Four more indigenous scholars head to Cambridge and Oxford

There are few things more important than education. Our Chevening scholarships benefit the individuals who come to the UK to study, the communities from which they come, and the societies to which they return, often to play future leadership roles.

So it was a great pleasure to be sending four more young indigenous Australians off to Cambridge and Oxford, through our cooperation with the Charlie Perkins programme. We were delighted to be joined by British and Australian ministers for the ceremony. Owen Paterson (UK Secretary of State for DEFRA), who happened to be visiting Australia, wished the students good luck at his alma mater, Cambridge. Don Farrell (Australian minister for science and innovation) talked of the impact his own overseas study at Harvard had had on his life.

But it was the scholars’ day and, as they spoke, the personal qualities which had led to their scholarship awards were evident. They talked about hard work, supportive families, academic mentors and fierce ambition. As I looked out into the audience there were more than a few moist eyes among the proud parents, families and friends.

It is a frequent custom at public events in Australia to invite a local Aboriginal elder to open proceedings with a “welcome to country” on behalf of Australia’s First People. Elder Warren Daley must have done this many times before, but you could see that he took a particular pride to be participating in an event where young people from the indigenous community, where higher education participation rates are low, were heading off to two of the world’s best universities.

So, good luck to Vincent Backhaus (a descendent of the Kalkadoon people, with offers from Cambridge and Oxford), Rex Betar (Bunjalung, Oxford), Sarah Lynn Rees (Plangermaireener, Cambridge) and Leila Smith (Wiradjuri, Cambridge). Have a rewarding and fun time in Britain.