years of study at the University. The first intake of three students, Eric Ellwood, Geoff Dyer (now deceased) and Bill McKenzie completed their studies at the end of 1944. All three had careers of distinction. Professor Ellwood culminating as Dean of the School of Forestry, North Carolina State University and as a distinguished wood scientist; Dyer as a successful sawmiller; and McKenzie as another distinguished wood scientist with CSIRO Division of Forest products.
John Chinner took up his appointment as Senior Lecturer in charge of Forestry in the Faculty of Science in 1945. He successfully pursued research grants and support for lectureships from industry and government agencies. Many of his postgraduates went on to lead the development of forestry research in government agencies, industry and universities in Australia and internationally. The names of postgraduates to 1979 include: Drs Peter Attiwill, Leon Bren, Murray Cunningham, Dick Curtin, Fred Craig, Bob Ellis, Eric Ellwood, David Flinn, Peter Greig, Ron Grose, John Kininmonth, Alf Leslie, Jack Opie, Leon Pederick, Tony Rudra, Ross Squire, Ken Shepherd, Ray Spencer and Messrs Robin Cromer, Barrie Dexter, Alec Floyd, Mike Hall, Bill Incoll, John Jack, Bill McKenzie, Joe Mack, Malcolm Mann, George Peet, Ken Rowe, and Arthur Webb, and they continue to be cited widely in forestry research literature. At various times, Drs Peter Greig and Tony Rudra went on to serve for periods as members of academic staff, while Associate Professor Peter Attiwill has had a distinguished career with the School of Botany, and Drs Leon Bren and Ray Spencer with the School of Forestry. National and international contributions of John Chinner, Alf Leslie and Eric Ellwood were recognised by the University by the award of honorary Doctor of Forest Science degrees in 1993, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the University school.
John Harding ChinnerJohn Harding Chinner graduated from the School of Forestry, Creswick in 1932. Following a period of service with the Forests Commission, Victoria, he graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1938. He was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship in 1939 but enlisted in the AIF and saw active service in the Middle East and Papua New Guinea, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He took up the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University in 1945, where he completed a postgraduate research degree in silviculture and forest ecology. Returning from Oxford in 1947, he was appointed Senior Lecturer-in-charge of the recently established School of Forestry at the University of Melbourne. He was promoted to Reader-in-charge in 1956. He was Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry from 1978 to 1980. He was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia in 1974 and was awarded the N. W. Jolly Medal by that Institute in 1982. He made an outstanding contribution to forestry education in Australia, especially in the development of postgraduate research, through which he laid the foundations for the recognition and success of research in a number of the Australian forest services. |
John Chinner was assisted by first class staff such as John Howard, who went on to have a distinguished career in international forestry; Bailey Carrodus, who is now a leading Victorian vigneron; and Alf Leslie who is a leading and much respected figure in international forestry.
Alfred John LeslieAlfred John Leslie graduated from the School of Forestry, Creswick in 1941. After service with the Royal Australian Navy, he graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1949. He then served with the Forests Commission and APM Forests Pty Ltd before being appointed Lecturer in Forest Management at the University of Melbourne in 1958. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1962 and graduated to a Master of Science in Forestry in 1963. He taught at the University of Ibadan from 1962-64 and was Reader at the School of Forestry, University of Canterbury, from 1974-77. He served with the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations for various periods, rising to become Director of the Forest Industries Division at the time of his so-called retirement in 1981. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia and a past President of the International Union of Societies of Foresters. He has continued to be active in consultancy work in many developing countries and has contributed greatly to the standing of Australian forestry throughout the world. |
In the immediate post-war period, the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick flourished as the Forests Commission increased its intake to about 12 students per year. It further developed its professional and academic standing, under the succession of able Principals who followed Ted Semmens: Dr. Frank Moulds, Bill Litster, Alan Eddy, Dr. Jim Edgar, Bob Orr and Dr. Ross Squire. Five of the six were graduates of the University of Melbourne. All were strong personalities and worked hard to maintain the professional standing of the Creswick School, as well as meeting the academic requirements for those students proceeding on to University. Dr. Frank Moulds rose to become Chairman of the Forests Commission. During and after his term as Principal, he and John Chinner were widely seen to be politely but intensely competitive in advocating the professional versus academic (or practitioner versus scientific) virtues of their respective schools. In practice, the two systems were well matched to the age and background of the students and complementary in developing both excellent professional foresters and research scientists, as the record shows.
