In a milestone year for two local scholarships dedicated to strengthening the rural health workforce, Warialda Rail nursing student Jessica-Lea McDougall and Moree psychology student Georgia Clissold have each received a $10,000 boost to support their studies.
Marking 20 years of the Dr William Hunter scholarship and a decade of the Healthy Communities scholarship, HealthWISE and the Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers Association (CGA) recognised the pair at the Moree Town and Country Club on Tuesday, February 10.
“Today was a wonderful reminder of how hard our community works to support our locals and get the services we need,” Moree Plains Shire Council mayor Susannah Pearse said. Gwydir Shire Council mayor Tiffany Galvin also came along to show her support.
“I’m very privileged to have an opportunity like this. It’s something that I didn’t think would ever come my way, so I’m pretty stoked,” Dr Hunter scholarship recipient Jessica-Lea said.
In her second year of a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of New England while working at Naroo Aged Care Hostel, Jessica-Lea is eager to bring her skills back to Gwydir district.
Healthy Communities winner Georgia is studying a Bachelor of Psychological Science at the University of Southern Queensland, and is known to many for her work as a sports coordinator and coach at the Moree PCYC.
“I was a child athlete, and I can see the stereotypes and influences that people have at such a young age and the way that affects people. I want to work to try and change that stigma, especially in country towns where there’s not as many resources, not as many things available,” she said.
Gwydir Valley CGA committee member Liam Winter said the two scholarships joined forces in 2021 after recognising their shared goal of creating a stronger and more vibrant health sector in Moree and the surrounds. He said the aim was to bring as many health professionals as possible back to the local community.
“The need for trained health professionals in the Gwydir Valley towns, always critical, is now dire,” retired Moree GP and scholarship namesake Dr William Hunter said.
“When the scholarship began in 2006, the Moree Hospital had three doctors on call 24 hours a day, every day, covering the emergency department, the obstetrics and the surgery departments,” he said. Now covered by locums from Newcastle and Tamworth, Dr Hunter noted that Moree and other rural hospitals are often forced to rely on telehealth and already strained nursing staff when locums are unavailable, as happened for almost two weeks earlier this month.
“Our rural populations deserve much better than this. We’re desperately short of GPs trained in skills required in rural towns,” he said.
HealthWISE chief executive officer Sally Urquhart said the organisation was committed to supporting the future health workforce through connections with key figures such as Dr Hunter; an association that has lasted for decades. She was delighted to meet Jessica-Lea and Georgia, and excited to see their potential.
“They’re full of energy and optimism and big plans. Both of them are really committed to their communities and also excited to get started on their profession. And what they’re talking about really closely aligns with what we want to do at HealthWISE,” she said.
HealthWISE took on the management of the Dr William Hunter scholarship in 2024 as part of our Barwon Health Alliance program, developed to continue the work of the Barwon Health Alliance Inc, a former support network and non-profit association for Barwon health professionals.
The Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers Association has funded a number of medical scholarships since the 1990s, and the Healthy Communities scholarship replaced the Cotton Industry Undergraduate Medical Scholarship and Allied Health scholarship in 2016.
Several local community groups and individuals have supported the scholarships for many years, including Moree Plains Shire Council, Gwydir Shire Council, Moree Services Club, Moree CWA, Tulloona Ladies Club, Moree Women’s Refuge, Gwydir Cotton Growers Association’s grower and business sponsors and many private donors.
