Historical Timeline 1910–2010

|1910 - 1919 | 1920 - 1929 | 1930 1939 | 1940 -1949 | 1950 - 1959 | 1960 - 1969 | 1970 - 1979 | 1980 - 1989 | 1990 - 1999 | 2000 - 2010|

1910 - 1919

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1909 JD Stewart appointed Professor of the Department of Veterinary Science after a
successful career as Chief Inspector of Stock and Registrar of Brands for the New South Wales
Department of Agriculture.

1910 First intake of students into the Veterinary Science course. This included 14 without veterinary degrees and two with veterinary
qualifications from overseas.

1911-12 Completion of the Veterinary Science Building (now JD Stewart Building)

1911 Appointment of Dr Sydney Dodd as the first lecturer in veterinary
bacteriology.

Dr S.Dodd 1st row (sitting), 3rd from left

1913 First Annual Dinner of the University of Sydney Veterinary Society – held in Adam’s Café, George Street, Sydney.

1914 Beginning of the Great War. One undergraduate and two graduates of the School lose their lives, including Captain WJ Ridley.

1919 The veterinary school obtains Faculty status.

1920 - 1929

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1921-22 Completion of the Horse observation Box (Round House)

1922 RMC Gunn appointed as Lecturer in Veterinary Surgery.

1923 HR Carne graduates

1923 JD Stewart, then President of the Australian Veterinary Association, secures the passage of the 1923 Veterinary Surgeons Act of New South Wales and sat on the Veterinary Surgeons Board (president, 1931-34)

1929 The Melbourne Veterinary School closes its doors. Teaching and undergraduates move to Sydney.

1930 -1939

1930 First female undergraduate, Ann Flashman, enters the Faculty.

1934 Patricia Littlejohn becomes the first female graduate.

1937 First Centaur published (magazine of the Sydney University
Veterinary Society)

1937 The Faculty of Veterinary Science wins the coveted University
Shute Cup for Rugby.

1937 Farm Animal training facility established at the McGarvie Smith Animal Husbandry Farm at Badgery’s Creek, Sydney.

1939 Professor JD Stewart retires

1940 -1949

1940 Professor I Clunies Ross becomes Dean

1945 The Second World War ends. Thirteen graduates and undergraduates lose their lives, but the Faculty dramatically expands with ex-service men.

1947 Professor HR Carne begins his first term of four two-year terms as Dean (1947-53; 1960-61)

1947 The academic staff expand with the establishment of the Departments of Veterinary Pathology (1947) and Veterinary Physiology (1950)

1950 - 1959

1951 JM Keep becomes Superintendent of the veterinary teaching hospital at Sydney.

1954 Corstorphine and May Farms at Camden are given to the University for the use of veterinary medicine and animal husbandry teaching and research.

1954 Professor RMC Gunn becomes Dean for two two-year terms (1954-58)

1956 The Department of Animal Husbandry is established under Professor Terry Robinson.

1957-58 David Hutchins appointed as superintendent of the teaching hospital at Camden (Rural Veterinary Centre)

1957 Camden Rural Veterinary Centre

1958 The Camden site is fully open for teaching and research.

1959 RMC Gunn retires and the original Department of Veterinary Science becomes that of Veterinary Medicine under the direction of Professor David McFarlane.

1960 - 1969

1964 RVS Bain becomes the first non-professorial Dean. He serves for three two-year terms (1964-1969)

1966 New Departments of Veterinary Surgery and Veterinary Anatomy are created under the guidance of Professor LH Larsen (pictured) and RM Butterfield respectively.

1967 The new Evelyn Williams Clinical Building is completed on the Camperdown Campus 1968: TG

1968 TG Hungerford appointed as first Director of the Postgraduate Foundation for Veterinary Science (now Centre for Veterinary Education)

1970 - 1979

1970 RM Butterfield becomes Dean for two two-year terms (1970-73)

1973 Margaret Sabine becomes first female in Faculty to achieve the level of Associate Professor.

1973-4 The RMC Gunn Building is completed and houses Veterinary Physiology and Animal Husbandry (later to unite as the Department of Animal Science)

1973 Clifford H Gallagher, Professor of Veterinary Pathology, becomes Dean for two two-year periods (1973-1977)

1973 Daria N Love becomes the first female BVSc graduate to obtain a PhD and later (1988) a Doctor of Veterinary Science from the Faculty.

1975 The Departments of Veterinary Surgery and Veterinary Medicine are reorganised into the Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies with professorial appointments at both the Camperdown and Camden sites (Professors MJ Edwards and JR Egerton respectively)

1978 Professor MJ Edwards becomes Dean and holds that position for 1978-79 and 1986-1994

1980 - 1989

1980 Professor JR Egerton becomes Dean and serves for two two-year terms (1980-83)

1981 Sandy Kincaid becomes the 2000th Veterinary Graduate.

1985 The Faculty celebrates its 75th Anniversary with the first female graduate Patricia Littlejohn meeting the Sydney University Veterinary Society President Barbara Menzies at the celebratory dinner in the Great Hall.

1986 For the first time numbers of female graduates exceed fifty per cent.

1990 - 1999

1994 The Departments of Veterinary Physiology is incorporated into the
Department of Animal Science under the Headship of Associate Professor
Grant Stone.

1995 Professor DR Fraser is appointed as the first Executive Dean by The University (1995-1998)

1995 The old Veterinary Pathology Building on the Camperdown Campus is demolished and the staff moves into the McMaster Building, formerly occupied by CSIRO.

1997 The Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Veterinary Pathology merge under the Headship of Professor Michael Bryden.

1998 Professor Reuben Rose becomes Dean of the Faculty and serves until 2003.

1998 The Veterinary Science Conference Centre is completed and houses modern teaching facilities as well as the Centre for Veterinary Education (formerly The Post Graduate Foundation in Veterinary Science)

2000 - 2010

2001 The Faculty celebrates moving to a non-departmental structure with a Pro-Dean and Associate Deans having delegated authorities through a Faculty Executive Committee.

2003 The Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Sydney undergoes complete refurbishment, leading to the building of the Valentine Charlton Cat Centre.

2004 Professor Leo Jeffcott is appointed Dean and serves until 2009.

2005 The Wildlife Health and Conservation Centre is completed at Camden and Associate Professor David Phalen appointed as its first Director.

2006 The first year of graduates from the Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Biosciences program.

2009 Claire Wade is appointed as the first female professor within the Faculty.

2009 The Liz Kernohan Conference Centre at Camden is opened.

Elizabeth Kernohan was a former member of the Faculty and local State Member of Parliament.

2009 Rosanne Taylor is appointed as Professor and first female Dean.

2010 The Round house is completely refurbished in time for it to act as the symbol for the 100 Years Celebrations.

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Veterinary Science