Sydney Biological Station Trust

The Sydney Biological Station Trust was established by the New South Wales Government in 1879. In 1919, the surviving trustees, Professors Emeritii A Liversidge and W A Haswell, agreed to transfer the Trusts financial assets to the University to be used "for or towards establishing or equipping and/or maintaining a Biological Station". The minutes of the Senate Meeting of 7 December 1925 indicate that the University put the financial assets of the Trust into the "Biological Station Trust Fund".

Correspondence in the records shows that, in 1917, no records could be found to determine the exact terms of reference for the Biological Station Trust. The University solicitors contacted the Department of Public Instruction, the NSW Government Department which administered the Trust; the only records pertaining to the establishment of the Trust that could be located were in the "Government Gazette", 10 June 1879, p. 2573 and 17 June 1881 p. 3247.

The Trust was set up by the NSW Government in response to submissions by Baron Miklouho-Maclay with the support of the Linnean Society of NSW. The Government granted land at Watsons Bay; funds for the Station building were raised by public subscription. The land was resumed by the Government for military purposes in 1885; the Trust received 500 pounds sterling in compensation.

From 1885, Haswell took responsibility for the administrative duties of the Trust. A number of unsuccessful attempts were made to replace the Station. In 1889, the Trust submitted a request to the NSW Government Department of lands for the use of the buildings on Rodd Island. The "Rabbit Commission", established under the chairmanship of Henry MacLaurin as President of the Board of Health (MacLaurin was Vice Chancellor of Sydney University from 1887 to 1889), used Rodd Island as a laboratory to develop a biological procedure for rabbit extermination; the procedure also killed kookaburras and other native birds and the commission was wound up in 1889. The Government decided to use the Rodd Island laboratory for vaccine production; in 1890, the Trust was offered the use of Schnapper Island.

The Trust preferred a site at Little Sirius Point; this was granted in 1891. The Trust then solicited public subscriptions to enable laboratories to be constructed. Apparently, insufficient funds were raised for the project to procede. In 1898, Haswell approached the NSW Government Department of Lands for a site on reclaimed land at Rushcutters Bay for a Public Aquarium and Biological Station; this request was rejected. In 1917, Haswell sought the support of the Executive Advisory Committee of the Advisory Council of Science and Industry for the establishment of a marine biological station.

In the early 1930s, at the instigation of Professor W J Dakin, a marine biological laboratory was built on the South Head Military reserve, apparently with the Trust Funds; the building, also referred to as the "University Hut", was taken over by the Defence Department in mid 1940. The building was returned to the University after the war; in 1947, the University decided to dismantle it.