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Making Boomerang

Scholarships

Having met at university in 2011, Sam and Katja are very passionate about the opportunities tertiary education can bring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Within one year of operation, we have established our inaugural scholarship, and hope to create many more as we grow.

Violet Evelyn Newman Scholarship

Kaala Barna is proud to offer a $2,000 scholarship to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students in Western Australia for 2024. This scholarship is specifically for carers of children who are pursuing tertiary education.

Kaala Barna is an Aboriginal consultancy in Perth WA; Katja and Sam, the principal consultants, are Aboriginal women who met at university in 2011, where scholarships were a lifeline. As mothers of young children, they understand the struggle to balance caring for children and achieving your dreams.

Kaala Barna is offering this scholarship to ensure more of our people can enter the workforce and challenge the colonial system.

Violet Evelyn Newman

1942-2020
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Violet Evelyn Newman was born on the Ngadju land, somewhere on the Nullabor in the 1940s, and was taken from her mother to Norseman Mission. Speaking to her granddaughter about her experience, she said, "I was only little, and I tried jumping of the truck and going home. But I was winyarn and got lost. They found me again soon."

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She grew up at the Mission with many other Ngadju kids, including her elder cousin, Elsie. Violet moved to Darwin after leaving the Mission as an adult, and began studying nursing. After meeting and marrying her husband Norman Walsh, she left her studies to raise her children.

 

Whip-smart, (and likely to whip you with her sharp tongue), and a competitive tennis player, Violet was the matriarch of a family of four daughters and their children, and spent the later half of her life in Perth with them. 

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This scholarship is named in her honour by her granddaughter Katja, to support carers and especially mothers who wish to pursue their educational dreams while raising a family.

How to apply

Eligibility

  • Of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

  • Enrolled university student (part-time or full-time; bridging, undergraduate or postgraduate).

  • Living in Western Australia.

  • Caring for one or more children under the age of 16.

Application Process

  • Respond to the questions on page 2 and complete the form on page 3.

  • Send to katja@kaalabarna.com.au.

  • Applications are due by 5pm on Friday, 29 March 2024.

  • Up to five applicants will be interviewed by Kaala Barna in April.

  • The successful applicant will be chosen by 15 May 2024.

  • A shortlist of up to three applicants will be offered paid placements at Kaala Barna during university breaks.

Checklist

  • Response to Question 1

  • Response to Question 2

  • Your Details form

  • Proof of Enrolment

  • Referee

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