Our History

The Hunter Valley Research Foundation grew out of the devastation of the disastrous 1955 floods which left a trail of destruction and despair throughout the Hunter Valley. After recovery had commenced, a community meeting of over 600 residents took place in Maitland to discuss future action. There was a widespread demand that an effort be made to mitigate the flooding and safeguard the Valley's economy. A decision was taken to set up an organisation to acquire knowledge of the total environment through research and subsequently The Hunter Valley Research Foundation was established.

Structure of the Foundation
The Foundation was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 13 September 1956, with Professor Cyril Renwick, then Professor of Economics at the Newcastle University College, as Director of Research. While there are members of the Company, there are no shareholders nor are dividends remitted to any members. Directors serve in a voluntary capacity and receive no financial gain. Over the years, high profile men and women from a wide range of business and industry have served with distinction as chairmen and members of the Board. Professor Renwick's belief in the ideals of the Foundation held him as Director of Research for almost thirty years.

The Foundation has been built on partnerships of trust with many hundreds of organisations and individuals including clients and Sponsors. This confidence in the Foundation's ideals has enabled it to maintain one of its most esteemed values - independence.

Site establishment
The first major fundraising appeal took place in 1959 and successfully raised £100,000 (=$200,000). At the same time the NSW Government declared itself to be a Major Sponsor with a grant of £5,000 (=$10,000) and its significant support still continues.

In 1958, the Foundation purchased for £1,000 (=$2,000) the first Newcastle Conservatorium of Music building, located in Civic Park. It was moved to the Foundation's current site in Maryville adjacent to Throsby Creek, opposite the (then) Newcastle Technical College/Newcastle University College in Tighes Hill.

The two and a half acre site in Maryville was a degraded area devoid of vegetation. After the addition of hundreds of tonnes of fill supplied by BHP and the establishment of many trees and shrubs, the site was transformed into an inspirational and pleasant environment, highly conducive to research activities. In 1970, a second building, the Macquarie Building, was opened and remains the Foundation's current headquarters. The original building (Hunter Building) is still used as a data collection facility.

Research Activities
Initial research undertaken by the Foundation concerned water resources: their availability and distribution. The early studies of the Hunter River system, land use (a joint project with CSIRO), and work on aspects of industry, allowed people to see the Hunter as a cohesive geographic and economic unit, rich in resources. The extensive collection of information and the development of databases in the Hunter make it one of the best researched and documented regions in Australia. Weather station recordings began in 1964 and still provide climatic and weather information as a basic community service.

Streamflow experiments provided information needed for irrigation and flood control work, and sedimentation and harbour siltation research eventually influenced the decision to deepen Newcastle Harbour to allow the entry of large coal carriers. These silt-tracing studies enabled an understanding of sediment movement in Newcastle Harbour and were a basic component in the development of Newcastle as the largest exporting port in Australia.

In the mid 1970s, Professor Renwick saw that the emphasis of world research was moving towards the social sciences, and the more intensive study of man in his environment. Major studies were initiated on urban land use; leisure, recreation and tourism; pollution; and the impact of mining on agricultural land. A database on manufacturing establishments was begun in 1966 and has been continually refined, particularly with the aid of computerisation.

Today, the Foundation undertakes an extensive range of regional monitoring and contract research requiring qualitative and quantitative skills. Under the guidance of its CEO, Dr W.E.J. Paradice, who succeeded Professor Renwick on his retirement in 1985, the Foundation has embraced an Australia-wide focus for its services, many of which are documented in the other sections of this website.

The original HVRF Hunter Building at Maryville in 1958, after the site has been filled and levelled.

The original Hunter Building

Entrance to the Macquarie Building, the current headquarters of HVRF.

The Macquarie Building

Building extension - February 2008