History
On 9 February 1959 the Education Department opened Cunderdin School with an enrolment of 20 students. The original 384 hectares was increased when 358 hectares of the Warrigal property situated close to the Cunderdin Township was purchased.
Most of the existing buildings were constructed in the 1970s, including the three main dormitories, Dining Room and Library/Classroom block. In July 1981 an administration building and staffroom were added.
In 1984, following the report of the Advisory Committee on Agricultural Education (McDowell Committee), the College was separated from the town school and renamed Cunderdin Agricultural College.
A further 445 hectares adjoining the College was purchased by the College in 1996. Known as Baxter’s land, the purchase brought the total land available to the College to 1,585 hectares. In 2000 the College purchased a further 529 hectares from Fiegerts. In 2016 the College was successful in securing an additional 1,100 ha of arable land that included the Symes and Jenzen blocks. The College now has a total of 4,063 ha of which 2,516 ha is arable. $1.7 million in funding was sourced from Royalties for Regions with the Department of Education supporting the remaining funding required.
A new Design and Technology Centre to cater for the workshop needs of students was completed in February 1996. Also completed in the same month was the extensive Student Recreation Centre. Students now enjoy the benefits of indoor basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis and pool. The building also has a weights area, conference room, computer laboratory and a canteen/café area. All these areas were air conditioned in 2002.
In September 1999, the College was independently validated to achieve Registered Training Organisation (RTO) status.
In January 2000, following an announcement by the Minister for Education Mr Colin Barnett, the five residential Agricultural Colleges in Western Australia formed a consortium named the Western Australian College of Agriculture.
In 2002 the College re-registered under the new Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF). The College is registered to deliver a range of Certificate II and III National Training Package qualifications from five industry areas.
The College was successful in winning the 2006 and 2009 WA Training Awards and the Australian Training Awards in both those years.
WA College of Agriculture – Cunderdin celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009 and continues to look towards the future. In 2011 two new dormitories were added to the residence, and existing dorms were air conditioned.
In 2012, with the assistance of a $4 million government grant, the College upgraded its farming facilities to continue to provide a world class agricultural learning program for students. This included a farm workshop, a new shearing shed and farm administration office. 2018 saw the College upgrade our piggery operations to include a new dome shelter and office.
