Terry Witchard and Bonnie Hillsley from local CEF the Macleay Valley Education Fund with scholarship recipient Tia-Rose Bird, Kempsey Mayor Liz Campbell, Tia’s mum Vanessa and President of the Rotary Club of West Kempsey, Sue Gorman.
Melville High School Year 12 student Tia-Rose Bird has just received an added bonus to her HSC studies and further education dreams. Tia was recently awarded a Rotary Club of Sydney Cover Scholarship for Indigenous Students.
Earlier this year Tia was awarded a CEF local grant from Macleay Valley Education Fund (MVEF) in Kempsey to provide her family with funding for Tia to complete her HSC. As a CEF local grant recipient Tia was eligible to apply for extra funding from Rotary Club of Sydney Cove and was excited when she found out she was successful. Tia said it was great to know the community was there to support her in gaining her HSC qualifications.
Treasurer of MVEF, Terry Witchard said the local CEF is very proud of Tia’s scholarship achievement.
Tia is an inspiration to all young people throughout the Macleay, as a person who is working hard to achieve her goal, and as a role model for Aboriginal students who aspire to gaining their HSC and higher education.
Mr Witchard said Kempsey is one of the lowest socioeconomic areas in country but with a helping hand from the community youth can break the cycle and achieve great things.
The local CEF in the Kempsey area was established three years ago and in those few years has provided $36,000 to 17 local grant recipients.
“The first of those people will be finishing their studies soon and many will come back to the Macleay as highly paid professionals, rewarding their community many times over.”
MVEF are currently hard at work preparing for their local art competition and auction to be held at this weekend’s Macleay River Festival. Funds raised through the art competition and auction will go to providing more education, training and career grants for local Kempsey youth.
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