The Friends' 25th Anniversary Scholarships
In 2007, to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, the Friends announced the establishment of an annual scholarship to the value of $10,000 to be awarded to a member or members of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria staff.
In 2019 the scholarship amount was increased to $15,000 per year to provide greater financial resources for professional development. Additionally, due to a bequest by Robin Sharwood in 2015, a $2,000 Travel Bursary is now also available to RBGV staff who will be travelling as part of their professional development.
2023/2024 Friends' Scholarships
A total of $16,860 was granted in 2024 towards the following recipients and their field of study:
- Erin Kelly, RBG Melbourne, PROSCI -Change Management Certificate, $6,295.
- Amanda Thomson, RBG Cranbourne, for attendance at The International Plant Propagation Conference 2024, Cairns, $2,345
- Eugenia Pancetti RBG Melbourne, Diploma in Law and Collections Management, $3,850
- Mathieu Lascotes, Mitchell Burns and Matthew Henderson, RBG Cranbourne, study trip to Kings Park and Botanic Gardens Western Australia, $4,370
Past Winners of the Friends' Scholarships
2022/2023
A total of $16,500 was granted in 2023 towards the following recipients and their field of study:
- Christopher Jakobi, Aboriginal Learning Facilitator, Melbourne: USA First Nations Research experience, $5,000.
- Sylvain Plummet, Acting Visitor Centre Supervisor, Melbourne: the Australian Institute of Management New Leader Program, $2,000.
- Kasia Gabrys, Advisor Governance and Projects, Melbourne: Best Practice Environmental Social Governance research and benchmarking in Australian Gardens, $4,500.
- Nicole Ebert, Team Leader Visitor Access and Tourism, Cranbourne: Certificate IV Training and Assessment, $5,000.
2021/2022
Whilst the biennially awarded $2,000 Sharwood Travel Bursary was not granted in 2022, the Trust provided $13,521 in scholarship funding to the following recipients:
- Renee Wierzbicki, Horticulturalist, Curator of the Herb and Medicinal Collection at the Melbourne Gardens, was granted funds to undertake a History of Healing course at Endeavour College of Natural Health.
- Carolyn Shurey, Learning Facilitator, received funding for a six-month training course in the field of Forest Therapy, a practice that promotes healing and wellness in natural environments.
- Claire Mosley, Learning Facilitator, received funding to attend the National Australian Association for Bush Adventure Therapy Symposium.
- Menaka Collure, Finance Officer, received funding for a Digital Finance microcredentialed course from CPA.
2020/2021
- Alison Vaughan, Digital Collections Advisor, Science, National Herbarium of Victoria, for an Exhibition Design and Delivery course.
- Kimberley Colman, Learning Facilitator (Early Childhood Programs), Melbourne Gardens, for the course Applying Project Management Tools in Learning Projects.
- Misha Davine, Horticulturist Curator (Fern Gully), Melbourne Gardens, for Fern Collecting in Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
- Sally Fierenzi, Learning Facilitator, Cranbourne Gardens, for Graduate Certificate of STEM Education. Operations Committee
2019/2020
- Carry Lee, Visitor Experience Officer, to undertake an Ecotour Management Training Course
- Daniel Ohlsen, Flora Botanist, to visit Malesian herbaria to enable a revision of the fern family Aspleniaceae in Malesia
- Peter Symes, Curator, Horticulture, to explore the Melbourne Gardens landscape succession through climate change via engagement with European Botanic Gardens.
2018/2019
- Bret Pritchard; Horticulturist Melbourne Gardens, RBGV
Scholarship amount – $6,333
Project: Tour of arid gardens and natural environments throughout California and Arizona, USA - Kate Roud; Horticulturist Melbourne Gardens, RBGV
Scholarship Amount – $3,302
Project: Safeguarding the New Zealand Collection at RBGV Melbourne Gardens - Kimberley Colman; Learning Facilitator Early Childhood Programs Engagement and Impact, RBGV
Scholarship Amount – $365
Project: Therapeutic Garden and Horticulture Therapy Workshop
2017/2018
- Peter Berbee; Arborist, Curator Quercus collection, Melbourne Gardens, RBGV
Scholarship amount – $4,277
Project: To attend the 9th International Oak Society Conference 2018, California USA - Katherine Kominiarski; Visitor Experience Officer, Engagement and Impact, Melbourne Gardens, RBGV
Scholarship Amount – $630.
Project: To undertake a six-week Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Training TAFE course. Scholarship report – Botanic News Summer 2018/19 p 20-21 - David Robbins; Team Leader Nursery, Melbourne Gardens, RBGV
Scholarship Amount – $2,400
Project: A Record keeping Diploma. Scholarship report – Botanic News – Autumn 2019 p 19 - Mandy Thomson; Team Leader Nursery, Cranbourne Gardens, RBGV
Scholarship Amount – $2,205.
Project: To attend the Australian Plant Society’s Bi-Annual National Conference, Hobart. Scholarship report – Botanic News – Summer 2018/19 p 22-23
2016
- Niels Klazenga; Programmer Information Technology, Biodiversity Information Officer, Melbourne Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Scholarship amount – $6,434
Project: Funding for trip to TDWG (Taxonomic Databases Working Group) Conference 2016, Santa Clara de San Carlos, Costa Rica, 5-9 December 2016
Scholarship Report (Botanic News – Spring 2017 p 22-23) - Philip Bowyer-Smyth; Horticultural Technician, Melbourne Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Scholarship Amount – $3,566 Scholarship Report (Botanic News Autumn 2018 p 20-21)
Project: 16-week course of Diploma of Project Management at Holmesglen Institute
2015
- Catherine Gallagher; Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne $5,400
Co-ordinator, Curation
Project: Travel to Berlin to research MEL’s foreign collection and attend the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (Report – Botanic News Winter 2017 p 23) - Charlie Firth; Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne $2,000
Co-ordinator, Horticulture
Project: Training package: Increasing arboricultural skills and capacity (Report – Botanic News Summer 2016-7 p16-17) - Kate Roud; Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne $4,500
Curator for the New Zealand Collection and Horticultural Technician
Project: Study Tour to New Zealand (Report – Botanic News Autumn 2017 p21-23)
2014
- Leanne Adams; RBG Cranbourne for her project –
Certificate IV in Accounting, Chisholm Institute - Kylie Regester; RBG Melbourne for her project –
Attend and present at 9th BGCI Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens (report Botanic News Spring 2015 p18-19) - Russell Gibb; RBG Cranbourne for his project –
Diploma of Project Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
2013
- Liz James; Plant Sciences & Biodiversity Division, for her project –
Torrent Ion sequencing training (Report – Botanic News Autumn 2015 p 18-19) - Brett Pritchard; Melbourne Gardens Division for his project –
Network building to aid redevelopment of succulent and cacti collection.
(Report – Botanic News Winter 2015 p 18-19) - Ahmed Ashraf & David Tyler; Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne for their project – Kings Park Study Trip to learn about irrigation and develop a WA plant acquisition strategy. (Report – Botanic News Summer 2014-15 p 18-19)
2012
- Catherine Gallagher; Plant Sciences & Biodiversity Division, for her project – Botanical Nomenclature Course RBG Kew (Report – Botanic News Summer 2013-14 p 18-19)
- Millie Wee; Melbourne Gardens Division, for her project – Study Tour of Queensland Botanic Gardens: RBG Palm & Bamboo Collection Development (Report – Botanic News Winter 2014 p 18-19)
- Dr Pina Milne; Plant Sciences & Biodiversity Division, for her project – Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop in New Zealand (Report – Botanic News Spring 2013 p 18-19)