Mareeba State High School student Toby Fealy, 15, wins space camp scholarship in the US

A student from FNQ is one of four young Australians to be selected from 600 applicants for an impressive space camp scholarship in the US.

A Mareeba State High School student is one of four young Australians to be selected from 600 applicants for an impressive space camp scholarship in the US.

Toby Fealy, 15, will represent team Australia in Huntsville, Alabama, where he will take part in hands-on astronaut training as part of the Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship in July.

Mr Fealy said he was feeling excited to be part of the program and hoped his example had inspired others.

“We’ll be taught by astronauts and other industry professionals … I’ve had an interest in space for as long as I can remember,” Mr Fealy said.

“I’d like to get a deeper understanding of the space industry from this program, and the opportunity to work with an international group of students in subjects I’m passionate about is a dream come true.

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch, Mareeba State High School student Toby Fealy and SCA CEO James Palmer. Picture: Colyn Huber

“This scholarship is awesome – coming from Mareeba, there aren’t that many opportunities there.”

Mr Fealy was chuffed at the news of a planned space port for the Far North, currently being designed by Space Centre Australia (SCA).

“It’s excellent, the space industry is generating a huge amount of jobs,” he said.

Mr Fealy’s application was supported by SCA.

“Toby came to us looking for work experience. We were aware of the scholarship … so we gave him some guidance on putting his application together, but he did the majority of the work, and he absolutely deserves this,” SCA CEO James Palmer said.

Mr Palmer hosted a space industry workshop and networking event at Cairns Regional Council’s head office on Friday with the goal of generating interest from and collaboration with other sectors and advocacy bodies in the Far North’s economy.

Attendees at the Space Centre Australia workshop at Cairns Regional Council's Spence St office on Friday. Picture: Isaac McCarthy

He said the project, which would cost $750m and eventually occupy 22 sqkm of land north of Weipa, was progressing through environmental approvals.

“The project is happening … we’re moving onto a full flora and fauna survey later this year,” he said.

“We have started Indigenous Land Use Agreement work … and that’s looking very positive.

“To date we’ve been completely self funded … what we’re hoping to do is transition to federal government funding and we’re working very closely with the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility and those negotiations are going in a very good direction.”

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said he considered himself a “disciple of the project” and was confident the project would secure federal government funding.

“It will sell itself,” Mr Entsch said.

“When we talk about sovereign capability, this is exactly what we need.

“We are 100 per cent reliant on what we’ve got in the sky, and we’ve got to own this stuff ourselves.”

Originally published as Mareeba State High School student Toby Fealy, 15, wins space camp scholarship in the US