2017 Foundation Barossa Scholarship winners (L-R: Maddy Perry, Josh Grace, Morgan Leske, Julia Edwards)
We know that people like to see the numbers:
40 schools received Back to School vouchers this year.
Over $300,000 in tertiary scholarships awarded in 10 years.
$35,000 given out to projects from the Pinary Bushfire Appeal.
But our impact is also about the benefits that are not as easily measured, the stories behind the numbers. Stories of philanthropy and giving back to the community in which we live. Through our new impact report, delivered every 6 months we aim to share a few of these stories with you.
Foundation Barossa is currently seeking nominations for membership to the Board of Trustees.
Successful applicants will demonstrate strong connections within the community or businesses of the Barossa Valley. Directors are appointed for a period of up to three years with the opportunity for reappointment to a maximum of three consecutive terms.
Foundation Barossa is committed to equal opportunity, and to engaging people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. To ensure that the Board is broadly representative of the community the Board is keen to attract applications from women, people under 40 years of age and people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
In 2016 Nathan Eyers received a Concordis traineeship and has been working full time at Seppeltsfield and has been working closely with their wine makers throughout the year.
We asked him what is his favourite thing about working at Seppeltsfield?
“The number one thing I have enjoyed most at Seppeltsfield would have to be working with the fortified wines in barrels.” Said Nathan ”I just enjoy taking the wine out into tanks and making sure it is still great wine and doing adds if its declined in anyway and then returning it into barrels.”
Each year Foundation Barossa offers two traineeships through the Concordis programme. The two year traineeship includes a full time work placement at one of the four Concordis partners wineries, Seppeltsfield, Torbreck, Kaesler or Two Hands and a $5000 per year scholarship to assist with training and workplace expenses.
The trainees are placed at one of the Concordis partner wineries and can spend their time working in a variety of different roles within the wine industry. Much of Nathan’s work is spent in the barrel room and cleaning tanks. After completing his forklift licence through his traineeship he was hands-on during the rush of vintage at the beginning of 2017.
“I was working with A-grade wine in store 8 this vintage time, it was great watching and working with the wine from grapes to sending it out on trucks.”
One of the most important parts of the traineeship is the training that Nathan undertakes through TAFE. We asked him how he was going with his studies and most importantly is what he is learning useful?
“My training at TAFE has been going great, I have been passing all my classes and tests. It was a bit challenging at first because of my lack of knowledge in the winery industry. But as the months went by it became easier and easier as I learned more at work.”
“What I learn at TAFE is actually very useful to my everyday work and if I don’t use it at work then it is a good conversation to have with the other people and to learn through their experiences.
The 2017 Concordis traineeship is now open for applications.
Two traineeships are on offer for 2017 for viticulture and cellar operations supported by Torbreck and Kaesler.
Up to $5000 is available in the current rounds of grants for community groups from the wider Barossa region. Local community groups, special interest clubs and other eligible not-for-profit organisations are invited to apply for funding as part of the 2017 Community Grants round from Foundation Barossa.
Each year Foundation Barossa support community groups that work with youth, in the arts or to help the environment through their community grants.
All Foundation Barossa applications are now online, so it is easy for organisations to register for the grants.
“In the past we have supported groups like the Barossa Bush Gardens, the Tanunda Lutheran School and the Barossa Arts Council.” said Kylie Piper, Foundation Barossa Executive Officer “There are many community groups within the Barossa that are eligible for our grants and ideally we would like to hear from them all!”
“We know that there are some organisations that might not have tax exemptions or other charitable status, but we would encourage them to apply or to come and talk to us about the grants and find out if they are eligible.”
Kylie Piper, Executive Officer, of Foundation Barossa is available every Tuesday at the Barossa Council offices to answer questions or assist with your online application if you need a little bit of technical help.
Applications for the Foundation Barossa community grants are now open until April 30th.
Foundation Barossa is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Thomas, Cellarmasters and Kicking Goals scholarships. Julia Edwards, Morgan Leske and Maddison Perry, all from Nuriootpa, and Joshua Grace from Tanunda were the four recipients of this year’s Foundation Barossa scholarships.
“Being awarded this scholarship is a wonderful gift and opportunity”, said Julia Edwards, recipient of the 2017 Cellarmasters scholarship. “This scholarship enables me to pursue a wildly ambitious dream which I would not be able to achieve otherwise.”
The scholars were officially announced and presented their awards at the Foundation Barossa event on Tuesday March 7th at the Tanunda Clubhouse.
“Each year we have the opportunity to support amazing young people achieve their goals of pursuing their dreams and this year is no exception”, said Anita Bowen , Chair of Foundation Barossa “This year we have a real interest in the sciences by our scholars and with Julia Edwards I believe we have our first ever potential surgeon! Even our inaugural Kicking Goals scholar, Joshua Grace, who is still at high school is already thinking about a career in the health sciences.”
“Each year this event is a real opportunity for all of our friends and supporters to come together to celebrate with our new scholars and their families.” said Anita Bowen. “It’s great that we have continued support from so many organisations across the Barossa to support the work we do through these scholarships, including the Clubhouse who assist us in hosting this event each year.”
