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| Glenormiston College, 1997. |
Several crucial elements came together in the late 1960s to achieve the establishment of Glenormiston Agricultural College. With hindsight, had any one of them been absent it is likely that the College would never have been developed, or that at the very least it would have taken a different form.
The Glenormiston Estate had been purchased by the State Department of Agriculture as long ago as 1949. Once a much bigger Western District property, owned by the Black family, the estate acquired by the Department comprised 693 acres (281 hectare), and cost the Crown £64 per acre. At the time of purchase, the intention was to commit the land to the provision of research, extension and education, with an emphasis on serving the needs of the dairy industry. Funds were limited - all available money was then being applied to renovation at Dookie and Longerenong - and for several years the only activity was in research on pastures, plant breeding, beef and vegetable production. Noel Young was appointed Farm Supervisor in 1953, and in later years Departmental staff including Rod Kefford, Gerry Vivian and Kevin Reed led the research effort. It was not until 1967 that the decision was made to establish a college at Glenormiston.
The setting and history of the property have had a strong influence on its later development. A visitor to the Campus today sees the mansion with its fine woodcarvings by Robert Prenzel, a historic garden; and well-established educational, residential and recreational facilities. Staff and students are enthusiastic about what they are doing. The confluence of circumstance which led to Glenormiston's establishment, and the subsequent strong focus on meeting industry needs, provide the basis for this enthusiasm.
What were the main elements in this 'confluence of circumstance'?
McKillop and Smith took on a run which they named Strathdownie in 1839. The appointed manager, Taylor, apparently perpetrated outrages against local aborigines and was keen to leave. The property was put on the market and bought by Niel Black.
Niel BlackNiel Black was the son of a Scots farmer, and came from Argyll. Sailing from the Clyde on the barque 'Ariadne' in April 1837, he arrived in Sydney at the end of September with a letter of introduction to Governor Gipps, who greeted him with a shake of the hand. He did not like Sydneysiders - 'In this country you believe nobody. There was a great desire to mystify, and the sooner [I am] out of it the better.' He was feted, wined and dined during his time in Sydney, and whilst appalled at the high prices bought the equipment he believed he would need to set up his station (as yet unseen) and sent it to Melbourne. Whilst he found Melbourne superior to Sydney (although housing was primitive), prices were still high, as were wages. In December 1839 he set off to find a run in the Western District. He was enchanted by the scenery in the lakes country east of Colac and reached Glenormiston on 22 December. He spent his first Christmas in 'foreign lands' eventfully, witnessing a domestic disturbance, but was most impressed with the property. He returned to Melbourne at the end of the month and made arrangements to take over Glenormiston, engaged servants and bought sheep. Black had paid £773/17/0 for the property. Whilst Black had problems with squatters and needed to constantly move stock and have patrols to guard his frontiers, he retained most of the original run and acquired other properties as well. The beginnings of the present mansion were made in the 1850s. Niel Black died in May 1880, having established a park-like setting for a gracious bluestone, white stuccoed building later to become an important centre for agricultural education. |
Following the death of Niel Black, his property was divided into three sections - Mount Noorat, the area including the original Glenormiston mansion, and Dalvui. His three sons, Archibald John, Stuart Gladstone and Niel Walter each inherited one of the sections. The Mount Noorat property is still in the hands of the Black family; Dalvui was sold to the Palmer family. The portion of the Glenormiston property not sold by Stuart Gladstone became the property purchased by the Department of Agriculture in 1949.
The Western District today comprises a mixture of extensive grazing properties and intensive dairying properties, with areas of cropping becoming more prevalent. The grazing properties reflect the squatter history of the region, whilst dairying is frequently the principal enterprise on farms established on Soldier Settlement or Closer Settlement blocks after World War II and into the 1960s.
