Did you work at the Dickson Experimental Station?
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Did you work at the CSIRO Dickson Experiment Station (now the suburb of Downer), or know someone who did? If so, please read on.......
The Downer Community Association is planning a major community celebration on 27 March 2010 to celebrate its 50 years. The suburb of Downer was gazetted on 7 April 1960.
From 1940 to 1965, what is now Downer, was the site of the CSIRO Experimental Station, Division of Plant Industry. What is now Swinden Street was the driveway into the station and what is now the Community Centre was part of the administration infrastructure for the Station.
During World War II, CSIRO planted most of what is now Downer with poppy fields to provide the raw material for morphine desperately needed for the injuries being sustained in the Pacific campaign. The Association has many wonderful photos from the time that CSIRO was essentially Downer and we suspect there are also some similar pieces in the CSIRO archives or in personal photo collections.
As part of the celebrations the Association is planning to arrange for a mural to be painted on the back of the Community Centre representing the CSIRO Downer Poppy fields.
The Association would like to invite any CSIRO staff associated with the site to the celebrations and to share any archival documentation as CSIRO is very much a major part of Downers heritage.
If you, or someone you know worked at the Dickson Experimental Station, please contact us.
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