In 1978 I started a Diploma of Applied Science (Agriculture) at Wagga Agricultural College and found myself a ‘Grott’ or first year female (males were Motts). I had landed in yet another male-dominated world but found some fun as well. Learning shearing, ploughing, etc, was pretty interesting for a city-born person, as we had farm prac in our first year, along with the science subjects that I thought would lead me into a different career. I really enjoyed the initiative and resilience of the farm-raised fellow students and wanted to celebrate these through a series of prints.
Tom – this was a student who was famous for being a very heavy sleeper and one morning some of his mates picked him up, mattress and all, and carried him from the student block to a large tree where they hung him, still asleep. It took a few minutes for him to wake up to the crowd watching him.
The Mott Race was one of the initiation ceremonies where first years had to run along a farm road being chased by Maz, a third year woman, on her bike as she cracked her stock whip at them.
For Botany, we had to make a weed collection to hand in as part of our assessment. Some of us spent weeks carefully collecting plants, while those who were familiar with them from their family farms, waited until the last minute and had a mass-pressing of them by having a ute run them over. This year is the 75th anniversary of the creation of Wagga Agricultural College, so perhaps they’ll like to see them
