Wool

More support needed to save historic wool research archives

Sheep Central January 13, 2025

H.B. Carter using fleece density calipers. Image – Clive Dalton, NZ.

MORE funding is needed to ship the archives of the pioneering sheep histology scientist HB Carter from England to Australia and secure their future.

Western District sheep producer Peter Small said the archives of Harold Carter are stranded in his daughter-in- law Margaret Carter’s care at Orpington, Greater London.

“Together with others, I seek the help of Australian wool growers to have these valuable archives returned to Australia where they rightfully belong,” he said.

Wool grower Peter Small with his front-seat collie Jock.

Mr Small said Dr Harold Burnell Carter, (1910 -2005) made a significant contribution to the development of the Australian Merino.

“His contribution was of economic and historical significance and revolved around the unique characteristics of the Merino’s skin and the capacity of the Merino to produce large quantities of fine silky soft fibres; fibres keenly sought after by the world textile trade ever since the 19th century.”

Mr Small said Dr Carter created a unique understanding of the productivity of the skin of the Merino with his intense observation under the microscope of skin sections taken from many thousands of Merinos.

“Carter worked out how the relationships of the primary and “secondary fibres and the suint and wax glands of the skin of the Australian Merino influenced wool production and wool quality.”

His work on the histology of the wool fibre, its embryonic development and the genetic and environmental factors that caused variability in wool quality, is credited with aiding in the improvement of the Australian Merino.

Dr Carter also conceived the “Sheep Biology Laboratory” of the CSIRO that was renamed the Ian Clunies Ross Animal Research Laboratory in 1959. Following completion of the Sheep Biology Laboratory, Carter resigned from the CSIRO and took a position at the Animal Breeding Research Organisation in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr Carter’s archives – 44 boxes including research notes, wool and skin samples — have been sitting in his daughter in-law’s garage in Kent in south-east England.

Mr Small has been working on finding a home for the archival collection for three years, but the initial search by the family began about 15 years ago. Mr Small said Rural Industries Training Centre director Bill Hamill at Hamilton has offered a large space originally constructed as a wool classing room to temporarily house the collection while it is evaluated by a leading wool research scientist.

Australian Wool Innovation has offered $4000 towards the freight costs of bringing the collection to Australia, but the search is continuing for a permanent home for the collection.

Mr Small said about $7000 has been raised to help ship the Carter files to Australia, but about $10,000 is needed.

“Evaluation of the archives here will place us in a better position to find an appropriate archival home for them

“Until we get them here and get them properly scientifically assessed we don’t know what we are dealing with.”

Click here to read Mr Small’s full case for retaining the Carter archives.

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Comments

  1. Andrew Farran, January 13, 2025

    Valuable records that should be given the chance to return to our shores and be archived.

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