The Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP today welcomed the signing of the Glenormiston College lease agreement by the South West Institute of TAFE, which will continue to operate the leading agricultural training facility.
Representing Skills and Workforce Participation Minister Jacinta Allan, Ms Tierney thanked Josie Black – South West TAFE Board member and descendant of Glenormiston’s original owner – for signing the historic agreement between the TAFE and the Victorian Government.
“Today’s agreement marks another milestone in Glenormiston’s long history and has been made all the more memorable by the participation of Ms Black, who has contributed so much to her community,” Ms Tierney said.
Ms Black’s ancestor Neil Black built the Glenormiston Mansion in the 1870s, which was purchased in 1949 by the Victorian Government along with a parcel of land.
The site was initially used by the Agriculture Department for research purposes until 1970 when it was transformed into an Agricultural College delivering specialised training for the farming sector.
In 2005, Glenormiston College’s operator, The University of Melbourne, withdrew from vocational education and training and proposed to hand back the college and its other rural training campuses to the Victorian Government.
To ensure continuity of delivery, Glenormiston College was taken over by South West TAFE, which operated the facility under a lease agreement with the University. This leasing agreement was subsequently taken over by Skills Victoria, the Victorian Government’s vocational education and training agency.
After a public tender process, in 2008 Skills Victoria announced that South West TAFE would be awarded the Glenormiston College lease and continue to operate the facility as a specialist agriculture and equine college.
Ms Tierney thanked South West Institute of TAFE for its work to benefit the state’s agricultural industries, students and rural communities.
“This is an exciting time for Glenormiston, South West TAFE and the local community who can look forward to the future with optimism and confidence now we have secured the future operation of the property.”