The Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust is pleased to announce the 2018 recipients of the Charlie Perkins Scholarships.  This year's Scholars are Australian National University graduate Casey Millward and University of Sydney graduate Geoffrey Winters.

On Wednesday 22 August 2018, six Indigenous Australians will receive scholarships totalling more than $500,000 to pursue postgraduate study at four of the world’s leading universities: Cambridge, London School of Economics, the Royal College of Art and Oxford.
 
British High Commissioner to Australia, Her Excellency Menna Rawlings CMG, will present the 2018 Charlie Perkins and Roberta Sykes Scholarships in Canberra, alongside Richard Potok, CEO of the Aurora Education Foundation, and Executive Director of both the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust and the Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation. 
 
“Seven years ago, there had never been an Indigenous Australian studying for a full-time degree at either Oxford or Cambridge universities,” explains Richard Potok. “Now, thanks to the Charlie Perkins and Roberta Sykes Scholarships, with the ongoing support of the Australian and British governments, there have been 40 Indigenous postgraduates accepted to Oxford and Cambridge.  This includes three of this year’s recipients, all accepted on the basis of academic merit. We are also delighted to continue in our partnership with London School of Economics this year.  We are incredibly proud of this year’s recipients, whose hard work and dedication to academic excellence is a testament to the pioneering founders of these Scholarships.”
 
Four of the six 2018 Scholarship winners were participants on Aurora’s Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour, which provides high achieving Indigenous students the opportunity to gain insight into the experience of undertaking postgraduate study at premier institutions abroad and generates a natural pipeline of potential scholarship applicants.

The Scholarships are designed to support Indigenous Australians who have the potential to become leaders in their field of study and in their communities, and are awarded on the basis of academic merit.  This year's Scholarships are jointly supported by the Australian Government, the British Government through the Chevening program, the Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust and Cambridge Australia Scholarships.

Casey will undertake a MPhil in Public Policy at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge.  A Kalkadoon woman from North West Queensland, Casey graduated from Australian National University with a Master of Management in 2017, and a Bachelor of Business from University of Southern Queensland in 2012.  Casey is currently a Director in the Office for Women developing the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s new Reconciliation Action Plan in Canberra.  For the past 15 years, Casey has worked in the Indigenous Affairs portfolio in both the public, university and community sectors.  Casey was an Aurora Scholar on the 2016 Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour.​

Geoffrey will undertake a Master of Public Policy at Balliol College, Oxford.  A Walgett man from Richmond, NSW, Geoffrey graduated from the University of Sydney with a combined Bachelor of Arts (Honours)/Law in 2015.  Geoffrey is currently a director at Chalk & Behrendt, Lawyers and Consultants, as well as a council member for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Foundation and board member for the NSW Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network.  He aspires to serve the community through an active career in public policy and politics.  Geoffrey was an Aurora Scholar on the 2017 Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour. 

British High Commissioner to Australia, Her Excellency Menna Rawlings CMG, presented the 2017 Charlie Perkins Scholarships in Canberra in August in the presence of the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion, with Senator Dodson also in attendance this year.

This year's Charlie Perkins Scholars are: University of New South Wales graduate Ashley Walker, and Western Sydney University and UNSW graduate Brook Andrew.

The Scholarships are designed to support Indigenous Australians who have the potential to become leaders in their field of study and in their communities, and are awarded on the basis of academic merit.  This year's Scholarships are jointly supported by the Australian Government, Boston Consulting Group, the British Government through the Chevening program and Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

Ash is a Dhurga/ Dharawal man belonging to the La Perouse Aboriginal community in coastal Sydney.  Ash will undertake a Master of Business Administration at the Saïd Business School and Trinity College, Oxford.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales in 2012.

Brook Andrew, a descendant of the Wiradjuri nation in New South Wales and one of Australia's leading artists, is undertaking a DPhil in Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art and St John's College, Oxford.  Brook graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 1993 and a Master of Fine Arts (Research) in 1999.

Both Ash and Brook were participants on the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour.

The Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust presented its 2016 Charlie Perkins Scholarships to recipients at a ceremony at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Canberra in August. 

The scholarships, which assist Indigenous Australians pursue postgraduate study at Oxford and Cambridge
universities, are each valued at over $75,000 per annum for up to three years, and includes travel, tuition and
living expenses. 
 
British High Commissioner to Australia, Mrs Menna Rawlings CMG, presented this year’s recipients with their
scholarships in the presence of the Hon Alan Trudge, attending on the Prime Minister’s behalf. 
 
The scheme is designed to support Indigenous Australians who have the potential to become leaders in their
 field of study and in their communities, and are awarded purely on the basis of academic merit. 
 
This year’s recipients are: University of Sydney graduate James Beaufils, University of Queensland graduate  Malcolm Connolly, ​and Victoria University ​graduate Olivia Slater.

James Beaufils, who received a Bachelor of Educations from the University of Sydney, has been accepted into the MSc in Education at the University of Oxford.

Malcolm Connolly , who received a Bachelor Degree and Masters degree in Archaeology 
from the University of Queensland, has been accepted to undertake a PhD at the 
University of Cambridge. 

Olivia Slater, who completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Victoria University, is completing an MPhil in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.

Malcolm and Olivia were participants on the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study tour.

The Charlie Perkins Scholarship trust will be presenting its  2015 Charlie Perkins Scholarships to recipients at a ceremony at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Canberra today. 

The scholarships, which assist Indigenous Australianspursue postgraduate study at Oxford and Cambridge
universities, are each valued at over $75,000 per annum for up to three years, and includes travel, tuition and
living expenses. 
 
British High Commissioner to Australia, Mrs Menna Rawlings CMG, will present this year’s recipients with their
scholarships in the presence of the Hon Alan Trudge, attending on the Prime Minister’s behalf. 
 
The scheme is designed to support Indigenous Australians who have the potential to become leaders in their
 field of study and in their communities, and are awarded purely on the basis of academic merit. 
 
This year’s recipients are: University of Sydney graduate Jared Field, University of Western Australia graduate  Aurora Milroy, ​and Flinders University and University of New South Wales ​graduate Kristopher Wilson.

Jared Field, who received First Class Honours in Advanced Mathematics at the University of Sydney, has been accepted into the Doctoral Training Program in Systems Biology at the University of Oxford.

Aurora Milroy, who received First Class Honours in both her Bachelor of Arts (History) and Bachelor of Laws 
from the University of Western Australia, has been accepted to undertake a Master of Public Policy at the 
University of Oxford. 

Kristopher Wilson, who completed his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Flinders University, and Master of Laws 
​(Media and Technology) from the University of New South Wales, is currently completing his first year of a 
​DPhil in Cyber Security (Law) at the University of Oxford.

Jared and Aurora were participants on the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study tour, and Kristopher
has previously worked as a mentor on the Aurora Education Foundation high school program. 







​

The Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust is pleased to announce the 2014 recipients of the Charlie Perkins Scholarships, a scheme assisting Indigenous Australians to pursue postgraduate study at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

The three recipients of this year’s scholarships are: University of Newcastle graduate Jessica Buck, University of Western Australia graduate Jessyca Hutchens, and Edith Cowan University graduate Tamara Murdock.

Jessica Buck, a descendant of the Kamilaroi people, recently completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with Distinction and a Diploma of Languages (Japanese) at the University of Newcastle.  Jessica has been accepted to undertake an MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. 

Jessyca Hutchens, a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region, graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts in 2010, obtaining her Bachelor of Laws with Distinction, and her Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in Fine Art History.  Jessyca has been accepted to both the DPhil in Fine Arts at the Ruskin School of Art at Oxford and the MPhil in the History of Art and Architecture at Cambridge.

Tamara Murdock, a descendant of the Noongar and Yindjibarndi people, graduated from Edith Cowan University with First Class Honours in a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Management) in 2011.  Tamara has been accepted to undertake an MPhil in Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford.

