Wednesday, 22 June, 2016

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) Foundation is proud to announce that 5 students from the South West Slopes were among 58 recipients awarded Rural Scholarships in 2016, an initiative designed to ensure an increased flow of skilled people to rural and regional NSW communities.

The students are: Samuel Bush (Cootamundra), Kimberley Gilbert (Young), Harrison Sellers (Delegate), Claudia Raleigh (Cootamundra), Eliza Joyce Coles (Boorowa).

Scholarships are awarded to students based on financial need and desire to live, work and contribute to country NSW, and offer $5,000 for full-time study and $2,500 for part-time study.

RAS Foundation Executive Officer, Kate Ross, said this is the most diverse group of students the RAS Foundation has supported since the inception of the program in 2011, and is thrilled the Foundation will again provide a stepping stone for bright futures.

"This year the RAS Foundation will proudly support an incredibly diverse group of talented individuals, all with unique and inspiring backgrounds. We have mature aged students, a single father, a Vietnamese refugee as well as a young Indigenous woman, who is the first of 52 grandchildren to attend University; and that’s just a few  of the 58," Ms Ross said.

"The RAS Foundation is committed to helping rural Australians realise their potential through education. Each year, we are impressed with the quality of applicants and inspired by their journeys."

"We again look forward to supporting these rural-minded students as they work towards achieving their goals," Ms Ross said.

Applications for the RASF's 2017 Rural Scholarship open on 1 July 2016 and can be accessed online at rasnsw.com.au/foundation

The RAS Foundation has awarded over $1.4m to rural scholarship recipients since 2011.

For further information, including high resolution images, please contact:

Danielle Sammut - Marketing Coordinator

P: (02) 9704 1239 | E: dsammut@rasnsw.com.au

About the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) Foundation:

The RAS Foundation is a charitable foundation that encourages educational opportunities and helps build strong and sustainable rural and regional communities through a range of targeted grants and scholarships.

Visit www.rasf.org.au for more information on the RAS Foundation.