Politically, at the time of the first moves to establish Glenormiston as an agricultural college, the Western District was conservative and agriculture was the most important source of the region's wealth. The rural lobby was powerful. The Premier in the late 1960s, Sir Henry Bolte, represented a Western District seat. Ian Smith, later Minister of Agriculture, was and remains a Western District representative. Bolte and Smith were both graziers, and well understood the needs of the farming community. At various times, both had Glenormiston within their electorates. Agriculture enjoyed political favour from the end of the war until the early 1970s, partly because of its importance to the State's economy, and partly because of the status and influence of Sir Gilbert Chandler, Minister of Agriculture for many years. The then Director of the State Department of Agriculture, Dr David Wishart, was a popular and strong leader, with an excellent relationship with the Minister. It may be true to say that agriculture never had it so good, nor has it since.
The community, led by a local dairyfarmer, Jack Scott, and a prominent Terang medico, Dr Les Westacott, provided strong support for the establishment of an agricultural college in the southwest of the State. Longerenong and Dookie were not readily accessible, and both were in regions very different climatically from the high-rainfall pasture zone of the Western District. In addition, the courses at the two established colleges had developed a stronger emphasis on science rather than practical farming, and Western District farmers believed that this had created a gap which a new college might fill. As an aside, it might be noted that this sort of occurrence is not new in agricultural education and training, where 'academic creep' can gradually alter the nature of courses. There is an analogy with the 18hp Ferguson tractor - tractors grew and grew until someone had to invent another '18hp Fergie'. The philosophy behind Glenormiston was to educate and train farm managers, whilst at the other colleges over time it had become more to educate and train people for support roles in the industries serving agriculture.
The original intention to develop a college with an emphasis on dairying underwent a change. Farmers recognised the need for management training, whatever enterprise was to be undertaken. Marcus Oldham Agricultural College at Geelong, a privately endowed institution, had demonstrated that a farm management course could attract students and provide them with an alternative to the jackaroo system. Thus in 1967 the decision to go ahead with the development of Glenormiston Agricultural College was announced by Sir Henry Bolte. It was to provide farm management training for both men and women, and became the State's first college established specifically with a coeducational remit.
The property was there, the political backing was there, now all that remained was to appoint a leader and a team to make it all happen. The next important element in the confluence was now to be put in place.
Once it had been decided that Glenormiston was to proceed, and funds were made available for staff and buildings, it was essential that there be rapid progress under a capable leader. In 1969, Bob Luff was appointed as foundation Principal of the College. The opportunity was enormous, and Bob Luff proceeded to make the most of it. The confluence of circumstance continued, with several appointments which got the college off to a good start.
Academically, the challenge was to establish a course in farm management in keeping with the objectives of industry and government. Bob Luff, Chris Wicks, John Young and Ken Lyons put in place a Diploma in Farm Management with four streams: plant and animal management, agricultural engineering and farm business management. Ken Sevenson, Dick Wigan, Wes Obst, Alan Jones and Jeff Lawes (the latter still a member of staff in 1997) added further strength to the programs and the life of the college in general. The courses used an experiential approach, with an emphasis on analysis of practical issues facing farm managers. The local community was not forgotten, and the first Advisory Committee was appointed in 1971. Jack Scott continued his strong influence, along with Stewart McArthur, later to become MHR for Corangamite. The Advisory Committee exerted real influence on the direction of courses.
Bob LuffBob Luff was quite young (31) when he became Principal at Glenormiston. His secondary schooling was at Melbourne Grammar, and he completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Diploma of Education at Melbourne University. He began work for the Agricultural Education Division in 1960, lecturing at Burnley. In 1961 he was the first BAgrSc to be appointed full-time to the staff of Longerenong College, and in the next eight years became successively Lecturer, Science Master (shades of the public school system) and Senior Lecturer. In 1969 Luff accepted the challenge of establishing the new Glenormiston Agricultural College. He demonstrably succeeded, developing ever stronger community support, before becoming Chief of Division of Agricultural Education in 1978, and later College Director of the VCAH in 1983. He retired in 1994. |
Administratively, the Principal had an excellent team under Norm Haynes, who had come to the college from Longerenong. Noel Young continued to manage the farm activities and to liaise with the builders as the construction work at the college progressed. In these early days, with so much happening, a strong administration was essential.
