Alan Blakney Memorial Scholarship 2026

On 30 January 2008, Lorna Waller donated  to the University of Melbourne for the purpose of setting up a perpetual trust to be named The Alan Blakney Memorial Fund. The net income from this fund is to be used to provide one or more scholarships for students from disadvantaged rural backgrounds to study at Dookie College. 

The donation memorialises the donor’s brother, the late Alan Cecil Blakney, DFC, who graduated from Dookie Agricultural College in 1940. Alan served as a navigator in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War, and was attached to the Mosquito Pathfinder Squadron 571 with the Royal Air Force; in December 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. On his return to Australia Alan farmed initially in Tasmania, and later in Western Australia. He died on 23 March 1983.

o be considered for this scholarship, you must:

• Be living or have lived in a regional or remote area 
• Be enrolled in the Bachelor of Agriculture (or its successor)
• Have completed a minimum of 100 credit points of study
• Be enrolled or be planning to enrol in at least 37.5 points of study (second year students) or at least 25 points of study (third year students) in the Dookie Semester option

The scholarship is offered to the student(s) ranked highest by the selection panel based on their personal statement. Preference is given to students who have demonstrated financial need. Other scholarships received by students will be taken into consideration.

Note:  Due to the timing of this award it is not possible to use the financial need tool provided by Melbourne Scholarships. Students will be asked to provide details of financial need and this will need to be supported by evidence such as Centrelink docs or stats decs. The Faculty will then use our Graduate Access bursary scoring matrix for documentation to develop a ranking for each applicant.

Students will be ranked on their statement. Preference will be given to those deemed to be in higher financial need. When determining the recipient of this scholarship the support already received, in the form of other student awards, by all eligible applicants will be taken into account.

You must submit an application and include a personal statement addressing:

• The educational benefit of studying at Dookie
• Details of financial need including supporting documents

Students must be enrolled in at least 37.5 credit points if in their second year, or at least 25 credit points if enrolled in their third year, at the Dookie campus.

All scholarship outcomes will be sent via SmartyGrants.

Please see outcome timing below:

• Round 1 (Jan-March applications): May-July
• Round 2 (June-August applications): September-October

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