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Milestone | The 1987 Class Bursary
Tuesday, 17 May 2022
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GIVING THE GIFT OF EDUCATION: THE CLASS OF 1987 BLAZING A TRAIL In 2017, over conversations at their 30-year reunion, Scott Gardner and Jeremy Prentice led the charge and established the first ever cohort bursary fund, known as ‘The 1987 Class Bursary’. The objective was to raise a full bursary sum of $400 000 to be invested, the dividends of which would fund boys at the College on an ongoing basis. Blazing a trail for other cohorts, the Class of 1987 has since inspired the establishment of six additional class bursaries: 1971, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1998. Scott acknowledges that his time at Terrace gave him a great start in life: Many members of the 1987 cohort recognise that we were fortunate enough to attend Terrace largely because we had been raised in an environment where, for one reason or another, there was an opportunity. We continue to benefit from our time at Terrace. It is gratifying to provide young men who are equally deserving but do not have the same immediate access with a similar life opportunity. This will be our legacy. A full bursary supports a young man through their educational journey from Years 7 -12, and as one Gentleman of Terrace leaves the College, a new boy will take up the opportunity. The funds raised for the bursary support the critical day to day costs of College life, including tuition, uniforms, textbooks and IT equipment. Scott says It has been over 30 years since we left school, and now the Class of 1987 Bursary provides a way for members of this year group to remain connected and united around a common good. With 2020 Giving Day, the 1987 cohort achieved the bursary’s first milestone: the half-way mark. By raising $39 500 on the day, The 1987 Class Bursary exceeded $200 000, allowing for a half-bursary to be granted to one young man. A further $60 000 of future commitments is also in the pipeline, which means that this year group is well underway to achieving their ultimate goal of a full bursary. Boys are eligible based on financial need; it is not a sporting or academic scholarship. Knowing that long after we are gone, young men will be studying at Terrace and achieving their educational ambitions because we all pitched in gives us great satisfaction, said Jeremy. Together, having achieved their first goal, the Class have their sights set on the finish line. Jeremy says We know we can do this as we nudge closer to the full bursary target. The 1987 cohort challenge our fellow Terracians to join the charge and support the Gregory Terrace Bursary program. For more information please visit the Foundation page on the College website. If you would like to know more about the Gregory Terrace Edmund Rice Bursary program, how the fund works or how you can be involved, please contact Ms Doreen Awabdy. E: foundation@gregoryterrace.qld.edu.au P: 07 3214 5200 |