PHOTO: Coonamble & District Education Foundation’s Ben Markey (left) and Mary Skuthorp (far right) with eleven of this year’s 29 scholarship recipients: (back) Eden Allen, Sharna Forgione, Georgia Ditchfield, Polly and Jemima McIntyre, Macka Andriske, Mia Nalder, Brooke Cleary (front) Georgia Rackham, Heidi Strudwick and Hamish Lane.
The Coonamble and District Education Foundation (CADEF) expects to help finance tertiary education for a record 29 shire locals this year, including eight from Coonamble High School (CHS).
Current Secretary Ron Mackay has been on the committee since 2020 and tends to see around 20-25 students awarded each year, including some continuing their training or further education from the previous year.
He said the number of school leavers applying from Coonamble High had dropped off in the last couple of years.
This year, however, more than half of the 14 new recipients were from the local school.
Mr Mackay said committee members sat down with CHS students over 2024, which boosted application numbers.
“This is the biggest number of students that we’ve helped in previous years,” he said.
“Previous recipient numbers were not due to us popping up limits. It’s just the number of applications we get.
“The quality of the applicants is all good, so we’re very hopeful that the new applicants this year will be able to go on and succeed in their chosen fields, some of who haven’t been away from home before.
“It’s obviously a big challenge to pack up and move out, let alone sort of move out of a school environment into university or TAFE environments, but we’ll certainly do our best to support them.”
Fifteen recipients are continuers from previous years, seven from CHS.
Recipients are pursuing studies across a range of industries including teaching, nursing, diesel mechanics and veterinary science.
One of them is 19-year-old Isaac Barrett, who studies a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at the University of Sydney and received CADEF funding for the second year in a row.
“I use it towards my accommodation in Sydney, which is obviously pretty expensive, so it’s great to have that bit of relief,” he said.
“It’s not just the financial aid that the CEF (Country Education Foundation) provide, it’s also the support within the committee as well.
“They’re always there if you need to ask a question or if you need to have a chat.”
The CADEF is a branch of the Country Education Foundation.
Recipients have to show the foundation they are succeeding in their studies before they are reimbursed for expenses up to their scholarship amount.
CADEF are able to offer the number of scholarships each year thanks to donations from generous individuals, families and businesses and their own fundraising activities.
In September 2024 they partnered with the Coonamble Cancer Survival Fund to host the highly successful Sportsman’s Lunch with Kerry O’Keefe.
Their combined efforts earned them a nomination in the 2025 Community Group of the Year.