Twenty-six students’ lives were made a little easier when they were announced as recipients of the Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund.
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The successful recipients were announced at a presentation at the Civic Theatre on Thursday.
Deputy Mayor Gae Swain said the scholarship fund was “particularly special” to her because she was involved in their establishment in 2003.
“We had a very low percentage of people going on to higher education,” Cr Swain said.
“She said the funding was provided by local businesses and individuals.
“I would like to challenge the scholarship winners,” Cr Swain said.
“The community has said to you, we think you are worthy of gaining funds. My challenge is for you to be worthy of that trust the community has in you.”
She said while recipients were not “tied” to coming back to Gunnedah, they should not forget they came from a rural background.
Cr Swain said young people from the country had to face additional challenges, including leaving home to study.
St Mary’s College Gunnedah prinicpal Max Quirk said the fund had provided a total of $280,000 for 306 students in the past 12 years.
“It is the only fund of its kind in NSW,” Mr Quirk said.
“We – the schools – applaud this great initiative of the Gunnedah community in supporting our students. This fund led by Gunnedah Shire Council supports our students in a very, very tangible way.”
The scholarship attracted 44 applications which were considered by a committee.
The successful students will or are already studying a range of disciplines including agriculture, engineering, health, education, business and sports.
MCs for the event were school captains from Gunnedah High School and St Mary’s College.
Past recipient Jean Littlewood, who is studying medicine, gave a presentation about her experience with the scholarship.
She said the funds had helped with living away from home, textbooks and course requirements.
“Those were the physical benefits,” she said.
“Receiving this scholarship also gave me a great sense of pride and achievement as it should do for you,” she told the 2015 recipients.
The 2015 recipients were: Sarah Scott, Brandi Megson, Benjamin Porter, Emily Martin, Robert Martin, Sarah Clark, Kelly Easey, Justin Kelly, Tommy Morrison, Katie Anderson, Keegan Ellis, Bonnie McCormack, Isabella Doughty, Jessica Sinclair, Rosie Clift, Jess Somerville, Emily Turpin, Hannah Riley, Lucy Whitehurst, Brooke Wicks, Olivia Jones, Kaytlin Langdon, Lydia McCann, Sarah Jones, Megan Isbester and Jack Chaffey.
