Author: Annemaree Clementson

“A studio designed to reduce the risk of family tension and prevent young people from becoming homeless has been built in the backyard of a family’s home in the Barossa Valley.

The state government recently provided $2.4 million to non-for-profit charity organisation Kids Under Cover to fund 70 per cent of the cost of the first 51 youth homelessness prevention studios, including the first one built in the Barossa Valley this week.

Philanthropic organisation Foundation Barossa partnered with Kids Under Cover to set up the studio in the backyard of a family’s home in Nuriootpa.

Read the ABC article here – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-02/studios-providing-circuit-breaker-for-teenagers-and-their-carers/101397134

Read more about the Homburg Homelessness Prevention Fund here – https://foundationbarossa.org.au/homburg-homelessness-prevention-fund/ .

Foundation Barossa would like to extend a huge thank you to all in the community that have already donated.

To make your donation please visit: https://the-foundations-project.raisely.com/

What is the Peter Lehmann Arts & Education Trust Scholarship & Grant?

The Peter Lehmann Arts and Education Trust (PLAET) was launched in 2014 to nurture and sustain the artistic and cultural fabric of the Barossa by providing access and education to a wide range of arts and cultural activities.

The trust came about to memorialise Peter Lehmann, a true son of the Barossa and supporter of all aspects of Barossa culture and heritage.

The Lehmann Hess Foundation was formed in 2004 as an arts-based Foundation.  The funds generated were given to the restoration of the 1877 Hill and Son Organ, a project that took fourteen years to complete. After Peter’s death, the balance of the trust was used to establish the Peter Lehmann Arts & Education Trust in partnership with the David Thomas Foundation, who generously matched the funds from the Lehmann Hess Foundation as well as donations from the community.

Foundation Barossa oversees the administration of PLAET together with an advisory committee made up of members of the Lehmann family and Barossa community.

The trust will provide annual grants of up to $5000 for projects in a range of artistic categories:

• Performing and visual arts
• Literary arts
• New media
• Literacy and writing, including writers’ festivals

Central to the trust is a focus on the Barossa Hill and Son Organ. The restoration of this important piece of Barossan history was a project that Peter and Margaret Lehmann took a personal interest in.

The trust will support scholarships, performances, recordings, compositions and audience development, to ensure that this organ continues to be a vital part of musical life in the Barossa and beyond.

The trust will also support artists and artisans to sustain traditional skills and crafts associated with Barossa’s heritage and culture.

Who does the PLAET Scholarship & Grant assist?

PLAET GRANTS TO CAPTURE BAROSSA HISTORY AND CREATE NEW ART

Foundation Barossa awarded 10 projects sharing in almost $27,000 in the fourth round of Peter Lehmann Arts and Education Trust (PLAET) grants in 2021.

As in previous years, the quality and diverse range of applications for arts, culture and history projects in the Barossa impressed the advisory panel.

“We’re thrilled with not only the quality of this year’s successful grant applicants. But also by the way separate enterprises cross over, interweave and reinforce that the Barossa really IS a community tapestry,” said advisory panel member Dave Lehmann.

The Hill and Son Organ continues to be a cornerstone of the grants. Four students will receive scholarships and mentoring, while Joshua van Konkelenberg will continue the Artist-in-Residence program with a series of concerts and come-and-try sessions.

Other projects funded in the current round include:

• A website to protect and conserve the Cultural Heritage of the Light Pass while conserving and maintaining Rechner Cottage.
• The Tutti QR Code to reimagine the interaction between the artist and audience by sharing the meanings of the artworks from artists with disabilities.
• Oral history recordings of the people and stories behind the Barossa Cook Book being written by Those Barossa Girts.
• Speak 100 Barossa Stories capturing 100 Barossa Stories as artist “self-portraits” to be developed into a podcast.
• Publishing Rebekah Rosenzweig’s detailed History of the Barossa Vintage Festival.

“Being a PLAET grant recipient is always a privilege and an honour. But for Tutti Arts Barossa, it is much more. It’s knowing that our Barossa community supports the Tutti artists, especially when we take on new artistic initiatives that will enhance access to the arts for everyone. Additionally, the Tutti artists are recognised as leaders in the contemporary arts space,” Alexandra Devitt-Lansom, Tutti Arts.

Established in 2014, The Peter Lehmann Arts and Education Trust (PLAET) fosters arts and cultural learning opportunities and access. It provides grants for arts, culture, and education projects in the Barossa. Foundation Barossa oversees the administration of the trust with an Advisory Committee, including members of the Lehmann family.

Is my activity eligible?

PLAET grants are open to individuals and organisations. Projects will be chosen based on their ability to sustain, nurture and encourage arts and cultural performance and education in the wider Barossa community.

The types of activities to be funded may include (but are not limited to):

• Skills development (especially those that preserve and promote the heritage of the Barossa)
• Audience development and improved access to arts and cultural activities in the Barossa
• Creation and presentation of new artwork in any medium including visual arts, music, theatre, digital arts and literature
• Research projects
• Professional education and development, including educational scholarships

Applications

Applications open 12^th Sept – 14^th Oct 2022.

