Gatton students defend their college

Gatton students defend their college

By Robyn Marshall

About 200 students from the agricultural college in the small town of Gatton, about an hour's drive from Brisbane, opposed a University of Queensland administration proposal to close the college by staging a mock burial and funeral rites for the college in a procession through the town on August 3. The faculty of natural resources, agriculture and veterinary science is considering an options paper prepared by the executive dean of the faculty on the future of Gatton College.

The students have the support of the local community. Closing the college would be a death sentence for the town, which relies on the spending of the student population.

During the ceremony, while the mayor of Gatton was making his speech, a muscular student walked across the back of the stage, wearing nothing. He was greeted by cheers from onlookers. The mayor didn't turn round, obviously thinking the roar of approval was for him.

Student numbers at Gatton have fallen over the last 10 years from an average of 2000 to 1000 or fewer. The university administration has claimed economic rationality as grounds to relocate all the Gatton students to its new campus at Ipswich, west of Brisbane.

Gatton has a proud history. It was one of the first agricultural colleges in Australia. The college lends enormous support and technical information to the farmers of the Darling Downs and all over the state. The University of Queensland made a great to-do over its centenary celebrations in 1997.

From GLW issue 371