Interview with Derek Mitchell [PASRAC Aboriginal Unit 1980s]

An oral history interview with Derek Mitchell details the creation and impact of PASRAC, a pre-entry program at Roseworthy Agricultural College in the mid-1980s that supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students into agriculture and natural resources study through staged preselection, orientation, tutoring, housing in Gawler, and a dedicated on-campus centre. Mitchell highlights broad staff support, Commonwealth funding, community partnerships, tailored assignments, strong completion rates, personal and professional growth for students, and the program’s recognition as a national centre, while noting challenges around community absence, cultural dynamics, and adjustment to academic norms. The program’s momentum waned during the 1990s amalgamation, contracts lapsed without clear transition, and courses were cut, though many graduates maintained long-term positive connections and outcomes.