Amanda McClaren wants to lead the charge for establishing Victoria’s first selective-entry agriculture secondary school.
As mayor of Strathbogie Shire from 2016 to 2020, Ms McClaren watched the average age of farmers go up with each year.
“Like everywhere, we have an ageing demographic of farmers, so we really need to be engaging our young people much earlier on and show them what opportunities they have with their own interests,” the Graytown resident said.
“Given that 25 per cent of GDP agricultural production comes out of Victoria, I would really like to see Victoria put a focus on agricultural education.”
In a recent leadership program run by the NFF, Ms McClaren had exposure to various peak bodies.
“When I was at the round table talks in Canberra, I raised that ag education is still not on the national agenda,” she said.
“We have a lot of sectors saying we need more kids but we don’t seem to hook them into that in primary school, so I was able to highlight the need to look at ag ed at secondary level.”
Victoria and Tasmania are the only two states without dedicated agriculture secondary schools.
“Education ministers have said to me ‘well, they can do it at TAFE’ but when they get to that age, there are not enough children with an interest in ag.
“But young kids really enjoy learning about ag.”
Ms McClaren, now a Seymour-based teacher, has proven her chops for the task, completing her Masters degree at La Trobe University in 2023, focusing on placing people with real life experience into low SES schools.
At Seymour College, she was able to secure a $100,000 grant to develop the six hectares bequeathed to the school for agriculture education and has already built a shed, stock yards and sourced some cattle.
Ms McClaren now has her eyes set on Dhurringile, the decommissioned prison which is being considered for a range of new and competing facilities, including TAFE accommodation and an equine centre.
“I am advocating for a selective-entry secondary school dedicated to agriculture, and Dhurringile would be perfect,” Ms McClaren said.
“They have the facilities and the area, and schools have so many add-on services, for example, employment — especially if it was a boarding school like other ag schools around Australia.
“I think it is a good opportunity in our region.”
Inspiration for the idea has come from Ms McClaren’s two sons, the eldest having just completed Year 12 at Yanco Agricultural High School in NSW.
Ms McClaren said there was another similarity.
“Every time I drive past (Dhurringile) I look at it and think ‘it looks just like Yanco’ with its big mansion, which was donated from the water department to the NSW education department.
“In Victoria, the corrections department could give Dhurringile to the education department which could work with the department of agriculture; and with the (AgVic) SmartFarm down the road, it would be a really unique opportunity to connect the best of education and the best of agriculture in the one place.
“I do not know one kid in my son’s year that is not stepping into a job or career straight from school.”
Something different every day
Darby McClaren, 18, was inspired to investigate Yanco Agricultural High School when a family who owned the cattle he was showing at International Dairy Week first suggested the idea.
Darby said the options for studying secondary agriculture in Victoria were ‘quite limited’.
“Yes you have TAFE, but Yanco is a full-time ag school,” Darby said.
“You do complete your other subjects as well, but it’s more straight agriculture, there’s (243 hectares) and you learn about ag on a higher level than TAFE.”
Darby also praised how ‘hands on’ Yanco was.
“Every day you do something new and you cover a whole range of subjects and electives, from all livestock animals to learning about machinery, motorbikes and such.
“The stuff you can do there is just next level and with the contacts you make — nothing compares.”
Darby has set his sights on the stock agency sector, and with some extensive experience to date, he seems destined for success.