Dr Bill Jonas Memorial Indigenous Scholarship

Applications closed
Amount

$5,000

Number available

1

Closing date

24 February 2024

Scholarship details

Donor

Dr Bill Jonas Memorial Indigenous Fund

Establishment

This scholarship has been established by donations made to the Dr Bill Jonas Memorial Indigenous Fund. The fund was established with donations from the Wollotuka Institute, friends, family and community members who wished to honour Dr Bill Jonas’s significant contribution to Wollotuka and the University of Newcastle.

Dr Jonas, a proud Worimi man, is widely regarded as a pioneer of Indigenous rights. Dr Jonas’ list of impressive achievements includes contributions as an academic, activist and administrator. Dr Jonas, the first Aboriginal Australian to be awarded a PhD and the nation’s second Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, died on the 25th May 2019.

Bill studied Geography at the University of Newcastle’s predecessor, Newcastle University College, graduating with honours in 1963 and completing a Diploma in Education the following year. He taught at Maitland Boys High School (1964-1967) and took postgraduate studies in Geography at the University of Newcastle. He took up a lectureship at the University of Papua New Guinea (1969-1973), where he earned his PhD, the first awarded to an Aboriginal person. He returned to Australia to teach at the University of Newcastle (1974-1991), establishing perhaps the first university geography course on Aboriginal Australia in the early 1980s.

Bill contributed to ground-breaking studies of Aboriginal needs in NSW. He led important innovations in Aboriginal studies at Newcastle and supported the influential Newcastle Awabakal Aboriginal Cooperative before his appointment as a Royal Commissioner on the Inquiry into the British Nuclear Tests in Australia (1984-85) – the Maralinga Inquiry led by Diamond Jim McClelland.

Bill subsequently led work in Aboriginal heritage protection, for which he was honoured with an Order of Australia Medal for services to protection and preservation of Aboriginal heritage and culture (1993). He was Principal of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (1991-1996), Director of the National Museum of Australia (1996-1999) and Social Justice Commissioner and Acting Race Relations Commissioner (1999-2004). After his retirement Bill continued as a member of the University of Newcastle Council, Director of the NSW Aboriginal Health College and commentator on issues of human rights, social justice and Indigenous recognition.

Bill’s importance as a public intellectual was widely recognised by his peers and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Newcastle in 1998 and the Institute of Australian Geographers’ Professional Service Medal in 1999.

For more information on this scholarship, please review the full Terms and Conditions.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, you will need to:

  • Be enrolled in any year of any undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University of Newcastle.
  • Be enrolled either full-time or part-time.
  • Demonstrate academic progress either by the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) or equivalent required for entry for commencing students, or a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0 for continuing students.
  • Establish your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identity and heritage with the university as outlined here.
  • Demonstrate the impact of educational disadvantage such as carer and sole parent responsibilities, financial hardship, long-term medical condition, a disability, the ongoing effects of abuse, regional/remote disadvantage, English language difficulty.
  • Equity scholarships will also consider applicant attributes such as being an Indigenous Australian, having a Refugee background, or placement with an Out-of-Home Care provider.
  • Not be the recipient of another University of Newcastle donor-funded or sponsored scholarship concurrently.

Required Documentation

Required documents will be listed on the ‘Your Documents’ page of your application. The application portal accepts PDF only. A maximum of 3 PDF smaller than 5 MB can be added per document type upload field.

  • A personal statement (approx. 1 A4 page) outlining your academic achievements, career aspirations in the relevant area of study, and how this scholarship would assist you. This statement will cover all scholarships you are submitting for.
  • You may be required to provide documents to support your educational disadvantage claims. These will be identified when you apply based on your individual application responses.

Benefit

The scholarship provides a total benefit of $5,000 over a 1 year tenure provided ongoing eligibility is met for the term of the scholarship.

The scholarship will be paid in two lump sums of $2,500 following the Semester one and Semester two census dates.

Selection

Selection is a competitive process and will be based on assessment of the scholarship application and any required supporting documents, with reference to the eligibility criteria.

Selection will be made by the Indigenous Scholarship Selection Committee which will consist of a minimum of three members chosen by the Pro Vice-Chancellor – Indigenous Strategy and Leadership.

The Selection Committee will communicate the details of successful recipients to the delegated Scholarships Officer, and all applicants will be notified of an outcome via email. This will occur within 6 weeks of the scholarship application closing date.

College

Contact Details

Admissions and Scholarships
Student and Academic Services
University of Newcastle
University Drive
CALLAGHAN NSW 2308

Phone: +61 2 4921 5000
Email: scholarships@newcastle.edu.au