10 May 2000 Honorary Doctorates for Sir Tim Wallis and former University Chancellor

A former Director-General of Agriculture and Chancellor of Lincoln University, Malcolm Cameron of Wellington, and deer recovery and deer farming pioneer Sir Tim Wallis of Wanaka, are being awarded honorary doctorates at Lincoln University's Graduation Ceremony this Friday (12 May).

A past pupil of Timaru Boys' High School and an agricultural science graduate of Lincoln University, Mr Cameron joined the old Department of Agriculture in the 1950s, served in senior positions when it became the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and was Director-General from 1977 until his retirement in 1988. He was a member of the Lincoln University Council for over 20 years and was Chancellor from 1994 until the end of last year.

Mr Cameron was awarded the Bledisloe Medal, Lincoln University's top prize for outstanding contributions to the country's interests in 1983, and received a CMG for his services to agriculture in the Royal Honours List of 1988.

Mr Cameron was Chancellor of Lincoln University when it negotiated the teaching of one of its degrees in Malaysia, a landmark development in educational delivery as the first off-shore teaching of a New Zealand university degree.

Mr Cameron will receive a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, degree at Friday's Graduation Ceremony.

Sir Tim Wallis has become a legendary New Zealand figure as a deer industry pioneer, farmer, businessman, company director, entrepreneur, international trader, aviator, air show founder, tourism operator and even, in his younger days, a provincial rugby representative.

His greatest legacy is having helped turn a noxious animal, the deer, into a multi­million dollar national asset.

Born in Christchurch and educated at Christ's College and the University of Canterbury, Tim was knighted in 1994 for services to deer farming, export and the community.

He is the owner and managing director of Alpine Deer Group Ltd, Wanaka, an honorary life member of the NZ Deer Farmers' Association, which he served as a council member for almost 10 years, and an honorary life member of the NZ Elk and Wapiti Society, of which he was founding chairman.

He is a past winner (jointly with fellow deer farming pioneer Sir Peter Elworthy) of the NZ Deer Industry Award; the Sir Jack Newman Award for outstanding contributions to the tourism industry and the AE Gibson Award for contributions to NZ aviation.

Sir Tim's connection with scientific deer farming and with Lincoln University span equal periods of time. New Zealand's deer farming industry largely began when the country's first scientific deer research farmlet was established on the Lincoln University campus at the end of the 1960s. Tim Wallis, as a young helicopter pilot, provided the initial deer stock for that scientific research, capturing nine animals for the project by helicopter in the Wanaka region.

While Lincoln did the initial science on farming deer in captivity (work subsequently taken up by Invermay but led by Lincoln graduates) Sir Tim pursued the capture and business side.

Aviation had always been a passion and after learning to fly he was one of the first to use helicopters in deer culling. He then moved on to live deer recovery, operating over a large area in Fiordland to which he had secured access.

He was always very interested in the science of deer recovery – the shooting, the darting, the netting – and he invested substantial time and money in researching and developing aviation-based techniques for this activity. Subsequently, with Sir Peter Elworthy, the country's first intensive deer farmer, he was instrumental in setting up the Deer Farming Association to work out the farming methods.

On the farming and business side Sir Tim eventually pioneered the export of live deer and venison to Asia, North America and Europe.

As an agribusinessman and exporter Sir Tim helped pioneer velvet trading with Korea. He is involved in the deer and deer genetics business in Canada and had a past involvement with the Russian deer industry. The Canadian connection saw him establish a deer group in Ontario to import red deer and start the first red deer farms in Canada.

Sir Tim is a survivor. A near-fatal helicopter crash in 1968 broke his back but led him to become a vigorous supporter of the Burwood Hospital's spinal unit and active in the rehabilitation of young people with spinal injuries. Then in 1996 he survived a similarly near-fatal Spitfire crash, making a lion-hearted recovery. As a survivor he readily pays tribute to the 70 helicopter pilots and shooters who died in the period when the deer recovery and farming industry was being established.

Beyond the deer industry, Sir Tim's name is inseparable from the Alpine Fighter Collection which he established and the internationally acclaimed Warbirds Over Wanaka Air Show, which he also founded.

Sir Tim will receive the degree Doctor of Commerce, honoris causa, from Lincoln University.

In a reverse of the son following in his father's footsteps, Sir Tim follows in the path of his son Jonathan, who graduated from Lincoln University, with a Bachelor of Agriculture degree, at last year's capping ceremony.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand