Community helps 15 young people on their learning journey

February 16, 2022

The Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund has helped another 15 young Gunnedah people on their tertiary learning journey.

The presentation for the successful recipients was held yesterday, with Mayor Jamie Chaffey congratulating the students who will be studying in a huge range of areas, from law to paramedicine and teaching.

“The Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund is a wonderful example of how the community and Council can work together to offer opportunities for our young people,” Cr Chaffey said.

“The scholarship was started by our former Mayor and long-term Councillor Gae Swain 19 years ago when a report showed how low our tertiary education entry figures were. She saw this as a way to encourage and support our students to take the leap that can be difficult, particularly if you have to move away to study.

“The Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund Working Group has provided about 400 scholarships over the years, worth close to $400,000.

“This is just one of the reasons the Gunnedah community is a great home to come back to when our students are qualified and embarking on our career.

“I thank the sponsors who have helped make these sponsorships possible and wish the students all the best for the future.”

The guest speaker at the presentation was 2016 recipient Reanna Hill, who is now a qualified teacher working in Gunnedah.

The scholarships, awarded annually, are open to all local students under 25 who want to further their training and education at university, TAFE, or an accrediting training organisation. The scholarship can help with expenses like: • Purchasing textbooks • Relocation and other travel costs • Living expenses • Contribution towards tuition fees.

The successful 2022 Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund recipients are:

Medical Scholarships: Paige Gainsford, Kaitlin Newbery and Arielle Worthington.

Sciences, Arts, Business or Law Scholarships: Maddison Coombs, Chloe Devine, Mollie Hatton, Grace McCulloch, Chloe Perkins, Sophie Williams and Halle Woods.

Medical Engineering: Deagan Marchant.

Education: Pennie Broekman, Bella Gallaher, Lilian McNamara and Ashlee Roach.

Caption: The successful recipients of the 2022 Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund. A number of recipients were unable to attend the ceremony.

ENDS

Media and communications team contact: (02) 6740 2100.