Hugh Paterson Donald

BLEDISLOE MEDAL, 1959

Dr. H. P. Donald (29-33), Animal Breeding Research Organisation, Edinburgh.

A distinguished scientist, Dr. H. P. Donald, who is working in the United Kingdom, has been awarded the Bledisloe Medal. This medal is awarded annually to a former student of Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, who, in the opinion of the College Governors, has, as a result of his training at the college, materially assisted farming in New Zealand or has otherwise advanced this country’s interests.

Dr. Donald, who was at the college from 1929 to 1933 and in his final year graduated Master of Agricultural Science, went to Britain in the early 1930’s to work in the Institute of Animal Genetics at Edinburgh. He gained a doctorate of philosophy in 1936 and a doctorate of science in 1939—both at Edinburgh University.

Subsequently Dr. Donald was on the staff of the institute until 1948. In this period his work was mainly concerned with population genetics and dynamics of dairy cattle and pigs.

In 1948 he joined the staff of the Animal Breeding and Genetics Research Organisation in Edinburgh and when this body was reconstructed in 1950 he became head of the part dealing in the main with farm livestock—the Animal Breeding Research Organisation. In this capacity he is in charge of six widely-separated research farms, which carry large number of cattle, sheep and pigs. The organisation is one of the largest scientific institutions under the Agricultural Research Council and in the few years of its existence has become one of the most important research centres in livestock in the Commonwealth. The main aspect of its work, in which Dr. Donald has taken a keen personal interest, has been on identical twins in cattle, on which he has written several papers.

In 1937 Dr. Donald became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

The Medal was presented on Diploma or Graduation Day at the College in May. Dr. Donald was not present but his mother and sisters were present at the function, and Mr T. D. J. Holderness presented Mrs Donald, senr., and escorted her while she received the Medal on behalf of her son.