Both Tamara and Jessyca work at the Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation in Geraldton and Perth, respectively.

The scholarship program was established in 2009 in the memory of Dr Charlie Perkins AO, one of the first Indigenous Australians to graduate from university.

Charlie was inspired to return to Australia to undertake university study after playing in a soccer match against the University of Oxford.  He completed a Bachelor of Arts from Sydney University in 1966.

The scholarship program is supported by the Australian Government, the British Government (through the Chevening Program), Rio Tinto, the Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust, Cambridge Australia Scholarships, the University of Oxford, the Pratt Foundation, Justice John Basten, the McCusker Foundation and the University of Canberra.

Speaking about the Scholarships, the Chair of the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust, Rachel Perkins said:

“The Trust is proud to support these three extraordinary Indigenous scholars in their studies at Oxford and Cambridge this year.  

“These scholarships are designed to support Indigenous Australians who have the potential to become leaders in their field of study and in their communities, and I am confident that our 2014 Scholars will fulfil this hope.

“Three-and-a-half years ago there had never been an Indigenous Australian studying for a full-time degree at Oxford or Cambridge – consistently two of the top five universities in the world.  

“Today, through ours and various other scholarship programs, 23 Indigenous Australians have been accepted for full-time postgraduate degrees at Oxford and Cambridge, and the first 5 graduated in 2013.  These inspiring students have been accepted purely on the basis of academic merit, a feat that some people said was inconceivable.

“We are extremely honoured to be a part of the celebration of these students, their families and their communities’ success.

“I sincerely thank the Australian Government, the British Government (through the Chevening program), Rio Tinto, the Vice Chancellor and Development Office at Oxford University, the Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust, Cambridge Australia Scholarships, the Pratt Foundation, Justice John Basten, the McCusker Foundation, the University of Canberra and the many smaller donors who have made these outstanding awards possible.”

British High Commissioner, Paul Madden, said: “The British High Commission is delighted to be supporting this extremely worthwhile scholarship initiative as part of our Chevening Scholarships programme.

“I congratulate this year’s three Charlie Perkins Scholars who have each shown exceptional leadership qualities in their academic and personal lives.  It was good to see once again such a high calibre of applicants for the scholarship.

“They are going to be studying at two of the finest universities in the world. I am sure they will benefit enormously from the experience, which will help them make a great contribution to Australian life in their future careers.

“I look forward to presenting the awards to this year’s scholars at a high profile ceremony at my Residence in Canberra a little later in the year,” Mr Madden said.

The scholarships are valued at over $70,000 per annum for up to three years and include all tuition fees and living expenses.

-- Ends --

Contact:

Kate Prince
02 8284 9915
kprince@cannings.net.au

The Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust is delighted to announce that the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Paul Madden, will today announce the 2013 recipients of the Charlie Perkins Scholarship, a scheme assisting Indigenous Australians to pursue postgraduate study at Oxford and Cambridge universities. 

The four recipients of this year’s Scholarships are:  James Cook University graduate Vincent Backhaus, University of New South Wales graduate Rex Betar, University of Melbourne graduate Sarah Lynn Rees and Australian National University graduate Leila Smith. [On 19 April 2013, Rex Betar informed the Trust that he will be unable to take up the Scholarship for family reasons]

Vincent Backhaus, a descendant of the Kalkadoon people from Queensland and the Kiwai people of Parama Island north of the Torres Strait, has been accepted to an MPhil in Psychology and Education at Cambridge and an MSc in Education (Research Design and Methodology) at Oxford.

Rex Betar, a Bundjalung man from Tweed Heads in NSW, will undertake an MBA at Saïd Business School at Oxford.

Sarah Lynn Rees, a descendant of the Plangermaireener people in Tasmania, will undertake an MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design at Cambridge. 

Leila Smith, a Wiradjuri woman whose family comes from Cowra in NSW, will undertake an MPhil in Public Policy at Cambridge. 

Later this year, they will join in the UK the inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholars, Paul Gray and Christian Thompson, who commenced their doctoral studies at Oxford in 2010.  They also join Kyle Turner who commenced his doctoral studies as a Charlie Perkins Scholar at Oxford in 2012.  

Other 2012 Charlie Perkins Scholars, Lilly Brown (Cambridge) and Krystal Lockwood (Oxford) will finish up their Master’s degrees later this year, as will Rebecca Richards, Australia’s first Indigenous Rhodes Scholar. 

Jointly supported by the Australian Government, the British Government (through the Chevening program), Rio Tinto, Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, Cambridge Australia Scholarships, Oxford University, the Pratt Foundation and the University of Canberra, and managed by the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust, the scholarship program was established in 2009 in the memory of Dr Charlie Perkins AO, the first Indigenous Australian male to graduate from university.

Charlie was inspired to return to Australia to undertake university study after playing in a soccer match against Oxford University.  He completed a Bachelor of Arts from Sydney University in 1966.

Speaking about the Scholarships, Trustee of the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust, Rachel Perkins said:

“The trust is proud to announce the support of these four extraordinary Indigenous scholars to study at Oxford and Cambridge this year.  It is a wonderful realisation of my father’s vision that Indigenous people must strive for excellence in all endeavours.

“Two years ago there had never been an Indigenous Australian studying for a full-time degree at Oxford or Cambridge – consistently two of the top ranked universities in the world.   Later this year, through ours and various other scholarship programs there will be 15 Indigenous Australians studying for full-time postgraduate degrees at Oxford and Cambridge.  All of these are accepted purely on the basis of merit. People told us not long ago that such an outcome was inconceivable. Things are definitely changing and today we focus and celebrate these students, their families and their communities’ success.

“I sincerely thank the Australian Government, the British Government, Rio Tinto, the Vice Chancellor and Development Office at Oxford University, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, Cambridge Australia Scholarships, the Pratt Foundation and the University of Canberra and the many others who have made these outstanding awards possible.”

The scholarship is valued at over $50,000 per annum and includes all tuition fees and living expenses.

Richard Potok
Executive Director

The Charlie Perkins Trust is delighted to announce that the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Paul Madden, will today announce the 2012 recipients of the Charlie Perkins Scholarship, a scheme assisting Indigenous Australians to pursue postgraduate study at Cambridge and Oxford Universities.

The three recipients (see image) are University of Melbourne graduate Lilly Brown (centre), Griffith University graduate Krystal Lockwood (right), and Australian National University graduate Kyle Turner (left).

Lilly Brown has been accepted to a Master of Philosophy in Politics, Development and Democratic Education at Trinity College, Cambridge, making her the first Indigenous Australian to undertake a postgraduate or undergraduate degree at Cambridge.

Krystal Lockwood will study a Master of Science in Evidence Based Social Intervention at Green Templeton College, Oxford.

Kyle Turner will commence a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health at Jesus College, Oxford.

They join in the UK the inaugural Charlie Perkins scholars, Paul Gray and Christian Thompson, who started their studies at Oxford University in 2010, becoming the first Indigenous Australians to do so. They also join Rebecca Richards, who last year became the first Australian Indigenous Rhodes Scholar.

Jointly supported by the Australian Government, the British Government and Rio Tinto, and managed by the Charlie Perkins Trust, the scholarship programme was established in 2009 in the memory of Dr Charlie Perkins AO, the first Australian Indigenous man to graduate from university.

Charlie was inspired to return to Australia to undertake university study after playing soccer against Oxford University. He completed a Bachelor of Arts from Sydney University in 1966.

Speaking about the scholarships, the Chair of the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust, Ms Hetti Perkins said:

“I am thrilled to see these extraordinary Indigenous scholars have the opportunity to study at Oxford and Cambridge. It is a wonderful legacy for my dad, Charlie Perkins.

We will have a growing alumni group from among the world’s leading universities, who will not only be leaders in their professional fields, but will inspire other Indigenous children that the pathway through high school and university and then on to postgraduate study is available to them, as it should be.

Education is the most fundamental way to address Indigenous disadvantage and the Charlie Perkins scholars demonstrate there are no limits to the highest academic achievement.

I sincerely thank the Australian Government, the British Government, Rio Tinto, the Pratt Foundation, the Development Office and Vice Chancellor at Oxford University, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, Cambridge Australia Trust and the many others who have made these outstanding awards possible.”

Dr Tom Calma, a Trust member and former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, will speak at today’s announcement.

The scholarship is valued at over $53,000 per annum and includes all tuition fees and living expenses.

*Image courtesy of News Ltd.

Read about previous Scholar Tour participants' experiences on their trips to Oxford and Cambridge.

Richard Potok
Executive Director

Recently, Tim and Sally Sims generously agreed to fund the cost of sending two Charlie Perkins Scholarship applicants to spend a week at Oxford and Cambridge universities in November 2011.

A few weeks later, the Trust circulated an email about an opportunity for one or two outstanding Indigenous undergraduates (Distinction average or better) to join the Charlie Perkins Scholarship applicants for the trip.  We see this as an important step in nurturing Indigenous students who have the potential to become Charlie Perkins Scholars.

The response was fantastic – 44 students applied for the trip.  Tim, who is an Oxford alumnus, was so impressed with the calibre of the students that he agreed to increase their support to enable a number of current undergraduates to also make the trip.

In addition, Griffith University Law School, the University of Tasmania, Victoria University and a number of philanthropists from the Australian Communities Foundation, agreed to provide support to enable additional students to make the trip.

Another nice part of this story occurred at the recent 2011 Charlie Perkins Oration. MC Jeff McMullen challenged the audience to assist the students and said he would match their contribution. Through the support of various academics at Sydney University (matched by Jeff), enough money was raised for the final undergraduate to be able to go.

To give a sense of their calibre, the top 11 undergraduates (10 female, one male) have 125 High Distinctions, 133 Distinctions and 32 Credits among them. They will now join three Charlie Perkins Scholarship applicants travelling to the UK on 10 November 2011.

The 14 members of the group will stay at Rhodes House and Balliol, Keble, Linacre, Trinity and Wolfson Colleges in Oxford, and Darwin, King’s, St Edmund’s and Wolfson Colleges in Cambridge. They will meet with current students (including Charlie Perkins, Rhodes Scholars, Clarendon Scholars and Cambridge Australia Scholars) and potential supervisors, and also administrators who can advise on how to navigate the process of getting in to Oxford and Cambridge.

The will arrive in Oxford on 11 November, and on the following day, Rebecca Richards, the first Indigenous Rhodes Scholar, will take the students around the Pitt Rivers Museum.  During their stay in Oxford, they will also dine at formal hall at Keble College and will meet with Lady Elizabeth Roberts (originally from Australia), whose is Dean of Studies of the Weidenfeld Scholarships and whose husband is the President of Trinity College.

Don Markwell, the (Australian) Warden of Rhodes House, is not only housing some of the students at Rhodes House but is generously hosting a function at Rhodes House for the group on 15 November.

In Cambridge, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust is kindly hosting a tea for the group on 13 November, where they will meet a number of Cambridge Australia Scholars.

They will be in London on 14 November for a reception at the Australian High Commission, hosted by the Deputy High Commissioner, Adam McCarthy.

In addition to identifying and raising aspirations in potential applicants for Charlie Perkins and other overseas scholarships, we expect that the trip will result in the creation of lasting friendships among a group of outstanding Indigenous students, who will support each other as they move forward in their careers.

In the coming weeks we will provide updates on how the trip has gone.

44 students applied for the trip to visit Oxford and Cambridge universities. The Oxford alumnus funding the original trip was so impressed with the quality of the top students that he agreed to increase his support to enable a number of current undergraduates to also make the trip. In addition, other philanthropists, as well as Griffith University Law School, the University of Tasmania and Victoria University, agreed to enable additional students to make the trip. Find out more.