In the 2023–24 financial year, The George Alexander Foundation (GAF) has distributed over $1.8 million to scholarship and fellowship programs at 14 institutions across Australia. We also renewed our scholarship program at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and our fellowship program with Earthwatch. These two institutions have helped young individuals like Neve Clippingdale of UTAS, travel and conduct research in the Antarctic, and Earthwatch alum Layla Essack mobilise her schoolmates to get involved in citizen science.
This year, the Foundation has undergone some big changes. Firstly, I am excited to be taking over the role of Chair of the Foundation from Charles Goode AC, who has served GAF so magnificently for over 30 years.
We also bade farewell to our Program Manager Mairead Phillips in September this year. During her tenure as Program Manager, Mairead helped expand GAF's reach to educational institutions across Australia and deepened the Foundation's engagement with our scholars, fellows and alumni. Thank you Mairead for your six years of dedicated service to GAF.
Secondly, we welcomed our new Communications & Engagement Coordinator, Bianca Suparto, in June 2024. She has already had the opportunity to travel across Australia to meet some of the talented students at our GAF Scholar Network Events. We would like to extend a thank you to our partner institutions for facilitating these opportunities to connect in-person with our GAF Community.
Furthermore, The Foundation’s Governors and staff would like to warmly welcome Brad Shrimpton as our new GAF Program & Partnerships Manager. Brad has over ten years of experience in the university sector at the University of Melbourne and eight years of experience in the school program sector as part of the International Baccalaureate Organisation. Having had roles in teaching, grantmaking and evaluation, we are excited to see Brad continue George Alexander's legacy and guide the Foundation in the future.
Finally, seeing the growth of the GAF programs and how our GAF Scholars and Fellows are contributing back to the community, I am certain George would be incredibly proud. I look forward to welcoming more scholars and fellows to the GAF Community in coming years and seeing the heights reached by our GAF alumni as they realise their potential.