Francis Robert MouldsFrancis Robert Moulds graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick in 1933 and went on to graduate to Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Melbourne. After several years as a field forester, he was awarded a Sterling Scholarship to study at Yale University in the United States, where he graduated to the Master of Forestry degree and, in 1950, to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Frank Moulds held a number of specialist and senior positions in the Forests Commission of Victoria, culminating in his appointment as Commissioner of Forests and subsequently as Chairman of the Forests Commission from 1969-78. He introduced many innovations during his period as Chairman, notably in research, silviculture, plantation establishment, and in the management of forests for purposes other than wood. He was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia and awarded the Imperial Service Order. |
Financial pressures encouraged the Forests Commission to accept Commonwealth funding for the Creswick school through the then Victorian Institute of Colleges. The numbers of students increased still further to about twenty per year. Once Creswick became financially dependent on external funding, a succession of attempts were unleashed to attach the Creswick school to the School of Mines at Ballarat, the Ballarat College of Advanced Education, or the University of Melbourne.
In 1970, the University established a new four-year Bachelor of Science in Forestry course, providing direct entry into first year studies. Creswick diplomates continued to be granted status for the first two years of the course. This change underscored a lively decade of debate as to the future of the Creswick and the Melbourne courses and the possibilities of amalgamation, in which the Victorian Division of the Institute of Foresters of Australia played an important role. These strains were mirrored in the students, among whom the Creswick diplomates had assured employment with the Forests Commission, while others were on the open market in an environment in other States not entirely welcoming to Melbourne graduates.
In 1973, the School of Forestry amalgamated with the Faculty of Agriculture forming a new Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The former School of Forestry became a Forestry Section within this then single department Faculty but retained close links in teaching and research with the School of Botany in the Faculty of Science. The integration proved successful because of common interests and complementarities in teaching and research. Some would argue that having forestry students undertake a second year in residence on the dry stony soils of Mt Derrimut was pushing integration too far; others that it was better to have a field year rather than no field year.
John Chinner worked towards an accommodation between the Creswick and Melbourne courses. Despite many setbacks, an agreement was reached between the University and the Forests Commission in 1977. This also reflected the far-sighted support of the Commission and its then Chairman, Mr Alan Threader, for the future of forestry education and research. John Chinner was appointed as Dean of the Faculty in 1979 and 1980 and therefore had the satisfaction of putting the amalgamation he had sought into effect.
The agreement between the two parties required that the University conduct at least two years of its Bachelor of Forest Science course in residence at Creswick and that the Forests Commission cease its diploma course. That agreement has stood the test of time and the spirit of the agreement has been carried forward in later developments. Reflecting the relationship between the two organisations and the continuing support of the successive heads of the government agency, notwithstanding changes in the name of the agency and its scope. John Chinner retired in 1980, having seen his vision and persistence result in the commencement of a single tertiary course in forestry and the establishment of a Foundation Chair of Forest Science, moves that heralded a new era in forestry education and research in Victoria.
Professor Ian Ferguson was appointed to the Foundation Chair of Forest Science in 1981. The Bachelor of Forest Science course was re-designed to take better advantage of the period in residence at Creswick, such that students now undertake the Second and Third Years of the course there, the First and Fourth being undertaken at Parkville. Academic staff were recruited progressively to take over teaching from staff of the Forest Commission, although many of the professional and vocational aspects of training still rely on teaching by practitioners. Dr. Roger Sands was appointed Reader and Director of University Studies at Creswick in 1982, a position he filled with distinction before taking up the Chair in Forestry at the University of Canterbury in 1995. Numbers of students were initially modest (about 20 per year) but rose progressively to a level of about 45 per year by 1997 (half of whom are female).
