Tocal College held a dinner on August 27 to celebrate a very significant milestone in the educator's history - 50 years since its first intake of female students.
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The formal dinner held in the EA Hunt Hall at the CB Alexander Campus, Paterson, also included a live auction to help raise money for the college's scholarship program.
Regarded as the first woman to attend Tocal College, Margaret Francis was supposed to speak, but was unable to attend due to contracting COVID just prior.
A panel of former students shared their thoughts on 50 years of women studying at Tocal College and the role women play in the field of agriculture.
The panel was led by deputy director-general NSW DPI, Kate Lorimer-Ward and included former students Margot Duncan, Jess Perry, Steph Tetrin and Darleen Shrubb AM.
Margot Duncan went through Tocal in 1974 and now owns and manages an Angus stud and commercial herd on the Williams River.
Jess Perry was at Tocal in 2015-16 before going on to UNE. She is now an agribusiness consultant.
Steph Tetrin is a former student who is now a lecturer at the college while Darleen Shrubb AM was Dux of the college in the early 80s and part of the education leadership teams for the UN, helping developing nations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Principal Darren Bayley said the night was a great way to celebrate the college's female students, past and present.
"We wanted to highlight the women of Tocal College through the decades, looking at their careers and what they have done for the community," he said.
"The celebration featured women who had studied at Tocal College in the 70s, 80s, 90s and more recently.
"We thought it was important for former students to share what Tocal has done for them to current students."
Mr Bayley said that from its small beginnings the female student population had significantly grown.
"Margaret Francis is regarded as the first female student at Tocal College and she came here with advanced standing from Hawkesbury College," he said.
"The first intake was actually with eight female students and since then has grown to be 60 per cent of the full-time course student population.
"The course is the same for everybody and has not been altered to benefit women.
"The sector expects women to be able to do the work and so they are expected to participate in the course the same as men.
"Over the years the facilities have changed to be more accommodating for women.
"Machinery and technology has also advanced and is now more user-friendly.
"These steps forward have provided more opportunities for women and given them access to roles they are passionate about in the agriculture industry."
Former students have gone on to do well in the agriculture sector and Mr Bayley said the college was proud of them.
"Hearing what recent graduates are now achieving in agriculture is great," he said.
"We are really proud that we were one of the earliest agriculture institutions to bring women into the student body."
