Samara receives bursary
The annual Tim McArdle memorial bursary has been awarded to bachelor of nursing student Samara Amoroso.
Samara, of Drouin is studying at Monash University’s Frankston campus.
The award was announced last month. Unfortunately, the usual presentation ceremony could not be held because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The bursary is awarded annually in memory of Warragul doctor Tim McArdle who died in a cycling accident in Warragul in 2002.
It is the 16th year of the bursary which was introduced in 2004 following a fundraising campaign and the formation of a local committee to oversee the award.
Samara said the scholarship would enable her to pursue her studies
She said she has an interest in public health and hopes to give back to the community when she is qualified and completed her studies.
Samara said she was excited to receive the scholarship which will benefit herself and her family.
Tim was a doctor at West Gippsland Medical Clinic. He was a strong advocate of community health and wrote The Gazette’s popular Dr Kev column for many years.
A feature of the award presentation over the years has been the presence of Tim’s family many travelling from Tim’s hometown of Ballarat.
Last year his brother Peter said his family was aware that Tim loved living in Warragul and loved his work and social life in West Gippsland.
“I will never forget the day of Tim’s funeral when we became aware of how much Tim meant here with the people even lining the streets. It was very, very moving,” he said.
The local committee is headed by Cleo Sahhar and secretary is Des Williams. Other committee members are Mavis Gallienne, Carolyn Turner, Cathy Haigh, Ken Thomas, Chris Fogarty and Brett Forge.