Crop of country students to flourish with AFF scholarships

A new crop of country students will be supported in their chosen fields of study thanks to the Australian Food and Fibre scholarship program.

AFF provide funding for scholarships to support youth across regional NSW to further their tertiary education and help them reach their full potential.

The scholarship assists students to meet their non-tuition costs such as accommodation, books, and other living expenses, totalling up to $11,500 per year over the life of their course of study.

The AFF Education Scholarship follows on from the rich heritage and long-standing community engagement of the Auscott Education Scholarship.

Since its inception in 1971, there have been 160 students whose advanced education has been supported.

Applicants are sought from AFF’s farming and ginning operational regions in the MacIntyre, Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie and Murrumbidgee Valleys, and at Bourke on the Darling River.

Applicants must attend one of the local high schools within these operating regions to be eligible for the scholarship.

This year five scholarships were awarded.

Former Wee Waa High School students Chloe George and Acacia Bell were thrilled and incredibly grateful to be named 2023 AFF scholarship recipients for the Namoi Valley region.

Former Wee Waa High School Acacia Bell is thrilled and grateful to be named one of the 2023 AFF Education Scholarship recipients. Acacia is pictured above with her mum Margaret Galagher at the 2022 WWHS graduation day. Acacia is studying a Bachelor of Education at Charles Stuart University in Port Macquarie.

“Thank you so much, it makes us feel a lot better because being in a rural community, there isn’t as much as what people have living an urban life, and it’s just really good that we can have all these opportunities to support us through everything that we want to accomplish,” Acacia told The Courier when asked what the AFF scholarship means to her.

“Yes, thank you, it gives us a lot more support in what we want to achieve, especially moving far away from home – it gives us more of a boost and we’re able to focus more on studies,” said Chloe George.

Chloe is studying a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of New England in Armidale, readers might be familiar with Chloe from her work at Wee Waa hospital.

“I am really interested in working in rural hospitals,” said Chloe.

Acacia also showed interest in returning to her country roots after she completes a Bachelor of Education at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie.

The award follows a review of the detailed submissions from applicants and a rigorous interview process that was undertaken in early 2023 by local panels.

Criteria used by the selection committee for awarding the scholarship include ‘realistic ambition, recipient’s financial need, local need for specific qualifications, the ability to succeed in a chosen course, motivation, academic performance, personal presentation, community involvement and maturity’.

Academic results are not the sole basis on which a decision is reached.

AFF scholarship recipients are encouraged to take full advantage of this opportunity and to return to their local communities to further grow the skills of our rural and regional areas.

AFF is proud of our local communities and are pleased to support our regions and students by offering this important development programme for our local youth.

Other recipients of the AFF 2023 Education Scholarships include Lucy Beness of Moree Secondary School, who has been awarded the 2023 AFF Education Scholarship for the Gwydir valley.

Lucy will be attending the University of New England where she will study a Bachelor of Rural Science.

Haleigh McCarney of Trangie Secondary School has been awarded the 2023 AFF Education Scholarship for the Macquarie Valley.

Haleigh will be attending the Charles Sturt University where she will study a Bachelor of Nursing, specialising in Physiotherapy.

Hannah Shea of War Memorial High School in Hay has been awarded the 2023 AFF Education Scholarship for the Murrumbidgee Valley.

Hannah will be attending Charles Sturt University where she will study a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science.

AFF said it is proud to support the ambitions of the scholarship recipients and wishes them well in their future studies.