From the point of view of the provision of physical resources, it must have been an exciting time to be at Glenormiston. The mansion in itself was a major resource, even if the roof did leak from time to time. However, the next few years saw the staff at the college making the best possible use of the political support which it enjoyed. Briefly:
Over these seven years alone, more than $2.5 million transformed the site into a coeducational residential college. Des Bloink of the Public Works Department worked closely with Bob Luff and Norm Haynes and was given every support to produce buildings of quality. Two anecdotes flesh out the statistical information and show both the Departmental and the political support for the project (refer to box: John Natrass).
John NattrassJohn Nattrass, Chief of the Division of Agricultural Education, decided in 1967 that there had been enough delays and the Glenormiston College project should begin. Once the Principal was appointed in 1969 he gave him almost full responsibility, including the freedom to design courses, to select staff and to liaise with the Public Works Department, but insisted on one particular aspect of design. During a visit to Britain, he had been to Myerscough Agricultural College in Lancashire, and had seen a new approach to residential accommodation for students. Whereas Dookie and Longerenong - and most other Australian agricultural colleges of the time - had dormitory-style accommodation, Myerscough had built new residential facilities on a modular basis, with a small number of rooms in each module, and bathroom and toilet facilities to serve those accommodated in the module. At Glenormiston, modules of five residential rooms, a lounge room, a toilet and a bathroom were built at Nattrass' insistence (later the lounge was modified to become a sixth bedroom). This system proved much more attractive to students and visitors to the college (particularly since rooms were centrally heated), and also provided flexibility for coeducational residence. In the 1990s, coeducational occupancy no longer seems to demand separate facilities, but at the time of Glenormiston's establishment, this was an important issue to parents as well as to students. Work on the multi-purpose hall seemed likely to be delayed due to the lack of funds. Des Bloink, the project architect, early one morning whilst travelling in the Western District came across Henry Bolte whose car had broken down on the Princes Highway. Bloink offered the Premier a lift, and whilst driving to Cobden, told him of the funding problem at Glenormiston. Sir Henry said 'leave it with me' and a few days later the necessary funds were provided. |
Support continued under the new Premier, Dick Hamer, who opened the College in April 1973. By then, it was a substantial institution, both physically and in terms of human resources.
Everything came together - the funding, the people and the leadership. Truly a happy confluence, and one on which we may look back with some envy as the political power of agriculture and the public funding for education become more problematic.
The foundation Diploma in Farm Management course had its first intake of fifty-six students in March 1971. The course provided entry to both sexes with 'satisfactory secondary education' and 'preferably two years of continuous farm experience.' The Principal at Glenormiston interviewed all applicants, and selection was 'influenced by the quality of farm experience, maturity of outlook, motivation toward practical farming and the standard of educational preparation.' In the event, most students had passed at the Form five level and had two years of farm experience, so that their average age was twenty.
From the beginning, the college encouraged participation by the wider community. State Department of Agriculture staff were deeply involved, as were representatives of agribusiness. Students established a discussion group and played a major role in identifying and inviting guest speakers. Visits to commercial properties were a key part of the program, as were attendances at field days, conferences and seminars. The first report of the college, in 1972, noted that during the year 63 people had spoken to the students. While half came from the State Department of Agriculture, there were also farmers, representatives of political groups and farmer organisations and of commercial firms. Final year students in 1972 organised their own special interest tours. A major farm management project, conducted by all students, was an important part of the process of preparation for managerial positions on farms.
In 1972 the college began to present short courses for farmers, working in conjunction with the regional extension services of the State Department of Agriculture. The first such course, held in May and again in July, was entitled 'Decisions in Beef Management'. Bob Carraill, at the time Senior Beef Industry Officer in the Department, helped to establish the format for successful courses for farmers. The establishment of a short course account facility enabled a far wider range of courses to be developed and presented, to the benefit of industry.
