1996
CITATION
Award of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa
Mr Patrick Rowley CMG
Mr Chancellor,
Pat Rowley, educated at Marist Brothers College, Ashgrove, is the leader of the Australian Dairy Industry, the most influential person of the past decade in developing and rationalising the industry, identifying its needs and directing agricultural education and research towards their fulfilment. In formal training and accreditation for its operators it is Australia's leading industry. At a state level he became President of the Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation in 1977, representing that body on the Queensland Dairy Industry Policy Council and the Queensland Farmers' Federation, and he became a Director of Metropolitan Milk Producers. Nationally he became President of the Australian Dairyfarmers' Federation in 1985 and its representative on the National Farmers' Federation and the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme. Internationally he is Vice-President of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers and chairs their dairy section. His international achievements have included his involvement in negotiations with New Zealand towards Closer Economic Relations and in regular GATI meetings in Brussels and Geneva. For all these services to the dairy industry he was awarded the Order of St Michael and St George in 1989.
It is expected that the University of Queensland will soon be contributing to Pat Rowley's vision of integrated education, research and extension services for the dairy industry through the Australian Tropical Dairy Institute at Gatton College, an initiative fitting to mark the centenary of this campus.
Mr Chancellor, in recognition of distinguished contributions to the Dairy Industry in Australia, particularly in the development of education, research and extensive support for the industry, I present to you Pat Rowley, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for the conferral of the award of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa to which he has been admitted by the Senate of the University.