The impact of women graduates on the profession deserves special mention in view of the reservations inherent in the masculine slogan alluded to earlier. Women foresters and forest scientists are now working in almost every sector of forestry and greatly to its benefit. As with men, most are attracted to forestry by a liking or concern for the forest environment and a desire to pursue a course and a career that has a substantial field component, at least in the early stages. The Bachelor of Forest Science course provides a blend of science and field work with a vocational emphasis that is both different from other science courses and leads to employment. For this reason, it continues to attract students of high academic ability and with a commitment to the profession.
In 1983, the Forestry Section was recognised as one of the two national institutes of higher education in forestry by the Standing Committee on Forestry of the Australian Forestry Council. This marked an important turning point because it signalled that forestry organisations in other states would recognise and employ Melbourne graduates where previously they had supported the Australian National University almost exclusively. Melbourne graduates now find employment in every State and Territory, and in New Zealand.
In 1984 and 1985, Professor Ian Ferguson served as Chairperson and sole Member of a Board of Inquiry into the Timber Industry in Victoria. The far-reaching recommendations of that inquiry led to the introduction of a Timber Industry Strategy by the Victorian Government, an iniative later emulated in other states and the Commonwealth.
The Forestry Section progressively expanded with the assistance of competitively awarded grants and research contracts. The University provided funds for a major extension to the Science building. Under the leadership of Associate Professor Roger Sands at Creswick, the Forestry Section gained a major role in a newly formed Co-operative Research Centre for Hardwood Fibre and Paper Science, together with CSIRO Division of Forest Products, the Australian Pulp and Paper Institute at Monash University, and the Pulp and Paper Manufacturers Federation of Australia. This Commonwealth sponsored centre of excellence has provided a major boost to postgraduate and staff research. Similarly, membership of the Co-operative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, involving a number of water authorities and research institutions, has boosted catchment research. Another major collaborative project with the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management developed new and more efficient methods of inventory to assist strategic planning in native forests. The Trees for Profit Research Centre, a collaboration in research to grow profitable tree crops that will also ameliorate salinity, is yet another addition to this array. This Centre includes staff from CSIRO, Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, State Forests of NSW, and Treecorp Pty Ltd.
In 1990, the Forestry Section received a major endowment from the Julia Hale Bequest. Julia Hale was a sawmiller and businesswoman. This endowment was therefore used to initiate postgraduate research and training specifically directed towards the forest industries. Professor Peter Vinden was appointed Professorial Fellow in Forest Industries in 1992 and has been highly successful in obtaining industry support for research and training initiatives in collaboration with the Victorian Timber Industry Training Centre (adjacent to the Creswick School) and the University of Ballarat. The Master of Wood Science degree by research and the Postgraduate Diploma in Forest Industries were introduced in 1993 as part of this program. Another recent complement to the Forest Industries Program is the Forest Technology Program, a collaborative research and teaching endeavor with the CSIRO Division of Forestry and the Australian Logging Council, which commenced in 1995.
Following the recommendation of a University review of Agriculture and Related Disciplines by Professor Dennis Greenland of the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau, a separate School of Forestry was established within the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry in 1994, preparatory to other changes consequent on the amalgamation of the Victorian College of Agriculture and Horticulture with the University and the expanding size and scope of activities in forestry research and education. Professor Ferguson was appointed Head of the School of Forestry, which became the School of Forestry and Resource Conservation in 1996.
In addition to the research activities outlined earlier, the School continues to pursue research and teaching in other aspects of forestry, notably in park and reserve management, conservation biology, recreation and land care. In doing so, it utilises the native forest and plantations at its back door to good purpose. It has received major research grants from the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service for research on recreation in the national parks of the Latrobe Valley region, the 'Save the Bush' program, and the evaluation of community revegetation projects; and grants from the Victorian Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to conduct research on the orange-bellied parrot, Leadbeater's possum and helmeted honey-eater.
