PIRSA Oral History Programme –State Library reference no. for Somerville Collection OH 675/3.

An interview conducted by Bernard O’Neil with Mr Lex Walker of Mitcham in regards to the history of the Department of Agriculture in South Australia. [The first interview (tapes 1 and 2) was conducted on 30 September 2003; the second (tapes 3 and 4) on 14 January 2004.]

Time Subject Proper names
 Tape 1, Side A 
0:30 Personal background (born 1916); family farm; education; Great Depression; John Ridley Scholarship to Roseworthy; employment on control of Cape Tulip weed; war service Clare; White Hut Primary School; Clare High School; Roseworthy College; Adelaide University; Waite Institute
4:10 Family farm (mixed cereal and sheep); desire to teach or work in agriculture; return to work after war service; joining Department of Agriculture Waite Institute
8:05 Waite Institute work; links with Roseworthy College Waite Institute; CSIRO; Roseworthy College
10:55 Moving to the Department, 1950; soil conservation; soldier settlement; experimental work; based in Adelaide Dr Callaghan; Kangaroo Island; [Ted] Carter; Kybybolite; Minnipa
17:10 Size and nature of the Department in 1950s; cadetships; reorganisation of animal husbandry area Callaghan
20:00 Structure of the Department; relocating the Department Stock and Brands Department; Education Building; Colin Scott; [W.J.] Spafford; Simpson Building; Gawler Place
22:40 New head of the Department; War Service Land Settlement Scheme; role of the Department in research Callaghan; Tom Playford; Roseworthy College; Lands Department; Kangaroo Island; South East
26:40 Research role and demonstration farms; supervising research and administrative work; research officers Minnipa; Kybybolite; Turretfield; Kangaroo Island; Ted Higgs; Ted Carter
 Tape 1, Side B 
0:05 Supervising research officers and staff; Commonwealth Extension Services Grant; funding from industry 
4:30 Need to improve primary production; impact of activity on the land; land clearance; Soils Branch work – erosion, salinity Murray Mallee; Upper South East; Eyre Peninsula; Yorke Peninsula; South East
9:25 Promoted to head extension and research work Newton Tiver; Waite Institute; Len Cook
13:00 Research work – weed and pest control, fertilisers; success; extension programs – windrowing of barley, using legumes Kangaroo Island; Carter; Callaghan; Tiver; South East
19:55 Chief of the Division of Plant Industries; the three divisions; contact with staff and directors; work trips; politicians on trips Callaghan; Marshall Irving; Bob Herriot; Roseworthy College; Minnipa; Wheat Industry Research Council; Canberra; Glen Pearson; Gabe Bywaters; David Brookman; Eyre Peninsula; Kybybolite
26:45 Contact with the Director; locust plague, 1955 [Geoff] Strickland; Callaghan; Irving; Northern Territory
 Tape 2, Side A 
0:20 Extending South Australian knowledge and markets overseas Libya; Barley Board
2:55 Australian Barley Board role in SA and Victoria; chairman of the Board; retirement in 1977 Spafford; Strickland; Jim McColl
8:55 Applied to be Director of Agriculture; relations with the Ministers McColl; Tom Casey; [Brian] Chatterton; Ross Storey; Ted Chapman
12:45 Framing legislation; administering and enforcing Acts and policy; committee work (e.g. deep sea ports) Agricultural Chemicals Act; Weeds Act; Administration of Agricultural Chemicals Act; Department of Chemistry; Point Giles; Harbours Board; Eyre Peninsula; Ardrossan; Wallaroo; Port Pirie