Agricultural College

New Role

For Nondugl

For P-NG

AN Agricultural College to be established at Nondugl Stock Experimental Station in the NG

Western Highlands, will eventually

become Papua-New Guinea’s

Hawkesbury College.

This is the opinion of Sir Edward Hallstrom, Sydney philanthropist, who recently returned after a short visit to New Guinea and compared the future Nondugl with NSW’s agricultural college.

He said, “Nondugl will be a college where the natives will be taught animal husbandry and all there is to learn about agriculture,”

The project was started about eight months ago, but there are no students in the college yet. It will commence with 10 students, and 10 will be added each year until there are 50. The course will be of five years. As students pass out at the end of the fifth year, another 10 will be added.

After the War, Sir Edward was given a long lease of an area at Nondugl, and at his own expense stocked it with 1,000 Romney Marsh sheep taken in by air. The station was designed to show that sheep could be raised in the Highlands, and it was hoped to teach natives to grow wool for their own use.

About 1950, Sir Edward gave Nondugl to the New Guinea Ad ministration, and a Trust was formed to run the station. He is a member of the Trust.

It is the Trust which will arrange to staff the college and provide for cost of administration, etc.

After early set-backs, 1,000 Romney Marsh sheep are now flourishing at Nondugl. A recent valuation of the stud rams showed that a number, on to-day’s rates, were worth 350 guineas each. The stud ewes were worth 50 guineas each.

“The sheep are in wonderful con dition,” Sir Edward said. “Generally speaking the place is a real asset to the Territory.