UNE students awarded Freddy Fricke Scholarships

13 April, 2016

UNE students awarded Freddy Fricke Scholarships
13 April 2016 

A nursing student from Bowraville and a social work student from Mungindi are this year's winners of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) Freddy Fricke scholarship.

Maddison Smart and Peter Prince, both students at the University of New England's Armidale campus, will use the scholarships to help pay for university fees, text books and other course-related expenses.

Maddison, a Gumbaynggirr woman in her second year at university, said she was inspired to study nursing by the campaign to Close the Gap in Aboriginal health.

"Completing this nursing course is very important to me and the community in which I grew up in, which has one small doctor's surgery with one doctor practicing around the clock," Maddison said.

Maddison said that after finishing her degree she would like to gain experience in rural and remote areas of the Northern Territory, but also intended to work back in her community of Bowraville.

"I would love to make a difference in closing the gap when my degree is completed," she said.

Like Maddison, Gomeroi man Peter Prince would like to use his professional qualifications to help his community.

"I'd love to go back to Mungindi and help young Aboriginal kids to follow their dreams," Peter said.

Peter is the seventh of 10 children and the first person in his family to attend university.

NSWALC Chair Roy Ah-See said the examples of Maddison and Peter showed why investment in Aboriginal education is so important.

"We hope the scholarships will not just benefit Maddison and Peter personally but also their home communities through their professional skills and the inspiration they will provide to other Aboriginal students," Cr Ah-See said.

Since 2002, 43 Aboriginal university students have been awarded Freddy Fricke Scholarships. Applications for the program will reopen later this year.

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Media contact: Andrew Williams 0429 585 291

Acknowledgement

We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of the lands where we work as well as across the lands we travel through. We also acknowledge our Elders past, present and emerging.

Artwork Credit: Craig Cromelin, from a painting he did titled, "4 favourite fishing holes". It is a snippet of his growing years on the Lachlan River, featuring yabby, turtle, fish and family.

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