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Impact of Giving: Close Scholarship
IMPACT OF GIVING CLOSE SCHOLARSHIP (THE RURAL SCHOLARSHIP)
Michael Baldock (Fr 2018) Illie Hewitt (Fr 2016)
In 2015, Grant and Sandra Close made the pivotal decision to provide their support to St Andrew’s College by establishing a scholarship to assist students from rural or regional Australia.
The first mention of St Andrew’s College came from their daughter Emily, who met an Androvian while she was at a sports camp in Australia and was impressed by what she heard. Even though she was 25 years old at the time and had already finished University, she still decided to relay the information to her family and especially to her younger brother Edward who was nearing the time of choosing where to study. Edward went to an all-boys boarding school in New Zealand, so a co-residential college such as St Andrew’s offered the perfect opportunity to have a diverse and new experience. With this in mind, Edward and the family flew over to Australia just to visit St Andrew’s (no other colleges), applied, and was soon accepted to start his first year in 2014.
Grant explained that being from New Zealand can feel like “a big fish in a little pond”, whilst Australia is “a big country, with big skies and big opportunities”. Like their wish for their son to experience these opportunities, they also wished to help other students who had the hope to “broaden their horizons and have a breadth of experience” and as students from rural or regional Australia are the most affected by financial constraints, this was added as a requirement to their scholarship. Grant and Sandra both know the benefits of studying and working in a large country and so through their scholarship, they hope to enable more students to experience college life and a university education.
Michael Baldock is one of the students who benefitted from the Close’s generosity. He was awarded the scholarship in 2018 and again in 2019, during his second year at College. Michael, who is originally from Armidale and now studies Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Sydney, remembers walking around St Andrew’s when he came for his interview and ending up spending the whole day here “just loving it”. He was able to meet Grant and Sandra last year in May for an informal afternoon tea whilst they were in Sydney, where he expressed his appreciation for the support that they have given him that has enabled him to experience College life to the full whilst studying full time. He is a keen rugby player, so discussions were had on the Wallabies and the All Blacks.
Another past recipient of the Close Scholarship, Illie Hewitt (Fr 2016), also joined them. Now an alumna of St Andrew’s, Illie also took the opportunity to thank the Close family for their support in 2016 and 2017, inform them of her progress since leaving College and share memories of her time at St Andrew’s. Illie has completed a Bachelor of Medical Science and is currently studying a Doctor of Medicine. She plans to finish this degree in 2021 before working towards becoming a rural generalist Obstetrician. Like Michael, she remembers St Andrew’s feeling “more authentic, kind and welcoming” than other colleges nearby and is grateful to have received the Close’s support which has been key in helping her achieve her goals.
In addition to supporting St Andrew’s, Grant and Sandra are long-time patrons of the arts, supporting the Christchurch Art Gallery and local Arts initiatives. Grant’s building firm ‘PlaceMakers Riccarton’ has been instrumental in helping with the city’s restoration after the earthquake. This philanthropic nature is evident in many of our supporters and we thank them for providing opportunities for more students who would be otherwise unable to become part of the St Andrew’s family.
The College is always seeking support to continue providing meaningful financial support to students. If you’re interested in contributing or learning more about our Scholarships and Bursaries Program, please contact: Hannah Atwell via T: +61 2 9565 7303 or E: advancement@standrewscollege.edu.au