A conversation in the Noorat Hotel between Matt Boland of the Department and Ken Lyons led to the innovation of the 'forty week' course, first for dairy farmers and later for other enterprises. The format was designed to encourage farm managers and their partners to attend the program one day a week over some forty weeks, at a time and place to suit their needs. They learnt a wide range of aspects of farm management, using examples from their own properties and tackling assignments between sessions. The format was so successful and flexible that it became central to the establishment of McMillan Rural Studies Centre, and was adopted by other colleges. Later the course was accredited, and adaptations of it now provide an avenue for farmers to build up qualifications through topics arranged in modules from which they can select to meet their individual needs.
In 1974 Glenormiston's responsiveness to local needs was demonstrated, with three new enterprises.
With assistance from local dairy farmers, the forty-day course was established as a Dairy Certificate Course. The Certificate was a practical course aimed at young dairy farm employees, who were not attending the Diploma Course ostensibly because of time commitments to milking cows. The course aimed to provide them with the basis of a formal training program, management training, practical training and a qualification. Departmentat policy meant that Glenormiston did not press for involvement in the apprenticeship scheme at the time. Senior Departmental staff considered that the Certificate would provide greater flexibility for the farmer, and also had some concern about the overall quality of teaching in the Farming Trades Apprenticeship course.
The Certificate Course was in two stages - Stage I, Skills Training, lasted three years and covered 12 subjects, centred on on-farm training with annual three-week residential courses timed to fit farm commitments. Stage II, Farm Management, shifted the emphasis from skills to management training. It lasted over two 20-week semesters, half a day per week. At the end the award of Dairying Certificate was given. By 1976, the course was provided at Colac and Cobden as well as at the college.
The college developed a close link initially with Mortlake High School through a Day Release course, later expanded to include the Catholic Regional College at Camperdown, and Noorat, Terang and Camperdown High Schools. Students were transported by bus to Glenormiston one day a week, and were involved in the academic and practical programs of the college. Demand was such that numbers had to be limited.
The third innovation, and one with the most lasting consequences for the college, was the introduction of a pilot correspondence course. Whilst modest in objectives at the beginning, the correspondence program gradually expanded, until in 1981 the core program, then the Associate Diploma in Farm Management, became available by home study.
It was also around this time that Glenormiston began to emphasise providing programs for women. Short courses for countrywomen included farm office management and bookkeeping, taxation and the primary producer, and calf rearing. This may have been a modest beginning, but in later years the college was the principal focal point for the development of Women in Agriculture programs and the establishment of a Rural Women's Development Network for southwestern Victoria. In 1994 the campus hosted the Fifth Annual Women on Farms Gathering, with 340 women in attendance. In 1995, analysis showed that one-third of the women enrolled in the Rural Women's programs went on to further study in accredited courses. Women now comprise more than half of the total college enrolments.
During 1977 the next important development occurred at the college - not without controversy.
It is true to say that agricultural scientists, especially those involved with pastures, have a somewhat ambivalent attitude toward the horse. Horses are very close grazers and can make pasture management difficult. At Glenormiston as elsewhere this ambivalence led to discussions about whether horses should be completely removed from the campus, with reliance on motorcycles instead. However, as luck would have it, Bob Luff in 1976 had visited Canada and England and seen that courses in horse management were becoming a major part of the profile at several agricultural colleges. On his return, he commissioned a review of the horse industry in Victoria, and found that it was indeed an important enterprise, employing many people in many capacities. There was a well-documented need for people to undertake a management role in the industry. Because most horse breeding in Victoria takes place on farms, there was considered to be an overriding need for farm management training.
Staff at the college set about designing a course in horse management, building on the existing farm management course but designing additional units specifically aimed at the horse industry. It was decided not to provide programs for jockeys, since they were being done at other locations. A proposal was submitted to the Division of Agricultural Education.
