Lumen Waite 100 - Flipbook - Page 6
The legacy
of a gift
WORDS › ANNA KANTILAFTAS
PICTURES › URRBRAE HOUSE HISTORIC PRECINCT PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION
At the time, Peter saw South Australia as a leader in
agricultural and pastoral development. But he believed
there should be investment in science and education in
order for the state to stay at the forefront. This was a
likely position for a man who, if he was alive today, would
be considered an early adopter.
Peter Waite was a trailblazing pastoralist and
agricultural innovator. His bequest – one of South
Australia’s most substantial individual contributions –
gifted the University with 300 acres of land dedicated to
agricultural research and education.
As dictated by Peter, the property was to be used for two
purposes: as an agricultural science and research facility,
and public green space (the parcel we now know as the
Waite Arboretum and playing fields). Other land Peter
owned was donated to the South Australian Government
to establish an agricultural high school, which became
Urrbrae High.
“He had the second motor car registration in South
Australia. He had electricity put into Urrbrae House - the
first house in Adelaide to have electricity. He used novel
land management techniques on his pastoral stations.
He imported steam diggers to build dams. He was also
an environmentalist ahead of his time,” Lynette says. “I
often joke with high school groups that come through
that if Peter Waite were alive today he would be wanting
an iPhone 20 by now.”
According to Lynette Zeitz, Manager, Curator and
Historian at the Urrbrae House Historic Precinct, the
catalyst for the bequest was a family tragedy. The death
of Peter’s son, David, who was presumed lost at sea in
1913, prompted the Waite family to reassess the future
of the land. After consulting his three daughters and
his wife, Matilda, the decision was made to bequeath
the property. “It’s a story about transforming personal
tragedy into this incredible legacy,” says Lynette.
Today, the campus that bears Waite’s name has evolved
into a world-class Australian research, education, and
commercialisation precinct, and, in the mould of its
namesake, innovation is always at the forefront. It has the
largest expertise in plant biotechnology, cereal breeding,
sustainable agriculture, wine, food, horticulture, and
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