PENROSE FARM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 April 1939, Page 8

PENROSE FARM

SIR WILLIAM PERRY RESIGNS CHAIRMANSHIP WARM TRIBUTE TO SERVICES. MR DUNCAN McGREGOR ELECTED TO VACANCY. At a meeting of the trustees of the Wairarapa Training Farm yesterday Sir William Perry iptimated his decision to' vacate the office of chairman and Mr Duncan McGregor was duly elected in his place. Sir William had held the position of chairman for the past nine years. Warm tributes were paid to Sir William Perry for his long association with the’ Training Farm, extending throughout the period since its inception after the Great War. Through his magnificent gift of an area of 33Q acres, the district was the recipient of a first-class property and a large number of returned soldiers had acquired practical training in farming operations and were able later to take up farms on their own account. Sir William Perry, together with his associates on the committee of the Training Farm, has achieved wonderful work in the Wairarapa in promot? ing a love of agriculture among the younger members of the community. The Training Farm is an asset which it is hoped will be made more use of and its present scheme of po-ordinat-ing the work of the College agrieul? tural class with practical training in every phase of mixed farming, will be considerably extended. Sir William Perry still retains his position as a member of the committee and intends to continue his inter? est in this very important work. The Training Farm, which was ac? quirpd in 1918 and established in 1919, primarily for the training of return? ed soldiers desirous of taking up farming and to be used late}’ for pur? ppses of agricultural education, consists of an area of 736 acres at Pen? rose, of which 436 acres were purchased b.V thp Wairarapa Patriotic Association with funds contributed by settlers, 3.1(1 qcres of the arpa included in the' Lqrm being donated by Sir Williaip Perry. Governments grants totalling £II,OOP were made towards the cost of erecting buildings and of the development of the farm. Donations madp by Wairarapa settlers (including Sir William' Perry’s gift of land) towards thp acquisition and establishment of the Training Farm totalled £15,519. MINISTERIAL VISIT. HON W. LEE MARTIN INSPECTS PROPERTY. The Minister of Agriculture, the Hon W. Lee Martin, in company with Mr A. H. Cockaynp, DirectoipGeneral of Agriculture, and Messrs J. Rqpert? son pud Ben Roberts, M’s. P.. paid a visit pf inspection to the Wgirapapa Training Farm yesterday. The party met the trustees in conference and was entertained at lunch at the farm. The visitors returned to Wellington in the afternoon.