In 1981, Cambridge University established the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust (CCT). Its genesis stemmed from the committee of the auditors of Cambridge University, which had drawn attention to a large fund that for many years had been accumulating undisclosed. This resulted from the profits of the Cambridge Local Examination Board, which for many years had, among other things, been conducting examinations for the education systems for a number of the colonies. By 1980 the funds had grown to such a degree that the auditors felt that it was time that some use was made of them. A Trust was accordingly formed consisting of 12 trustees, who decided that the funds should be used for postgraduate scholarships from all parts of the Commonwealth. It is rather ironic that Australia which had never participated in the way in which the funds had been accumulating now had the benefit of scholarships partly derived from the contributions of colonial education systems. Before long scholarships under the auspices of the CCT were established in a number of Commonwealth countries. There were Livingstone scholars from central Africa, Nehru scholars from India, Tunku Abdul Rahman scholars from Malaysia, Prince Phillip scholars from Hong Kong, as well as other scholars from Singapore and Pakistan.

The arrangements were that the funding for the scholarships would be on a tripartite basis. Overseas research scholarships (ORS) brought in by the Thatcher government to counter the UK's Overseas Student's fee would provide one tranche. The Cambridge Commonwealth Trust would provide a second. Each national committee was then expected to find the balance, the total to provide the funds which the scholars would need to pay their fees and living expenses throughout the three years required to undertake a Cambridge PhD.

In the light of all this a move was begun in 1982 to start a comparative scheme for Australia. The first approach came with a letter formally written to the High Commissioner for Australia in Britain, and the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in Canberra. They were asked to arrange meetings with Professor Sir Jack Lewis, one of the trustees of the CCT and Warden of Robinson College in Cambridge, who was visiting Australia in August 1982. He made contact with the Prime Minister and the Governor General amongst others, but there was then some uncertainty as to how exactly the scholars were to be selected, and who was to have the job of arranging this. To begin with there was little progress but early in December 1982, Professor Sir Jack Lewis met Jean Floud the Principal of Newnham College Cambridge who was also a CCT Trustee. She knew Anthony Low and had met him on previous occasions and thought the best approach would be to write to him directly. The letter arrived early in December 1982.

By that time Anthony had just been succeeded as Vice Chancellor of the ANU by Peter Karmel, and was proposing to leave Canberra to take up appointment as Smuts Professor of Commonwealth History in Cambridge. So he only had from December 1982 until the middle of April 1983 in which to get things moving. It is a great tribute to Anthony on how much he managed to do in that short time. The first thing he did was to write letters to seven Vice-Chancellors who had Cambridge degrees. The response from those Vice-Chancellors was, as he said, 'hesitant'. I'd almost say, 'timid'. They could see some of the difficulties. But he also approached Peter Karmel.

Now the ANU already had an arrangement by which the funds raised by the Australian Harvard Society, to send a Menzies scholar each year to Harvard, were made to the ANU and were then tax deductible. Anthony Low knew of this arrangement, and so asked his successor Peter Karmel, if similar arrangements could be made for some Cambridge scholarships. Then in the middle of January 1983 Anthony went on a short visit to Cambridge prior to his appointment there and to bring himself up to date with what was really required. On his return he attempted some fundraising by approaching Caltex and Shell, both of which companies had annual scholarships to Britain, but the response was not good. The principal requirement he learned was that it would be necessary to establish a committee to take the whole matter further. Over the next month he recruited a committee of nine members which apart from himself included Sir Mark Oliphant, Sir Rutherford Robertson, Sir Fred White, Peter Howson, John Yencken who had been on the Council of the ANU, and for managerial purposes Rafe de Crespigny, Francis West, and John Atwill.

These nine people met over lunch at the ANU on 24 March 1983. At that lunch they agreed that they would become the Australian Committee of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust. Sir Mark Oliphant was elected chairman and an executive committee was elected with John Yencken as chairman, Rafe de Crespigny as treasurer and Francis West as secretary.

Following the meeting they all went to Government House to an interview at 3pm with the Prince of Wales who was by now the Chairman of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust. At that meeting the Prince gave formal approval as the Chairman of the Trust to the formation of the Australian Committee of the Trust. There was some debate as to whether the Australian scholars would be Prince Charles Scholars or Prince of Wales Scholars and after the meeting Sir Edward Adeane, the private secretary to the Prince emphasised that the Prince's preference was that they should be called the Prince of Wales Scholars. Anthony Low recorded the minutes of the meetings on 24th March 1983 and took them across to Cambridge and they therefore record the date of 24th March 1983 as the official birth of the Australian Committee of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust.

Two weeks later Anthony Low departed for Cambridge. Thus eight members were left to proceed with the matter. There was then, however, a hiatus. For two key appointments that emanated from the March meeting were unable to give their time to the enterprise. Sir Mark Oliphant's wife became very ill and he had to relinquish all his tasks in connection with the Australian Committee and return to Adelaide to look after her. At the same time John Yencken's wife died and he also had to relinquish all his Canberra activities. Francis West, moreover, received a part time appointment at Churchill College in Cambridge, which meant that he was spending six months of the year in Cambridge and six months of the year at Deakin. As a consequence nothing happened for some months.

On the 9th August 1984 the Executive of the ACCCT composed of the Hon Peter Howson (Chair), Dr Peter Treacy and Professor Francis West met. The formation of branches of the Cambridge Society in Australia, in particular in Victoria was noted. This was an independent activity of interested Cambridge graduates. It was agreed that in any fund raising appeal the ACCCT would establish small state committees of the ACCCT to liase with any Cambridge Society branches in the state.

In February 1986 the Director of the CCT, Dr Anil Seal, visited Australia and held meetings with people in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne to initiate fund raising. He addressed the first formal meeting of the ACCCT in Canberra on the 13th February 1986. Dr Seal advised at this meeting that the Australian Committee, as named in 1985, had been confirmed by the CCT Trustees as duly elected. At this same meeting it was noted that agreement had been obtained by the ANU Registrar from the Commissioner of Taxation, in a letter dated 23rd December 1983, for the tax deductibility of funds that were received and managed by the ANU for disbursement to scholars, provided the scholars were selected by an ‘appropriate Selection Committee’.

On the 11th July 1986 a memorandum from the ANU Registrar outlining the agreed process for selecting of scholars was formally adopted by the ANU Council.

An informal gathering was held at the British High Commission in Canberra to launch the Packer-Cambridge Scholarships on the 21st October 1986.

From 1996 onwards, with the concurrence of CCT, the ACCCT adopted its present name of the Cambridge Australia Trust.

CAT’s organization and objectives

The Cambridge Australia Trust consists of the Australian Committee and the State Committee chairs. The Australian Committee comprises a Chair, the Deputy Chair together with an Honorary Treasurer, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Registrar, the British High Commissioner and the State Committee Chairs

CAT carries out four main activities:

1. Fundraising and administration of funds
2. Advertising of CAT scholarships
3. Selection of Scholars via the Selection Committee, half nominated by CAT and half by the ANU, and appointed by the Council of ANU.
4. Keeping a Registry of scholars

CAT meets each year for an Annual General Meeting to review its activities and finances, and to agree on the most effective way to achieve its objectives.

The CAT Secretariat is currently located in Canberra.

The State Committees are central to providing a point of social contact between supported students and CAT, and through advertising to draw attention to the existence of CAT scholarships, and to fund raising.