5 Gisborne Students Receive Tertiary Scholarships

News Release 24 September 2008

Five Gisborne High School Students Receive Tertiary Scholarships

Five Gisborne students are the deserving recipients of this year’s Walter William McLean Scholarships, presented at a ceremony at the Gisborne District Council Chambers yesterday (23 September). Farm revenues from Gisborne’s Gowerville Station, the farm once owned by Mr McLean, help fund this prestigious award, which sees the winners each receive $3,500 per year for three years of tertiary study. The Walter William McLean Scholarship is administered and managed by Public Trust.

The 2008 scholarship winners are:
• Jesse Halbert – Gisborne Boys’ High School, studying for a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Victoria
• Alicia O’Connor – Gisborne Girls’ High School, studying health science (medicine, specialising in radiation therapy) at the University of Otago in Wellington
• Sarah Fuhrer – Campion College, studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Waikato
• Abby Cadwallader – Campion College, studying for a Bachelor of Pharmacy at the University of Auckland
• Yvette Shaw – Lytton High School, studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese and a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Otago

John Derry, Public Trust’s national farm manager said at today’s presentation ceremony, “This year’s scholarship winners really demonstrate what this trust is about – helping support the young people of Gisborne to study at tertiary level. This year’s applicants were of an extremely high standard and it was a very difficult decision to choose these five outstanding winners.”

The Scholarship selection panel comprises John Derry and Kris Clapham from local law firm, Nolans. Each school within the Gisborne, Waikahu and Cook Districts may select just three scholarship applicants. Each applicant must be an all-round student planning to continue their studies at tertiary level, and accordingly, the scholarship recipients receive $3,500 per year for three years of study. The scholarship is presently funding the studies of 15 Gisborne area students totalling $52,500.

The Walter William McLean Scholarship is funded from revenues from Gowerville Station which was owned by Mr McLean. On his death, Mr McLean made over Gowerville to a trust. Public Trust manages and administers the property, as well as the Walter William McLean Scholarship.

Gowerville, just beyond Gisborne’s town boundary, is a 369 hectare sheep and cattle property. A small section of the land is used as a vineyard which is used for training by viticulture students from Tairawhiti Polytechnic. There are also two agricultural cadets training on the farm.

“The Walter William McLean scholarship is all about helping students in their tertiary studies in the hope that they might return to Gisborne in the future and share their skills and knowledge with the local community. We wish Jesse, Sarah, Alicia, Abby and Yvette all the very best for their studies, and look forward to following their progress at university in the next few years,” said John Derry.

The Walter William McLean Scholarship is one of over 400 charitable trusts (including a number of scholarships) managed by Public Trust. These trusts and scholarships include interests as diverse as arts, science, medicine, disability and agriculture. Collectively, the trusts and scholarships provide the means for many people to live better lives, enhance their skills and talents, or enjoy better community facilities.

ENDS

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