This years event included the announcement of two Cellarmasters scholarships, one Thomas scholarship and one Kicking Goals scholarship.
The event was attended by Mr Tony Piccolo MP, Member for Light, representing Minister for Employment, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Manufacturing and Innovation, Automotive Transformation and Science and Information Economy, the Hon Kyam Maher MLC.
The event also included a presentation about the importance of community foundations, such as Foundation Barossa, by Ms Natalie Egleton, CEO Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
2017 scholarship winners
2017 Foundation Barossa Scholarship winners (L-R: Maddy Perry, Josh Grace, Morgan Leske, Julia Edwards)
Thomas Scholarship:
Morgan Leske, Bachelor of Psychology at University of Adelaide (Nuriootpa)
Presented by: Kathryn Fuller, Patron of Foundation Barossa
Cellarmasters Scholarship:
Maddison Perry, Bachelor of Veterinary Bioscience at University of Adelaide (Nuriootpa)
Julia Edwards, Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery (Nuriootpa)
Presented by: David Hutton, Vinpac
Kicking Goals Scholarship:
Joshua Grace (Tanunda) Presented by: John Hughes, Patron of Kicking Goals scholarship
Psychology, viticulture, education, agriculture, graphic design and geospatial science are just some of the courses that past winners of the Thomas Scholarship from Foundation Barossa are studying.
The Cellarmasters Scholarship, also awarded by Foundation Barossa, has helped students study, among other things, law, international studies, commerce and arts.
“It is great to see such a diversity of students being assisted by these scholarships.” said Anita Bowen from Foundation Barossa.
“Initially we thought that there may be a lot of interest in viticulture as the scholarships are funded through donations from people and businesses related to the wine industry. But the students applying have had such far-ranging interests, that it has really opened up opportunities that we never thought of.”
Each year Foundation Barossa receives applications for the Thomas and Cellarmasters Scholarships to assist students entering tertiary studies at either university or TAFE. Students can receive up to $6000 per year for three years to help them focus on their studies full time, often whilst living out of home to attend university.
“We would love to receive more applications for both of our scholarships to see if we can broaden the range of courses even further.” said Kylie Piper, Executive Officer of Foundation Barossa.
“All applications are now online and it only takes a computer, a copy of your resume and a little bit of time. So, if you know anyone who is starting University or TAFE study next year whether they’re studying hair dressing, engineering, carpentry, nursing or anything in between tell them to apply!”
Applications for the 2017 Thomas and Cellarmasters scholarships close on November 30, 2016.
Nuriootpa High School visit by Foundation Barossa Scholars
Each year Foundation Barossa award a number of scholarships to local students undertaking undergraduate studies at University.
To encourage more students from the Barossa region to apply for these scholarships Deanna Kerr, current Foundation Barossa Scholar, visited Nuriootpa High school students on Monday 26th to discuss what life is like at university and how a scholarship can help students achieve their goals.
“It’s important that the students get a chance to talk to the scholars currently studying, so they can get a real idea of what life is like and how a little bit of help from a scholarship like those offered by Foundation Barossa can help them succeed.” said Anita Bowen, Foundation Barossa Chair
Scholarship rounds for students finishing Year 12 this year will open in mid-October, with at least 4 scholarships up for offer for undergraduate degrees, as well as a number of new scholarships for students in Years 10-12.
Foundation Barossa will also be offering a couple of new scholarships for students still at high school within the Barossa region. The Kicking Goals scholarship and the Barossa Brass Bands scholarship are targeted to specific groups of students for the first time this year.
“It is thanks to the continued support of our sponsors and donors from across the Barossa that we can continue to develop new scholarships for students in the region.” Said Anita
“People like John Hughes and organisations like the Nuriootpa and Marananga Brass Bands have created these new scholarships that will certainly help enhance the region and assist local students to achieve their potential in coming years.”
Three organisations in the Barossa region will receive funding through the Foundation Barossa Community Grants in 2016.
The Barossa Bush Gardens Labyrinth project, Barossa Youth and the Breaking Through project run by Nuriootpa Uniting Church will all receive support to carry on projects that encourage community engagement and youth development.
“It is great to be able to give support to project that have such direct benefits to the Barossa Community” said Kylie Piper EO of Foundation Barossa. “The Barossa Youth and the Breaking Through project works directly with the young people of the Barossa to engage them in programs that encourage them to develop life skills and assist them with their ongoing education”.
The 2016 grants are part of the annual Community Grants run by Foundation Barossa. All community groups and projects within the greater Barossa region are eligible to apply for grants that encourage community develop or support heritage projects.
“By supporting organisations such as these we are able to make a real difference in the community. Projects such as the Barossa Bush Gardens Labyrinth is something that everyone can enjoy. Whilst the Barossa Youth and Breaking Through projects go hand in hand with our other education scholarship programs and our Back to School voucher program which all encourage the young people of the area to succeed in their current education and increase their future career opportunities.
Nuriootpa High School's Blake Brennand is the 2023 Foundation Barossa Kicking Goals Scholar. He'll receive mentoring from John Hughes and support to make the transition from high school to employment.
