Marcus Oldham College has established a Dr Alastair Mackenzie Scholarship Fund.
Alastair Mackenzie
Alastair Mackenzie was born in 1922 at Trawalla House near Beaufort, Victoria. After leaving school during World War 2, he joined the Australian Navy and was trained in a radar ‘crash course’ at Sydney University before being posted to H.M.A.S. Australia, the flagship of the Australian Navy, as the Radar Officer. After the war, Alastair went to Cambridge University in England, where he graduated in Electrical Engineering.
In the early 1970’s, Alastair looked into wool handling practices. Drawing on his own ideas and those of fellow producers, he built a new demonstration shearing shed complete with raised and curved shearing board and revolving wool tables. Alastair also had a passion for cutting wool marketing costs and helped form Economic Wool Producers in the mid 1970’s to sell wool by sample.
Although EWP’s system was ground-breaking, it did not continue. Not to be defeated, Alastair and other Victorian wool producers established the Woolgrowers Independent Selling Services (WISS) to pioneer flat-rate selling charges and contracted wool handling. However it was the Stevlyon self-pinning wool press that was perhaps his greatest achievement.
There was never an idle moment for Alastair. When he wasn’t tending his own fine wool flock, he was asking questions at conferences, writing research papers or thinking of how to solve a problem. The University of Melbourne recognised his efforts with an honorary doctorate.
Australian Wool Education Trust
The Australian Wool Education Trust provides funds for the promotion and encouragement of education in undergraduate and/or post-graduate training in wool and wool science and technology, from wool growing to the textile product stage.
Although the Trust’s funds were originally provided by the Australian Wool Testing Authority Ltd and Australian Wool Innovation Limited, the Trust is an independent body, with policy being fully determined by the Trustees.
The Trust is delighted to support the Dr Alastair Mackenzie Scholarship offered at Marcus Oldham College, which provides a unique educational opportunity for young people passionate about making a career in the Australian Wool Industry. David Ward OAM – Chairman of Trustees
Available to applicants enrolled or intending to enrol in Year 1 of the Agriculture Program.
