Farnsworth Lochhead Lowe Scholarship
Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (09:51): During the winter break the inaugural Farnsworth Lochhead Lowe Kokoda Track scholarship took place. Hannah Saunders from Red Cliffs Secondary College and Rhiannon Jack from Mildura Senior College proudly represented their schools and communities in the best way possible, and I am so proud of them. The journey ended in a deeply moving moment, with a visit to the final resting place of Rhiannon’s great-grandfather Acting Warrant Officer John Lochhead at Bomana cemetery, making Rhiannon the first in her family to pay tribute in person. The group was led of course by the member for Gippsland East alongside four of our other National MPs, and the members’ research and passion for this program have been instrumental to its success and how absolutely incredible an experience it has been for these students and for the MPs and the adults that go along as well. Thirty-two students from across regional Victoria took part, learning about one of the most significant Australian victories of World War II, the Kokoda campaign. The 39th Battalion, which was central to that campaign, included many young men recruited from Mildura, Red Cliffs, Merbein and the wider region. That local connection makes this now annual pilgrimage especially meaningful for our region, and I strongly encourage years 10, 11 and 12 students of next year to consider applying for the 2026 Farnsworth Lochhead Lowe Scholarship. Sincere thanks to the Mildura RSL, the Gateway hotel, Sunraysia Petroleum and the Wentworth military museum.