S3PKKO 3! MIb AM, 4~ MIiJC-4 iiire &, 41 H~ o i* C
MXf-Z aWg WMJ F JWK AT
C. KNAI1h* I 3OL, JOAs1 1 diL.
3Ky lord dishop, Reaib& 3tnrg Mrs Robson and ladies and gentlement
I don't quite know in hAwt capacity I an hero* 1 know that
in a precmrious sense I am bore as Pimn inistur. ( Laughter) I
wou~ ld also have the boys unurstandp so that the Wa treat me with
proper respect, that purely in an honorary capacity I1 am a Doctor of
Selense of the Univrsity of New a; uth iiales. Qtaau degree
less dei~ rvod than that aoe aut still there Is a certain iatisfactim1
to be jot out of life In setting tbhiqyou don't deserve i) eoause In my
experience they are umore than balanced br gettin,, the abuse that you
don't deserve* ( Laughter)
Xov xi'. Robson, I would remind the boys wiho are he~ ro is
not only onected. 9 as be has described, ' With this kigiky
mainrAtIve 1' undq but be Is also himself one of the most a ebaed
headmastors in the history of ' ustralla* ( Applause) do he
understands both sides of the coins knows far mawe about schoolboys
than I do; and far more about the iorkluig of the fund than! I o,
though I appreciate oothe
I was particularly interested, to hear 11r. 1-obsonts
reminiscence about the time he % ras sitting for bAst was then called
; Onior Pulic because he and I ane more or less contemporaries and
he told you ; Lt a tiny fraction of those dho sat for othat you nov
call Leaving were taiting eieoee This Is a very emarkable and
interesting fact. And it is y jInterestin,; indeed* to find V at
In the Johoolsq taking them brosay tca4ay,, .3uh a vast Increase has
occurred in those wh~ o take some aspect or science.
3# At I dant to say this to you because it is vorth recording
it bears on this topic that in spite oft all t a things that have
'-ahpune In recent years In spite of the oznmas expansion in
University activity 4nd In the provision of funds for uriiersitiesp
there la, relatiwelj9 today a smaller poroontape of um4argradutto
ta wng Science -percentage of tie population than there jag 10 years
ago. Xow that in a very rehisrkable raut. 1 c4. L1 It a ramaricable fact
bectase I learnt it only -A ft.-4 days age from the Chairman of the
Universities Commision* Just let me state It quite p~ la inly, that for
say every so aay of the people in Austraiiu thousands ormilllhnasg a
smaller percentage is note ong& aged In the stuij of science in the
Univrsities than we had some 1ears igo.
It is worth asking ourselves whiy this should be so. decoause
-Oen the enorims post-vafr impsat of scientific d, rolopment occurred*
tehon if I may put it quite shortly, science beawe rather the
fashionable, topic of the day# my own fear vus thtwt perhaps we might
Ooocee over-balanoed on ' hat side aAd that the great anrd ' vital studies
of the humanities = L~ ht K1l1 into disrepalr JAu t that was -irong.
This is not so. And when one asks wby thisa Is not so the 4 -sver iag
" OeU in ordinary professional courses ; here is$ under today's
Oirmstanee9 a prospect of Imediately earning a substantial
This in an econasmic sense$ is attractive to students; and attractive
, to treir parents. 4horeas seisnes Is a hard master in tMat sense.
To become, a notable scientist ono' aust be comple~ tely devoted to the
-, ok avo a sonse of mission In the work. AeJll or ejurse it is
' Peopho devotion, and people 41tb a sense or mission * ho keep this
World going. These are the people -who matte-r far more than the people
who own r-turn large Income tax returns.
