Sydney Airport’s diversity push helps under-represented groups into aviation

A young man, whose ancestors were too afraid to share their Indigenous identity, has become the inaugural First Nations’ recipient of a valuable Sydney Airport scholarship.

The first Indigenous recipient of the Sydney Airport 100 scholarship, Timothy Walker, pictured with former chairman Trevor Gerber (L) and airport CEO Geoff Culbert (R). Picture: Supplied

A young man, whose ancestors were too afraid to share their Indigenous identity, has become the inaugural First Nations’ recipient of a valuable Sydney Airport scholarship aimed at supporting under-represented groups in the aviation industry.

Now in its fourth year, the SYD100 scholarship was established in 2020 to mark the airport’s centenary, with one scholarship to be awarded each year for a century.

In 2021, the prize was renamed the Trevor Gerber SYD100 scholarship in honour of the airport’s former chairman, who served on the board for two decades.

People from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, women and Indigenous students are encouraged to apply for the scholarship worth about $35,000 a year.

This year’s recipient Timothy Walker, 18, is a first year Bachelor of Aviation Management student at the University of New South Wales, and a proud member of the Dharug people from the Hawkesbury region.

Mr Walker said the scholarship, which covered university fees and living costs, meant a great deal to him as he pursued a career in airport management.

“Being able to study at university and be an open proud Indigenous man is incredibly important when so many of my ancestors, even my grandma, were never able to share their Indigenous identity out of fear,” he said.

“It shows that no matter what background or heritage you come from, anything is possible, especially for First Nations individuals. It also highlights how important education is to success.”

The first Indigenous recipient of the Sydney Airport 100 scholarship, Timothy Walker, with former chairman Trevor Gerber (L) and airport CEO Geoff Culbert (R).

He said his love of air travel began as a young boy, when his father would take him on regular trips to Sydney Airport to watch planes takeoff and land.

“The excitement of the trip to the airport and the idea of waiting, going up in the sky and to be in another country in a few hours made me fall in love with aviation,” Mr Walker said.

Airport chief executive Geoff Culbert who will retire at the end of the year, said they were committed to fostering the next generation of aviation leaders, and were thrilled to be awarding the 2023 scholarship to Mr Walker.

“Like so many of us here at Sydney Airport, Timothy has the aviation bug, and that passion will help him thrive in this dynamic industry,” Mr Culbert said.

“Timothy is our first Indigenous scholarship recipient, and we’re extremely proud to supporting him on his journey.”

The inaugural recipient of the scholarship, Manmeet Kaur, now works at Sydney Airport after completing her studies, and then doing a ten-week internship with the operations team.

She said the whole experience had been “a dream come true”.

“From receiving the scholarship to completing the internship and now being part of the team has been incredible,” Ms Kaur said.

“I’m so thankful to my mentors at the airport, who have encouraged and guided me each step of the way.”

UNSW Aviation professor Brett Molesworth said it was wonderful to see the partnership between the university and airport leading to genuine employment opportunities for students.

Originally published as Sydney Airport’s diversity push helps under-represented groups into aviation