He said if it wasn't for dedicated locals like Pat Varley who advocated for The Institute, giving regional communities the chance to attend a university, his life could have turned out very different.

"In 1974 I was fortunate to be offered a scholarship to study a Diploma of Business," he said.

"I would come down and do my studies and go home each weekend. It really set me up for a career in accounting. From there I managed to get a position in Melbourne at a leading accounting firm, which the Institute helped me get.

"It's hard to imagine what my life would have turned out like without that opportunity.

"If I didn't have that opportunity I would probably still be stuck in Hamilton, there were some jobs around but it wouldn't have been a university degree."

Crowds gathered at Deakin Warrnambool to celebrate 50 years since the inception of the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education on Saturday.

The institute operated for 20 years from 1970 to 1990 and offered undergraduate and postgraduate courses in aquaculture, arts, business, nursing, municipal engineering, applied science and teaching.

In 1990 it merged with Deakin University and its Warrnambool campus was born.

READ MORE: Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education celebrates 50th anniversary

Member for Wannon and Education Minister Dan Tehan attended the luncheon and said he was impressed by the impact of The Institute over the last decade.

"This is a wonderful institution, it's been part and parcel of Warrnambool and the south-west, and to see it celebrating 50 years is just fantastic," he said.

"To learn about the history, hear about the history and see so many people here - over 200 - just celebrating what this campus has meant to the community is great.

"I think it shows how much the community is prepared to fight for the services that it deserves. The community has wanted higher education offered and we've that at been times where that's been difficult and challenging, but education will change over the years, and you've got to learn and adapt.

"I look forward to seeing it part of the community for the next 50 years."

Mr Tehan said there is a push to improve regional education and he hoped to work with Deakin to see that happen.

"Obviously we're looking to reshape rural and regional education through the Napthine review, but also I think there's some really exciting things we can look at regarding the research that's going to take place here at the campus and I'm going to continue to work with the Vice-Chancellor to develop those ideas into reality," he said.

New Deakin Vice-Chancellor Iain Martin said alumni are one of the most important resources of an education institution.

"The strength of this alumni network is plain to see today, you are embedded in the community, locally and further afield," he said.

"We are in the company of former nurses, teachers, accountants, engineers and scientists, artists and business people working in a wide range of sectors.

"We will work with the community on what the campus looks like in the future. We understand how important the campus is to Warrnambool and the south-west."

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