Description
On 25 May 1964 the Executive Committee of Council noted with interest the report of the Vice-Chancellor upon the possible acquisition of 600 acres of land at Wellington for development as an agricultural research station for the university and authorises the Vice-Chancellor to continue negotiations with the Department of Lands. On 17 June 1964 the Vice-Chancellor Professor Baxter wrote to the Minister for Lands, the Hon K. C. Compton, to request that the Wellington Common Land...should be made available to the University of New South Wales as an experimental agricultural centre and that the land should be vested in the Council of the University. On 10 September 1964 the Minister responded in the affirmative and Professor Baxter accepted this offer on behalf of the university on 15 October 1964. It was, however, first necessary for the area to be surveyed and so it was not until 13 September 1965 that the Under Secretary for Lands, W. J. Broadfoot, authorised the university to occupy the area proposed to be reserved, immediately, in order than fencing may proceed. The university's trusteeship of the area for a Research Station was formally notified on 11 February 1966 and published in Government Gazette No. 41 of 22 April 1966. The Field Station was initially administratively placed under the Institute of Rural Technology, with Professor A. H. Willis as Chairman (file 00370805). On 6 July 1966 the Associate Bursar wrote a file note indicating that all university research stations should be called 'field stations', prefaced in each case by the locality name. Thus the station at Wellington officially became known as Wellington Field Station (file 00014498). The Field Station was officially opened on 30 August 1966 (file 00370805). On 17 November 1975, the Management Committee of the Institute of Rural Technology resolved to form a Management Committee of the Central West Field Station Complex, which comprised of Wellington and two subsequently acquired stations: Manildra and Stuart Town. Wellington Field Station appears in the records of Central West Field. In the 1976 to 1989 UNSW Calendars, Wellington Field Station appears under the Central West Field Station Complex name. From 1990, it appears alone. On 9 February 1982 an additional 129.5 hectares, known as Alluvial Park, was purchased by the university as freehold land and added to the area occupied by the field station (file 00035929). On 29 November 1984 Pro-Vice-Chancellor Golding wrote to Associate Professor J. P. Kennedy, the new head of the School of Wool & Pastoral Sciences stating that effective from 1 January 1985 I agree that the School of Wool & Pastoral Sciences accepts the responsibility with Associate Professor Euan Roberts operating the stations in a similar way to that used for Hay and Burradac [field stations]. Financial and operational management as well as research co-ordination will be the responsibility of Professor Roberts in collaboration with Mr M. Johnstone and Mr J. Brain, through the Head of the School of Wool and Pastoral Sciences: (file 00830616). On 9 September 1985 the School of Wool & Pastoral Sciences was altered by Council from a school to the Department of Wool Science within the newly created School of Fibre Science & Technology effective 1 January 1986 (resolution 85/96ci). From 1988 the department's name was changed to the Department of Wool & Animal Science (Focus, 5 February 1988, p 3). On 16 September 1991 the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Professor A. J. Wicken, wrote to Professor Euan Roberts indicating that in future Hay, Deniliquin, Wellington and Burraduc (until sold) Field Stations should be looked after by a Management Committee in much the same way as Fowlers Gap Field Station. The first Chair of the Committee was Professor Ross Griffiths, as head of the School of Fibre Science & Technology (file 911523). On 2 December 1996 Council resolved to later approve timetable and administrative arrangements for the disestablishment of the School of Fibre Science & Technology (resolution CL96/88/4). At Council's 3 February 1997 meeting, it was resolved that this would be effective 1 July 1997 (resolution CL97/5). As a result, on 20 April 1998 Council passed a resolution to approve the disposal of the Wellington Field Station and agree that, following consent from the Minister for Education, arrangements will be made for the sale of the Wellington property (resolution CL98/33). Actions had already been taken in 1997 to sell the property, such as seeking land valuations. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 13/09/1965- Controlling agency: Central West Field Station - 17/11/75 - c. 31/12/1989