All hell broke loose. The Principal was summoned to a meeting with the Director, Dr Wishart, and other senior staff including the Chief of the Division of Veterinary Services, Dr Dan Flynn. The view was strongly expressed by Dr Flynn that horse courses were not appropriate for the Department to be conducting, and if there was to be any instruction about horses, it was the province of veterinarians, not agricultural scientists or diplomates.
Some key members of industry, who in the usual Glenormiston fashion had been deeply involved in the design of the course, heard of this discussion. Ken Cox, Principal of Stockwell Stud, was one who made representations to the Premier, the Minister and the Department about the need for the course. The upshot was that the Principal was once again summoned to Head Office, this time to be told that the course could proceed as long as any veterinary matters were dealt with by Departmental vets, rather than college staff. To this the Principal happily acceded. The old bluestone farm buildings were restored to be used as teaching and demonstration rooms for the horse program.
The Associate Diploma in Horse Management enrolled its first students in 1978, and has been a central part of the activities of the campus ever since. As with the agricultural program, an industry dominated Course Advisory Committee has guided and monitored the design and delivery of the Associate Diploma since its inception, with important benefits for the college. By 1988, the Associate Diploma in Horse Management was available in the external study mode, thus providing access to students nationally and internationally.
Today, Glenormiston is well equipped to serve the equine industries. As well as being a centre for standard-bred artificial insemination, it also has a full Olympic-size indoor equestrian centre. This provides a resource for teaching of students in horse courses, and also for the community generally - riding for the disabled is one activity for which it is extensively used.
It may be confidently stated that the decision not to remove horses from the college was a wise one.
Community support for Glenormiston was again demonstrated when the Rotary Club of Terang supported an exchange between Bill Simpson, then Vice-Principal of Merrist Wood Agricultural College in England, and Val Pollard who was then lecturer in farm business management. This exchange, and others like it, stimulated ideas for course development, and provided a wider perspective for the staff involved.
Brian Pell, who had been Vice-Principal under Bob Luff and a valued member of staff, was appointed as Acting Principal at Burnley in 1977, and in 1978 Val Pollard took on the role of Vice-Principal at Glenormiston. He had been a member of staff since 1973. This was not to be his position for very long - Bob Luff was promoted to Chief of the Division of Agricultural Education late in 1978, and in April 1979 he appointed Val Pollard as Principal.
Val PollardVal Pollard , who had graduated from Massey University with a specialisation in farm management, and had worked in the Division of Dairying of the State Department of Agriculture, expanded the programs of the college, particularly in the TAFE sector, and oversaw progressions from the early Associate Diploma programs to the current Advanced Diploma level. He also played a key role in the introduction of articulation programs leading to access of students to Bachelor of Applied Science courses. He has retained the focus on farm management, whilst at the same time strengthening the college's role in rural development and outreach, continuing the emphasis on women's role in agriculture. |
The principal form of official documentation at Glenormiston dealing with change and development, and with staff movements, is the Annual Report, traditionally made available at the graduation ceremony at the end of the year. One searches in vain for a farewell summary of the contribution of Bob Luff to the college, or a welcoming message to, and a background about, the new Principal, Val Pollard. In fact, the only mention of the departure of Bob Luff is in the 1979 Annual Report where it notes Val Pollard's appointment 'vice R. G. Luff'. Sic transit gloria mundi. The same section of the report notes the appointment of Max Coster as Vice-Principal. Max Coster had a similar background in to Val Pollard, bringing two specialists in farm management to the most senior positions on the Campus.
The Glenormiston Foundation was established during 1979. Its aims were:
'To provide Fellowships and Scholarships to allow individuals engaged in farm management and farmer education to further their knowledge in these fields.'
From the beginning, Glenormiston took its responsibility to the regional community, as well as to agriculture, very seriously. The campus was made available for all sorts of community groups. Val Pollard in 1978 defined the role of the college in terms which made a commitment to this wider purpose:
'the role of Glenormiston Agricultural College is to provide facilities, services and educational programs, both State-wide and regionally, for members of the rural community, as well as for employees within various Government Departments....The objective of the College, with respect to its educational program, is to develop a multi-level institution providing a flexible range of educational opportunities.'