More Information

For further information, contact Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer on 0455 774 333.

DOWNLOAD PLAET Flyer here

Donations

You can support your community and Foundation Barossa by donating directly to the Peter Lehmann Arts and Education Trust.

Thomas Scholarship

Applications are now open for Foundation Barossa’s scholarships that support students that might not otherwise go on to TAFE and university.

The three-year scholarships can pay for tuition, accommodation or equipment.

Through these scholarships, Foundation Barossa is helping young people to contribute to the future of the community.

Foundation Barossa Thomas Scholarship

David and Barbara Thomas established the Thomas Scholarship in 1998.

The scholarship aims to ensure that students’ aspirations are not hampered by their family circumstances.

Who benefits from the scholarship?

The Thomas Scholarship is available to undergraduate university and TAFE students.

Each scholarship provides up to $18,000 over three years, which can be shared between a number of students.

Who can apply?

To be considered students should be:

• currently studying Year 12 or have completed Year 12 and are either studying or working (full or part-time)
• the child of a family working in the Barossa wine industry
• studying a course relevant to the needs of the Barossa wine industry, although other studies will be considered.

Applicants need to demonstrate:

• academic capacity
• financial need
• personal commitment to bring skills back to the Barossa
• motivation to succeed.

Students studying courses relevant to the needs of the Barossa wine industry will be given preference.

Applications

Applications open 1-30 June 2022.

More Information

For further information, contact Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer on 0455 774 333.

READ MORE HERE

pictured: Ryan Noack and Kayley Boehm, Thomas Scholarship recipients in 2021/22. 

What is the Elderton Winemaking Excellence Scholarship?

In 2015, Elderton Wines launched the Elderton Winemaking Excellence Scholarship.

The one-year scholarship provides $3000 towards a student’s Bachelor of Oenology (Winemaking) or Bachelor of Viticulture at an Australian University.

The successful applicant will receive mentoring from the team at Elderton. We encourage scholarship recipients to undertake a vintage placement at Elderton. During their placement, the Elderton team will mentor the student, giving them the building blocks for a winemaking career.

The Ashmead family (owner and operators of Elderton Wines) take great pride in the Barossa region. Keeping the balance between tradition, history, evolution, development and conservation of the region is important to Elderton Wines. Family and staff of Elderton contribute a great deal to the Barossa region. They work on local boards and committees, sharing the importance of hard work and comradery – the true Barossa spirit. Giving back to the Barossa community is a priority. Elderton also celebrate all they get from the Barossa, sharing its story, history and character.

Previous recipients have welcomed the opportunity to work in the environment of a respected family-owned Barossa winery.

Who does the Elderton Winemaking Excellence Scholarship assist?

The Elderton scholarship is open to highly motivated students currently enrolled in an undergraduate winemaking degree. Its focus is on students wanting in a career in the wine industry, with a preference for the Barossa.

The Elderton scholarship is open to students in any year of a Bachelor of Oenology (Winemaking) or Bachelor of Viticulture. It assists students to develop industry skills by supporting them both financially and through industry engagement.

A subcommittee including a Foundation Barossa Board Member and people from the Industry Advisory Group reviews the Scholarship Applications. The Foundation Barossa Board of Trustees then approve the recommended applicant.

Applications

Applications closed.

More Information

For further information, contact Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer on 0455 774 333 or email here.

Download Elderton Scholarship flyer here

Starting high school can be daunting for many children but even more so if they do not have access to a laptop to be able to study at home and complete assignments.

A new partnership between Foundation Barossa and Yalumba will help these young people to engage in learning and strengthen their educational outcomes. The Yalumba computer donation program will see Yalumba donate in an average year fifty second-hand computers that can go to the students that most need them in the region.

The impacts of the events of the last couple of years have resulted in the Barossa seeing an increase of 8% in the number of school-age children on School Cards, which is considered a measure of economic disadvantage. For many families being able to purchase a laptop for their children is just not a possibility.

Foundation Barossa will manage the program and work with the schools to determine where they are most needed these laptops will be distributed by the school welfare teachers. In addition to laptops being provided to high school students, they will also be used for students who need to either isolate or home school due to the impact of the pandemic. Laptops will also be made available to the disability units in schools, allowing specialist software to be loaded to improve educational outcomes for students with additional learning needs.

Karl Martin, Managing Director, Yalumba said

“Working with Foundation Barossa we understand there are families in our local community who require financial support to help provide education materials and resources for their children. Having a formalised computer donation program in partnership with Foundation Barossa will help meet these needs. Yalumba looks forward to being able to support local families and individuals in need, and would like to think this can be a long term program that contributes to providing a better education experience and improved educational outcomes for the recipients.”

We would like to extend our thanks to all at Yalumba, the feedback from the schools on this new program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Are you studying (or planning to study) human health?

Do you have a strong connection to the Barossa region?