If do are, to a.. nsider the matoi-ial " kvainomet of lustralia,
or indeed of any other countryg 40 laust ha ve in Min that in this time
In the acrld's history our material -Li1 4q ~ d~ q per4 fi~ rt and
foremost on aco. nce and tectu,. alog ! ng .& ouVnaera
advanometg the -aising of econt" 1o standards. Im not taWIEUM a 0out
the doverlop-eont of other, land porhaps m-ore Important aspects of man*
11at : in esonaaic trms a coutry that ffali oehind In sci _ zce 4nd in
the application of sciene thro,~ technology is goinlg to fall behind
in the race to maintain Its j) oilfftion anid its living standLards and
make headvayq eoonmalls~ y, in the doz'ldo
Now of surn., fortuhately for us tbsre Are man j. ople vho
understand this pez'fsctl' iello The am obo esta~ olished this "' ndg
some of wbis are very close personal riocnds of miae# non of
signifioan'-s in the busin~ ess world* in the ijwodixtive -iorld hami set
to all their oolloapuos in that bwancb of life an examjile of
Inzginutiws Indusa. w~ al statesmaflshipo ImxginatiYe 3e , as1e it
clearly through the : utuz'e years the ernormous Alpxificance of science
Leaching And science toaching In the schools from whience a11 the
universill studonts will ca and statesmanship acause they are
not taking the short viev, och most people dot but the long view
dh must be taken br same and by many If tbe cuumtry Is to go an
and krosper, Now ' 1 & Ae other thi. ng* It Is quite cleat and this
also was iapiicit wu'hst Xr. Rabso had to say that to kroduce,
scientiflo: undrprada-tes, to produie post 6rat42te s : Iaatifio
studocts9 to produce roseareh in sciancelp to produce reople in science
upon wbam our economic fAure dehadst 4 must begin in the gailoolsp
particularly in the later stages 1W baving the best possible eaiiCMet9
the best possible lab*. equipxmto Modemn science CaS , iiWif
beyond ibat we used to rotprd as ft-cionce, thenu I was a boy, it now
Involves In Its higher baaohes partica~ rlyp enormously~ zstly
equipmenLtrau are out of da to, you are out of the race = nless you
can maintain the highest posihie sMa" Adr Of 4qUIjift and these
things oet inney I dare say Heamaster that if yoA had had to
4s end solely on your ovn resources in equping some of these new
U = e ywu do~ id have roand yourself in considt. rable difficulty* It
Is an Imaginative strokes and 1 ag1v* my compliments to the fund upon
It to realis, that you aan't start too soon in devtloping not only a
high level of achieveentg but such an noderstanding of the futnre of
ye~ study that you will produes mor. and note peo ho, will jo on
and not be satisfied to take a first degree9 but va't another onel
not be satisfied until they have made t-il contribution to that
scientifie research rhich the technologists All take up and Vly In
industry abtbher It is kr1nary or secon~ arj to the & riot
& dVaneoMent of AAaralao
So It tisiabig day in tehistory of this icool,
to-. haM AaAmeu that : 6 -as here to p a form a foundation Ston
laying anan earlier oomsion. I haveg for yea-s and years now,
oasionally had myself driven pastg or around this -ichoolo I have,
as any of youa must have sarvelled at the rapidity of Its & ovth.
~ 4be I abrSt COWn to KanLrra in my more res. octable days when I was
ttoasne-General the populaition of anberwm was 6t000 odd anid yo a eou14
walk around the vtie place on Aurday afternoon * ithout mnd*
exhanstion. 10ow It is vottin~ near to 60,000 and the statisticians
tell us t Atit ill be00, O6ku'lf0 " ndItvwill be aquarter of
a million W the end of the century same of the ooys might make a
mental note of Wesu I vaont be bars, aut that is what do A" e told.
And. that is a mere matter of sine. -lot this city : is developing
character and It must develop character as a capital city if the
national Ovovh of ' Australia Is to achieve national tetes and a
conseiouess that do are a nation and not six indepenient o unties*
, so the arovth of Z nborr is her"; and it mrould be a poor arowth If
It erenotforthefact that ye are ombra~ ing in this city
Incrasiglya geatJiversityg great zaboolsq raji& 1j achieving
great trd os n this Schbool may hold, i its be" d uon& ~ Any of
theme ( Cpplauso) i