Description
On 30 July 1965 the Vice-Chancellor Professor J. P. Baxter wrote to Mr A. Strom, Chairman of the Fauna Protection Panel following Mr Strom's kind offer to assist the university in a establishing a Marsupial Research Station on land under the control of the Fauna Protection Panel at Berowra. In a responding letter on 13 August 1965, Mr Strom noted that the Fauna Protection Panel has agreed in principle to the establishment of the Marsupial Research Station for the University of New South Wales at the Hallstrom Faunal Research [No. 15 at Cowan]. In a letter to the Minister for Education, the Hon C. B. Cutler, dated 30 July 1965, the Vice-Chancellor also noted that the main aim of the station was to obtain the best facilities that are available for the newly appointed foundation professor of zoology, Dr G. B. Sharman, who was to commence at the university on the 1st January 1966 and it is imperative that accommodation for his marsupial research be available by this date as he is bringing with him his mob of kangaroos and wallabies. The station thus appears to have into existence from the date that Professor Sharman entered on duty and seems to have been managed by the Department of Zoology in the School of Biological Sciences (file 00370998). On 6 July 1966 the Associate Bursar provided a file note indicating that all university research stations should be called 'field stations', prefaced in each case by the locality name. On 23 August 1966 the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor B. J. Ralph, wrote to the Bursar, Mr. E. H. Davis, confirming that it has been decided that the field station at Cowan will be known as the 'Cowan Field Station' (file 00014498). On 8 July 1968 Council approved the creation of the Faculty of Biological Science effective from 1 July 1968 (resolution 68/108). At the same time the Department of Zoology was redesignated the School of Zoology and so the Field Station came under the remit of this school. On 6 October 1976 arrangements for the Field Station became more formalised, when a licence agreement with the National Parks & Wildlife Service for occupation of the Cowan Field Station until 31 December 1990, including first option for renewal, was executed under seal of the university (file 00371253). At the 13/21 July 1987 meetings of Council, the amalgamation of the schools of Botany and Zoology to form the School of Biological Science was approved, to be effective from 1 January 1988, and the Field Station thus became managed by this school. At the 2 December 1996 meeting of Council the Faculty of Biological & Behavioural Sciences was disestablished effective 1 July 1997 (resolution CL96/88/4). As a result, from this date the School of Biological Science was transferred to the Faculty of Life Sciences. On 25 October 1994 the licence agreement with the National Parks & Wildlife Service was extended for a further twenty year period (file 023809). On 18 Jun, 2001 Council resolved to disestablish the Faculty of Life Sciences and create a new single model Faculty of Science effective from 1 July, 2001- including the School of Biological Science (resolution CL001/49). The School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences (BEES) was formed by Council on 8 October 2001 within the Faculty of Science effective from 1 January 2002 as a result of the disestablishment of the former schools of Biological Science, Geology and Geography (resolution CL001/84). The Field Station therefore became a part of this new school from this date. In 2009 the Director of the Field Station was Professor Rob Brooks. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/01/1966-