If you’ve answered yes, you might be eligible to apply for the Dr Ben Baker Memorial Scholarship.

What is the Dr Ben Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund?

Foundation Barossa and the Angaston Medical Centre established the scholarship in 2020 to honour the memory of Dr Ben Baker.

‘As Ben’s friends and business partners, we wanted to remember him in a way that helps someone achieve their dream of becoming a health professional’. Dr Adrian Griscti, Angaston Medical Centre

The fund will provide an annual education scholarship of $1,000 to a student studying a course of (human) health.

Through scholarships like this, Foundation Barossa is helping young people to contribute to the future of the community.

Dr Baker’s colleagues and family hope the scholarship will remove some of the financial stress of studying health. They want to support another doctor or health professional to build community connections, as Dr Baker did.

“The impact Ben had on his patients and our community is proof of the amazing doctor he was. We’re all so proud of Ben’s achievements, so this scholarship means a lot to our family”. Paula Baker

Who does the Dr Ben Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund assist?

This Scholarship will assist students who are studying (or plan to study) human health at tertiary level.

In your application, you’ll need to demonstrate:

• academic capacity
• financial need
• motivation to succeed
• a connection to the Barossa region

Applications

Applications open 1-29 April 2022.

More Information

For further information, contact Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer on 0455 774 333.

Read More

Dr Ben Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund – webpage

Media release – Foundation Barossa – Launch of the Dr Ben Baker Memorial Scholarship fund  – pdf

A message from the Chair

In a year when the Covid pandemic rendered all our lives less predictable, the Foundation was able to make progress across a number of important social equity issues. 

THESE INITIATIVES were made possible by the generosity of those amongst us who are more fortunate and want to support those amongst us who are less fortunate.

The Covid pandemic brought into sharp focus the issue of homelessness in the Barossa, particularly of children and young adults. The community has responded very positively. The generosity of many local organisations has been overwhelming, reflecting the community spirit that has been a hallmark of our region for decades. These efforts have been further leveraged with Homburg Real Estate committing to an ongoing and very generous contribution. A partnership has been established with Kids Under Cover that will see a homelessness prevention program commence in the near future.

The BGWA Wellbeing Fund was refocussed during the year to the provision of Mental Health training in the wine industry. A very successful wine auction has allowed this program to commence ahead of schedule in late 2021.

A Youth Council has been initiated. In this first year, four schools have each identified two Youth Ambassadors. These Ambassadors are to assess the applications for our Community Grants program in October 2021. This is a wonderful opportunity for these young people to give their perspective on the social needs of their community. Some of the schools also conducted fundraisers to assist with the (yet-to-be) chosen projects.

The Kicking Goals scholarships program continues to provide opportunities for young people with a disability.

The Elderton Winemaking Scholarship attracted a number of candidates that reflected the work ethic, desire for success, personal development and Barossa engagement that the scholarship criteria required.

The Thomas Scholarships were awarded and we welcomed four new Mentors to support these recipients going forward. All four Mentors are community members and leaders, so it is wonderful to see this generous commitment to our community.

There were 17 recipients of the Concordis scholarships, indicating how widespread the disadvantage is in our community.

The Peter Lehmann Arts and Education Trust provided funding to support a number of cultural initiatives across art and music.

The second award of the Dr Ben Baker Memorial Scholarship was made and two young musicians received the Barossa Bands scholarships.

The ArtLease program has been extended to include a series of art exhibitions by Tutti Arts at the Angaston Medical Centre. A part of the proceeds from each piece sold is directed to the Foundation.

This year, the Foundation was able to distribute $30,000 in Back to School vouchers, the most ever received. Again, this was made possible through the generosity of the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and Barossa Real Estate.

The Annual Awards night held in late January was a celebration of the objectives of the Foundation. More than 100 people were allowed to attend (Covid restrictions applied) including Award recipients, sponsors and donors. We thank The Jam Factory once again for their hospitality.

Our subscriber database continues to increase. This is the best way to stay in touch with the activities of the Foundation.

I would like to express my thanks to our enthusiastic and very busy Executive Officer, Annabelle Elton-Martin, for her amazing contribution in the last twelve months. And to my fellow Board Members for their time and commitment to the purpose of the Foundation.

Finally, let me recognise the generosity of our sponsors, partners and donors, without whom nothing would or could be achieved.

Neil Retallick 

Download the 2021 Annual Report here:

Foundation-Barossa-annual-report 2021-WEB

Who does the Kicking Goals Scholarship assist?

The Kicking Goals Scholarship is designed to provide some financial assistance ($500 per year) for students in Years 11 and 12, together with John Hughes mentoring the students, focussing on further education and employment. At the end of Year 12, there will be up to $3500 available for the student to spend on further education, educational aids or transport that may be required for education or employment.  Please note this scholarship is also open to students studying in a flexible learning environment.

Applications

Applications open on 1 March and close on 31 March 2022.

More Information

For further information, contact Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer on 0455 774 333.

Click to download: Kicking-Goals-Flyer PDF

Read more and make your donation here – Kicking Goals page