The commitment to 'multi-level' courses was crucial. Val Pollard went on to say that integration and cooperation with other Divisions of the State Department of Agriculture and with TAFE...
'has enabled a wider range and coverage of programs to be offered, and has facilitated a growing acceptance by farmers of the concept of life-long education. That is, education that is freely accessible to all people and that provides increased options in length of course, age of participation, formal and informal learning situations. This is considered to be particularly important in agriculture, as a high proportion of the farm operators and workers enter this field without vocational training.'
The Luff Report (1976) looked at the broader role of the colleges, and amongst other things suggested that they could be valuable community resource centres, for example providing library and printing services. Glenormiston began to report formally on the community resource centre aspect of its activities in 1979, but it is clear that this had been one of its roles from the earliest days.
A thorn in the side of all three agricultural colleges in Victoria with farms (Dookie, Longerenong and Glenormiston) was the way in which the farm accounts were dealt with as part of the overall college accounts. This made it impossible to treat the farm as a commercial enterprise. Furthermore, money flowing from the farm enterprise went into the State's Consolidated Revenue, which not only caused annoyance but also took away incentive to improve productivity. A similar situation had applied to short courses until a few years earlier, when the introduction of a Short Course Account provided more flexibility for the conduct of that crucial aspect of the college's program.
Constant pressure from the Glenormiston College Advisory Committee finally paid off in 1980, when a separate Farm Account was established. This not only solved the problems of lack of commercialism; now the college farm enterprises were much more useful as a teaching resource because they could be analysed in a way similar to that applied to other commercial properties.
A mail survey of the employment and attitudes of ex-students provided staff with morale-boosting feedback in 1980. With a 90 percent response rate, high for such a survey, it was found that 90 percent of graduates were employed in agriculture, and 89 percent were satisfied with their employment prospects.
The Associate Diploma in Farm Management became available in the external mode during 1981. The college gradually developed a sophisticated support system for students studying at a distance, and this mode of study has become increasingly popular. Many students who enrol in external studies are mature-age students who have a strong commitment to completing the course, and their academic results are often outstanding. The dux of the college has on more than one occasion come from their number.
A $200,000 grant from TAFE in 1982 enabled the college to convert the previous teaching block into a resource centre, incorporating several functions - the library, audio-visual support, computing, printing, typing, information and publicity, student counselling and external study administration, providing all with much better-equipped resources. Students both on- and off-campus benefited from this building project. The Glenormiston commitment to external study has since seen further improvement to the resources involved in production and distribution of external study materials, and to assignment tracking. The campus is now part of a Faculty-wide video-conferencing network, and in 1997 will conduct a trial in the use of the Internet, email and CD-ROM in external course delivery.
Glenormiston was the first campus to establish a computer facility in the early 1970s, and by the mid-1970s had on-line access to the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education, enabling students to use farm management simulations. A campus profile produced in 1985 lists the computing equipment then available. This included ten Apple IIe microcomputers with monitors, three Apple IIe disk drives, seven dot matrix printers and a Corvus 18 Megabyte fixed disk. Software included VisiCalc and Calcstar electronic spreadsheets and Scripsit and Wordstar word processors, together with some agricultural software. How much has changed since 1985!
If one were to judge from the Annual Report for 1983, the change of organisational structure went unremarked at the campus. Perhaps that is how it ought to be. The only reference to the new College was a listing of the Office of Director staff and Council members, and the busy life of Glenormiston otherwise proceeded as normal.
