THERE is a special significance to the launch of this year’s scholarship program by the Hoskins family trust.
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It is the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the generous program that assists local students with tertiary studies.
The generous nature of the program is emphasised by the fact that since its introduction our students have benefited from scholarships totalling well over $300,000.
There is no family with more important historical links with Greater Lithgow than the Hoskins dynasty.
It was Charles Hoskins who pioneered the Australian steel making industry with the blast furnace that dominated the local industrial scene in the first half of last century before relocating to Port Kembla in the 1930s to eventually give rise to what became BHP.
The legacy lives on with the gifts to the city of the magnificent Hoskins Uniting Church and the Hoskins Institute which is now the campus for the Western Sydney University.
But today’s family has never forgotten its links and this was highlighted back in 2006 when the Hoskins Family Trust introduced the annual scholarship.
Trust members John Pagan and Tom Haywood have again been in Lithgow and Portland visiting schools to provide details of this year’s scholarship.
Under the scheme any resident of the Lithgow LGA who is an Australian citizen and under the age of 25 on July 1 this year can apply for assistance with tertiary studies in the 2017 awards of up to $30,000.
On July 2 members of the family trust will attend a dinner at the Workmens Club to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the scholarship program — all of which began when Charles Hoskins followed his dream to literally become the nation’s first significant man of steel.
Applications do not open until next month but details are already available from school careers advisers in Lithgow and Portland, from help@hoskinslithgowscholarship.or.au or from scholarship secretary Helen Lee on the above site or 0402 126 263.
Further details on how to apply will appear in the Lithgow Mercury.
THE key criteria? The trustees look to award each scholarship to an individual(s) who wishes to contribute to the betterment of society through his or her future career.
