{"id":23845,"date":"2013-02-14T22:50:26","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T12:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=23845"},"modified":"2020-12-21T15:23:52","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T05:23:52","slug":"samuels-heading-to-uni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2013\/02\/14\/samuels-heading-to-uni\/","title":{"rendered":"Samuel’s Off To Uni"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Burnett Community Enterprises Ltd Board members\u00a0Ross Towell and Brent McLennan, left, and South Burnett Community Bank Group chairman Noel Strohfeld, right, present student Samuel Tonkin and his parents Rod and Cath Tonkin with the scholarship \u00a0(Photo: Bendigo Community Bank)\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 14, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nanango resident Samuel Tonkin\u2019s academic dreams will soon become a reality, thanks to a Bendigo Bank scholarship program .<\/p>\n

Granted for the first time in 2012, the Yarraman & District Community Bank Branch and Blackbutt Branch Scholarship is awarded to first-time tertiary students whose financial circumstances might mean that a university degree is out of their reach.<\/p>\n

Mr Tonkin, a resident of Nanango, said the scholarship would enable him to start his Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to know that I have financial support to start my degree, which means I don\u2019t have to worry about how I will pay to live away from home,\u201d Samuel said.<\/p>\n

South Burnett Community BankGroup chairman Noel Strohfeld said he was thrilled to offer Samuel the chance to further his education.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make a difference to outstanding but disadvantaged local students like Samuel who would be unable to start higher education because accommodation and study costs put considerable financial pressures on a family,\u2019\u2019 Mr Strohfeld said.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2019There are families in our community that are facing difficult circumstances such as floods and natural disasters, debt and unemployment meaning some students may not get the chance to study a degree at university.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2019Young people in a number of communities across Australia, including ours, will now have the chance to become doctors, occupational therapists, IT professionals, dentists, engineers and scientists, so its impact will be valuable for many people.<\/p>\n

“Samuel is looking for a career in the financial sector. This is another way that our Community Bank company commits to building stronger communities.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2019Samuel is very deserving of a scholarship and I wish him all the best of luck as he begins an exciting journey toward achieving his career goals.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The Yarraman & District Community Bank\u00ae Branch and Blackbutt Branch Scholarship is part of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarship Program.<\/p>\n

Last year’s winner\u00a0Patrick Walsh\u00a0also came from Nanango.<\/p>\n