The campus introduced further courses over the next few years. The Certificate of Business Studies (Agricultural Secretary) course, in cooperation with the Warrnambool College of TAFE began in 1983. The course was similar, in principal, to agricultural secretary programs in Britain, with the intention of training people to take on a support role in the preparation and analysis of farm accounts. The course evolved over time into the Associate Diploma in Rural Business Administration, and by 1996 the Advanced Diploma in Rural Business Management was in place. In 1985 Glenormiston built on its equine program, becoming the Victorian centre for the Farriery Apprenticeship, and in the following year for the first time, took on the conduct of the Farming Trades Apprenticeship at Cobden.
These developments were occurring in TAFE. The higher education component of the college's profile was also undergoing change.
A concern to staff at Glenormiston was the lack of opportunity for those completing their Associate Diploma at the campus to go on to the Bachelor of Applied Science course. This course was introduced in 1987. It had been designed to start at Dookie, and then in the final stages to permit students to undertake studies at other locations. Glenormiston's concern was that the program required of their graduates to complete the Degree was not an appropriate continuation of their studies. The feeling was that there was too much concentration on science subjects rather than building on the farm management content of the Glenormiston courses. The identification of an articulation package in 1991 helped to some degree, but problems remained. The issue was only resolved when streams were introduced into the Degree program, enabling students to tailor their final stages of study more to their proposed career path. Nevertheless, students in the degree program did undertake the final stage of their course at Glenormiston, and the proportion of students completing a degree there has gradually increased.
The farm management emphasis of Glenormiston implies a close connection with agribusiness. The campus developed a Postgraduate Diploma in Agribusiness, conducted jointly with what was then the Chisholm Institute of Technology (later to be subsumed into Monash University). Campus staff delivered units in this course, at residential schools conducted at Glenormiston. This course continues, now from Longerenong, whilst a degree program in agribusiness conducted jointly by Monash and Dookie has ceased to exist. The demand for places in business studies at Monash is high, and the lower tertiary entrance scores achieved by those students entering the degree in agribusiness when compared with other business students, was an important factor in Monash's decision to discontinue the program.
Glenormiston cooperated with Longerenong in another Postgraduate Diploma, this time in Agricultural Management and Extension. This course aims to provide a strong theoretical backing for people who provide information services to the rural community, whether in the public or the private sector.
One section of the community in the region with which Glenormiston had had little contact was the Koorie community. In 1993, funds were provided for the introduction of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program (now called the Indigenous Rural Education Program). A Statewide advisory committee was established, and Brett Westblade was appointed to Glenormiston to coordinate the program. The demands on him are heavy, but he has managed to develop contact with Koorie communities around the State, and to conduct successful courses in several locations. During 1995, modules from the TAFE-accredited Advanced Certificate in Farming selected as most appropriate to meet the needs of Koorie communities were being provided. The program is entitled 'Mullebar', and it strives to be responsive to the needs of participants, to be flexible, and to use appropriate Aboriginal role models and to incorporate relevant aspects of Aboriginal culture. By early 1997 a Resource Centre was completed, designed with the Koorie culture in mind, and built with Koorie involvement. Koories also are provided with the Advanced Certificate in Nursery and Garden Centre Operation as an extension to the Mullebar program.
By the late 1980s the concept of care for the environment and managing agricultural systems in a sustainable way had been explicitly recognised. Landcare groups were booming around the State in the wake of the previous catchment approach to soil reclamation which had been led by the Soil Conservation Authority. The Potter Foundation established a program of land use planning, involving the use of aerial mapping and the establishment of a development plan for the farm based on soil type, topography and vegetation. Glenormiston enthusiastically took up the delivery of land use planning courses, and appointed Margaret Jansen to coordinate them. These courses continue to play an important part in the transformation of the landscape, throughout Victoria.
Another aspect of land use in the wider community is the application of the principles of amenity horticulture to public and private land use. Municipalities have an interest in beautification of streets, parks and gardens, and gardening is an interest for a large proportion of the population, whether urban or rural. Glenormiston now has an extensive program in amenity horticulture, providing the Advanced Certificate in Horticulture, as well as a wide range of short courses.
In the wider field of horticulture, Glenormiston has, from 1997, assumed responsibility for vegetable industry education and training in Western Victoria.
