A RECORD number of students have been given a helping hand in their further education this year thanks to the Batemans Bay Youth Foundation.
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The foundation held its annual presentation dinner at the Soldiers’ Club on Thursday, awarding 16 students scholarships for their further education.
In his welcome address, foundation chairman Peter Wood said 2014 was a record-breaking year - it was the foundation’s 20th birthday, a record number of applicants received grants out of a record 35 applicants, and the value of distributed grants was more than $45,000 – more than any other year.
“Since 1994, a total of 147 students have received grants valued at $395,000, an achievement of which the community can feel proud,” Mr Wood said.
“Few educational charities, located in a rural region, can boast of such a performance.”
Mr Wood said the strength of the foundation rested on its three partners - the Rotary Club of Batemans Bay, the Soldiers’ Club, and the RSL Sub-Branch, as well as the financial and moral support from the Australian National University (ANU), University of Canberra (UC) and University of Wollongong (UoW).
Guest speaker Taylah Pye, who received a grant last year, returned to give practical advice to the grantees at the presentation on Thursday night.
Ms Pye is studying law at UoW and spoke about moving to university, settling in, and coping with the new environment.
She said the scholarship from the youth foundation had helped her immensely.
“The support of the community in Batemans Bay is truly touching and the opportunities this scholarship provides is special and shouldn’t be taken for granted,” she said.
“For me this scholarship helped financially as I settled in to new accommodation, new surroundings and people.
“I didn’t feel under the pressure to work, I could assimilate into uni life without the burden of working to make ends meet and focus on my study.”
Also on the program of the presentation night were performances from two talented young musicians. Sean Douglas, 17, played classical guitar while Rueben Oddy, 18, played the violin.
“Both performed with maturity and clearly have a great future ahead of them,” Mr Wood said.
“Rueben plans to move to Europe this year for further musical studies; Sean wishes to undertake tertiary musical studies next year.”
Each scholarship recipient took to the stage in accepting their grant and thanked the foundation for its support.
List of grantees for 2014:
- Emma Smith will study medical chemistry at ANU
- Shaun Potter will study law and finance at ANU
- Thomas Valentini will study advanced science at ANU
- Caitlin Thomson will study education at UC
- Adam Hopkins will study international studies at UC
- Zoe Simmons will study journalism at UoW
- Ashleigh Pye will study commerce and science at UoW
- Kevin Pfitzner will study advanced physics at UoW
- Lisa Huntley will study arts and law at UoW
- Hayden Fane will study sociology at UoW
- Hayley Belcher will study communications and media at UoW
- Jamie Roy will study English at UoW
- Sally Nicholls will study physiotherapy at Charles Sturt University at Orange
- Lauren Moore will study sociology at the University of Sydney
- Tiana Barenaba will study advanced psychiatry at the University of NSW
- Hayley McNeill has taken up an apprenticeship at The Australian Golf Club
