The purpose of this site is to recognise and document the history of Information Technology (IT) Education in the regional city of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
This history officially began as described in Frank Cusack’s book, “Canvas to Campus – A History of the Bendigo Institute of Technology” in 1964:
“When Information Processing was introduced in 1964 the class was one of only three then operating in Victoria. A Diploma of Information Processing was inaugurated. In the late sixties a computer centre was established based on a KL 1901 computer configuration with a computer secured from the United Kingdom at a cost of $120,000. First of its kind in Australia, a Computer Club for secondary school students was organised soon after. By 1972 the Division was offering diplomas in Information Processing, Management and Business Studies (slanted either to Accountancy or Data Processing), as well as a Post Diploma in Electronic Computing.”
At the time of writing (January 2013), that history of IT Education had evolved to become a suite of single and double degree Information Technology courses offered by La Trobe University’s Bendigo campus. These courses continue to provide the opportunity for local and international students to study Information Technology in a regional australian setting, and importantly, provide a ready supply of IT graduates for employers in the Victorian region.
Bendigo IT Education 
In 1968 I was studying part-time for a Diploma in Mathematics and teaching at Kangaroo Flat Tech. That year I learned some FORTRAN in my diploma, and supported by Westy Williams began teaching it to one of my Year 10 mathematics classes.
I don’t remember the Computer Club mentioned above, but would be interested to hear/read more about it.
Check out the photos in the 1964 – 1973 category!