Roseworthy College

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Roseworthy Agricultural College was an agricultural college in Australia. It is 50 km north of Adelaide and 7 km west of Roseworthy town. It was the first agricultural college in Australia, established in 1883. It is now part of the University of Adelaide.

[edit] Establishment

Roseworthy College was the result of an initiative to develop a model farm. The idea was that the College would be an extension of the University of Adelaide and would be run by a Professor of Agriculture. The connection with the University was dropped but in 1882 John Daniel Custance took up the directorship and in 1883 the college's Main Building was completed. In 1887, William Lowrie was appointed principal.

Research undertaken at the College included use of fertilisers in dryland cropping and a wheat breeding program, the released varieties all bearing the name of a bladed weapon.

The graduates of the three faculties - Agriculture, Oenology and Natural Resources - were well regarded and winemaking students were drawn from throughout Australia and New Zealand

[edit] Centenary

In 1983 the College's centenary publication explained: "The College encompasses approximately 1,200 hectares of land, most of which is used as a teaching and demonstration farm. There are about 500 hectares sown to wheat, barley, oats, oilseed and medic crops, with 10 hectares of orchard, vineyard and vegetable garden. The farm also carries sheep, Poll Shorthorn beef cattle, Jersey and Friesian dairy cattle, pigs, poultry, and representative range of both light and heavy horses, and some Angora goats ... Roseworthy also has a teaching winery (which includes a distillery) of 150 tonnes production capacity ... The College produces a range of table wines, sherries, ports and brandies."

[edit] Merger

Roseworthy College remained a separate department of the South Australian government until the 1973, when it became a College of Advanced Education under the Education Department, and officially co-educational. It had exclusively male students until 1972, and was primarily a residential college.

In 1991 the College merged with the University of Adelaide and became the University's Roseworthy Campus, part of the Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

The Student Union Council (RACSUC) held a wake at that time to emphasise the perceived future of the college/campus under the University of Adelaide. They were since proven correct and much of the course work is now delivered at the North Terrace and Waite campuses.