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AO-1 Hawkesbury Agricultural College (HAC)
It was not until the year 1890, under the Hon. Sydney Smith, Minister for Mines, that a final decision was made and definite action decided upon to establish an agricultural college. A Department of Agriculture was established as an adjunct to that of Mines, with Mr HCL Anderson as Director. Some 4,000 acres of Ham Common at Richmond were selected, the boundaries decided and clearing commenced in January 1891. On March 10, 1891, full work commenced with 26 students, under the direction of the first Principal, Mr John Low Thompson. The temporary quarters at Toxana were formally opened on March 16, 1891, by the Minister for Mines and Agriculture, Mr Sydney Smith. He was accompanied by Mr Sydney Burdekin, MP, and Mr A Bowman, MP, member for the district.
The objectives of the College were to provide young men with the fundamentals of science, farming skills and business principles the better to equip them for a productive life on the land in Australian conditions.
For the first 20 years the College offered a 2-year full-time residential course in general agriculture with considerable emphasis on the acquisition of practical skills.
In 1910 the course expanded to 3 years full-time, the award henceforth being called the Hawkesbury Diploma in Agriculture. There was a steady increase in the proportion of theory and basic principles at the expense of practical work time.
In the same year a 2-year Diploma Course was established in Dairying which included studies of cattle husbandry and dairy products manufacturing. The emphasis in this course was shifted almost wholly to Dairy Technology in the middle 1950's but, as with the Agriculture Diploma Course, there remained an emphasis on practical factory operations.
In 1950 a 2-year counterpart of the Dairy course to cater for similar vocational training in other food industries was set up. This was called the Food Technology Diploma Course.
In 1970 two other courses commenced: a 2-year Poultry Technology Course and a post-diploma Course in Rural Extension.
In 1970 all courses assumed fully tertiary status.
In addition to under-diplomate training, the College provided facilities during its vacation periods for a wide range of industry-based short courses, conferences, seminars, field days etc.
A small quota annually of interstate and international students, who may have been unable to obtain similar training in their own state or country, were admitted to the College.





