‘Brain Drain' Reversed

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31222, 21 November 1966, Page 8

‘Brain Drain ' Reversed

By early next year there will be a strong Australian element in the agricultural engineering department at Lincoln College and in the Agricultural Engineering Institute, which is situated alongside it at Lincoln. It represents a reversal in the flow of brains from New Zealand to Australia.

The head of the agricultural engineering department at the college is an Australian, Professor J. R. Burton. He slso holds the post of director of the Agricultural Engineering Institute. Early next year three more Australians will come to Lincoln—two to join the Agricultural Engineering Institute as research officers and one to become a lecturer in the agricultural engineering department of the college. Two have studied in Australia under Professor Burton and one has also worked in co-operation with him on research projects. Mr W. C. Boughton, who is at present a lecturer in engineering at the Forestry School of the Australian National University in Canberra, has both studied under Professor Burton and worked with him on research projects. Mr Boughton, who is 35, graduated from the Sydney Technical College in 1953 with a civil engineering dip-

loraa and in 1964 completed his master's degree in engineering in hydrology at the University of New South Wales. For about 10 years he worked with the New South Wales Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission on farm water supply design. In 1965, after completing his masterate, he served for a year on the secretariat of the Australian Water Resources Council. Subsequently he took up his present position. From Christchurch Mr Boughton's wife is from Christchurch and is a graduate of the University of Canterbury. She also holds the degree of doctor of philosophy in botany from Sydney University. Mr T. Heiler, who is an old student of Professor Burton's, is coming to the position of research officer (soil and water) in the institute. Aged 24, he holds a bachelor of engineering degree in civil engineering with first class honours from the University of New South Wales. Since 1959 he has worked in the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission of New South Wales and is at present district engineer (farm water supplies) at Bega in New South Wales. At Lincoln he will work on water conservation aspects of the institute’s research programme. Also joining the institute as research officer (machinery) will be Mr R. H. Macmillan. Aged 30, he has a diploma in mechanical engineering from the Royal Melbourne Techni-

cal College and a bachelor of agricultural engineering degree from the University of Melbourne. For several years he worked with Massey-Fer-guson, Australia, as a testing and development engineer. Part of his work was on the design and field testing of wheat harvesters. For the last two years he has been a lecturer in agricultural engineering at Dookie Agricultural College in Victoria. At Lincoln his work will be with the farm machinery research projects of the institute and in particular his appointment will enable the institute to proceed with its evaluation testing programme.