The historic place of the Glenormiston mansion in the Western District has been further enhanced. Val Pollard advises that:
'The koala, lizards and possum carved on the panels at the Glenormiston Homestead staircase have "come home", after an absence of over 40 years. The panels, carved by the Prussian woodcarver, Robert Prenzel, were installed in 1909. They depict a range of Australian animals and plants, showing meticulous attention to detail. They were taken to the United Kingdom when the homestead was sold at the end of the war due to the uncertain future of the building.
The Black family, the previous owners of Glenormiston, have generously returned the panels, giving them to the University of Melbourne Art Collection, with the proviso that they be held at Glenormiston College. Before being installed at the College the panels formed part of an exhibition of the work of Robert Prenzel staged at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1994'
The grandeur of the restored mansion and its gardens, combined with the art collection and the Prenzel carvings, mean that the College is not simply a place of learning, but a place where aesthetic values are also cultivated.
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| Glenormiston College, 1997. |
The resources for agricultural education and training at Glenormiston are considerable in terms of a committed staff, buildings and facilities. Community support remains strong. The dairy industry would like to see an even greater contribution to the training and education of present and future dairy farmers. A new 40-unit turnstile rotary dairy will permit an increase in the number of cows which can be carried in the dairy herd and increase the importance of the dairy farm as a teaching resource.
There are some issues for management, as in any educational institution. Students increasingly vote with their feet to live off-campus, providing a constant challenge for the residential services manager to balance the books. The location of the campus is not ideal for parents with children entering tertiary education. And the constant pressure for 'productivity increases' hits hard on a country campus with a focused group of courses.
Perhaps the greatest challenge at the moment is in being part of a large University which places a great deal of emphasis on the tertiary entrance ranking of those who enter its courses. There is no doubt in the minds of those at the campus that agriculture needs increasingly skilled people to manage and to work on farms, in industry and in rural communities generally. The campus staff believe, with justification, that those who graduate from its courses improve the prospects for better management of rural properties and rural enterprises of many kinds, whatever was their tertiary entrance ranking at the time of starting their studies. Like everyone else, they seek students of the highest possible calibre, and consider a range of factors in selection. Being part of the new Institute of Melbourne School of Land and Environment, and of the prestigious University of Melbourne should help to attract students who are committed to a career in one of the fields served by Glenormiston. The external courses of the campus will be crucial in providing lifelong education and training for those who otherwise may not have access.
From the very beginning, Glenormiston has been concerned with improving the knowledge of the principles and practises of farm business management amongst those who undertake its programs. The first courses were designed with this aim in mind. With the increasingly complex environment facing farm managers, this aim has become even more important. The need for farmers to achieve credentials is increasingly accepted, and was recently highlighted by Val Pollard at the May 1997 graduation of Vegetable Growing Apprentices in Werribee. Pollard said to those who had completed the course:
'We look forward to observing the impact our graduates today will have on the vegetable industry. We know this impact will occur, not just because we are aware of the very fine qualities of the individuals concerned, but because we have quantitative evidence that training leads to increased productivity.
This important link between education and training and productivity has been highlighted in research commissioned and published last year by the National Farmers Federation. This research demonstrated that farmers with qualifications are more aware of new management strategies and practices, and are more likely to adopt improved practices.
Those businesses whose operators have agricultural qualifications are more profitable - and furthermore farmers with qualifications are more responsive to higher education, which enhances their capacity to be flexible, adaptable and responsive to change....
We know from our contacts with leading farmers that they want their skills in managing large farming enterprises and directing their cooperatives recognised - they want to sit down around a table with suppliers, bankers, company executives and other professionals and feel equals - and so, they also want professional qualifications'
This commitment to education and training underpins the programs of Glenormiston. The demonstrated capacity for the campus to innovate, to adapt to and lead change, and to educate and train others to undertake the same challenges, may be its most important attributes as it enters the new era of an integrated Institute of Melbourne School of Land and Environment.