Five-year combined Bachelor of Forest Science/Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Forest Science courses were introduced in 1994 and 1995 to cater for students wishing to pursue more specialised areas of science or commerce that complement the Forest Science course. These have proved popular for students with high academic levels of achievement, and have attracted some 40 per cent of the new admissions in 1997.
Professor Peter Vinden was appointed Director of University Studies at Creswick, following Professor Sands' departure to take up the Chair at Canterbury. In March, 1997, Professor Vinden was appointed to the Foundation Chair of Forest Industries, the creation of which signalled the importance the University placed on this area of teaching and research.
In addition to new frontiers in forest industries, the School is expanding its work in molecular biology and tree breeding through the CRC in Hardwood Fibre and Paper Science, and in the collaborative Xylonova Program project with ForBio Ltd, the Centre for Forest Tree Technology, State Forests of NSW, and Treecorp Pty Ltd, among others. In 1996, it established an Information Technology for Forest Management Program to develop software and improved biometrical functions for use in forest planning. Staff are now working on a major development in this area with Auspine Ltd, CSR Timber Pty Ltd and Primary Industries South Australia (Forestry).
New postgraduate coursework programs have been established, especially in the Forest Industries and Farm Forestry. These now cater for about 65 students annually. In 1994, the Farm Forestry Program established a postgraduate course that is taught on a block release basis throughout Australia at centres including Albany, Busselton, Mt Gambier, Launceston, Creswick, Tumut, Canberra, Lismore, Gympie and Atherton. It achieved great success and support from the Commonwealth Farm Forestry Program. The Myer Foundation is also funding a new 'Master Tree Grower' short-course for farmers that will also be offered at many locations. Negotiations are also in train for the formation of a collaborative Centre for Park Management Research and Education, involving Burnley College of Horticulture, the Department of Leisure and Recreation Studies of Victoria University of Technology, Parks Victoria, and the City of Melbourne.
In 1994, the University and the (then) Department of Conservation and Natural Resources formed a jointly owned company, limited by guarantee, to carry forward the management of the Creswick School site. Peter Shepherd was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Senior Lecturer in 1995. The company is responsible for the management of the Creswick School site and for teaching a new two-year Diploma of Forestry course for people who wish to pursue careers as technical supervisors in the forestry and forest industries. This is a more vocationally oriented course with some innovative aspects to the course design, including the teaching of subjects other than Work Experience on a block basis, over one or two weeks, with long periods of supervised Work Experience in the field between the blocks. This arrangement caters well for both school-leavers studying full-time, and for people in employment studying part time on block release. Some 40 students are now undertaking the course, almost half on a part-time basis, with the support of their employers.
In the last decade, staff of the School have undertaken numerous assignments for international and national agencies in other countries, most recently for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in India as Chief Technical Advisers to the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education. In 1997, one third of the postgraduate research students in residence came from overseas. Several postgraduate students will present papers at international conferences and several collaborative research projects are underway with overseas colleagues. In 1997, some eight undergraduate students will spend at least a semester overseas, variously in the United States, Germany and Thailand, as part of their formal studies. These developments underscore the growing international as well as national role of the School.
Staff of the School contribute to the Australian community through service on and in some cases leadership of the Boards or Councils of Central Highlands Water, the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation, the Timber Promotions Council, Institute of Foresters of Australia, Victorian Forest Industries Accreditation Board. Their contributions are also felt through membership of scientific societies and associations; and through research for, advice to, or consulting for a wide array of individuals, companies and agencies. The school continues to strive to be a first class school of forestry of international repute.
By July 1997, some 669 persons had graduated to the degree of Bachelor of Forest Science or the earlier Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree, 93 to the degree of Master of Forest Science or its predecessor, three to the degree of Master of Wood Science and 11 to the degree of Doctor of Forest Science of whom seven were awarded their degrees honoris causa. Some 37 students in forestry had been admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the University.
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| The School of Forestry at Creswick, 1994. |
