Western District student awarded inaugural Salt Creek Scholarship
A WESTERN district wind farm injects funds into the regional community with a $30,000 scholarship, writes RUBY AUSTIN.
WARRNAMBOOL College graduate Michael Loughhead is the first recipient of the inaugural Salt Creek Scholarship, worth $30,000.
Woorndoo sheep farmer Peter Coy established the scholarship in partnership with Tilt Renewables to help a student from Victoria’s Western District with the cost of pursuing tertiary education.
After more than a decade of work to establish a wind farm on his Salt Creek property, Peter and Tilt Renewables switched on 15 turbines in July last year. The wind farm generates electricity to supply 30,000 homes every year, and gives Peter a secure, ongoing rental income.
Peter says it has long been his wish to leave some form of legacy, so he decided to share some of the wind farm returns with the community.
He is donating $15,000 a year — equivalent to annual rental return from one of Salt Creek’s turbines — and Tilt Renewables matches Peter’s annual investment dollar-for-dollar. The scholarship will be available annually for the next 25 years.
Selection is based on personal qualities and leadership as well as academic ability. In 2019 there were 29 applications and six students short-listed. Salt Creek Scholarship communications manager Sally Towell says the decision was tough, but Michael was a clear stand out.
“Michael is really community driven, a lovely kind young man, who has very clear goals of where he wants to get to and presented really well in the interview. He’s clearly a hard worker and we feel he’s very deserving of the award,” Sally says.
Michael is attending Deakin University in Geelong this year, studying mechanical engineering, and the scholarship will fund his Waurn Ponds residential expenses.
Michael was awarded the scholarship on March 1 in a ceremony at Woorndoo.
Applications for 2020 open October 21 and close on January 3.
saltcreekscholarship.com.au
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