Vet school open thanks to Kay

By Laura Davies
Updated November 7 2012 - 12:54pm, first published April 20 2010 - 11:28pm

RETIRING member for Riverina, Kay Hull, yesterday admitted it was no easy task securing a veterinary school for Charles Sturt University."It was a difficult task - we were really paddling our boat upstream," she said.But yesterday was a time to celebrate all the hard work paying off, as the university celebrated the official opening of a veterinary teaching hospital to be named in Mrs Hull's honour.The $3.3 million facility includes a first-opinion practice which is open to the public and run by Wagga vet Dr David Golland, as well as a medical referral practice run by Charles Sturt University (CSU).The first students to benefit from the infrastructure will finish their studies in August this year, but the vet science courses would never have been possible in Wagga without Mrs Hull's efforts.Mrs Hull said an initial report into the feasibility of another university vet school had recommended against public funds being used, and said there were already enough university places to meet Australia's needs for the immediate future.But instead of dropping the issue, Mrs Hull kept talking to ministers and told them CSU planned to completely finance the project itself, requiring no government funds.Finally, the project received the green light, a decision Mrs Hull said could make everyone involved proud."In achieving that first goal, what an achievement it's been ? not only for this country, but internationally," she said.CSU vice-chancellor Professor Ian Goulter also acknowledged Mrs Hull's determination to see the vet school become a reality."Kay is like a terrier - if she sinks her teeth into your ankle, they don't come out for a very long time," he said.Prof Goulter said the new veterinary teaching hospital would help CSU lead the way as one of the finest facilities in Australia.

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