Sydney, Tuesday 23 July 2024:  The Ramsay Centre was proud to present its newly announced Ramsay Postgraduate Scholars with their Scholarship Certificates at a special ceremony with their family, friends and supporters in Sydney last week.

The awards were presented by Ramsay Centre Board member Dr Amanda Bell AM and Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy.

The 2024 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholars will study at the world’s best overseas universities with funding of up to AUD$90,000 p.a. for one, two and in select cases three years of coursework and/or research. Between them, they seek to make a difference in areas as diverse as tropical diseases, education, Australia’s space industry, regulation of state power, traditional architecture, the arts and combatting disinformation.

Host institutions include Oxford, Cambridge, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Sciences Po Paris, King’s College London, University College London, Zurich University of the Arts, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and St John’s College, Annapolis.

The Scholars are selected on the basis of outstanding academic achievement, commitment to serve others, and commitment to advancing a richer and deeper understanding of western thought.

At the ceremony Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy congratulated the scholars and by extension their families, friends and academic mentors who have supported them. Distinct from their academic achievements, he praised the scholars’ record of ‘giving back’ through volunteering and social impact organisations, saying it made him incredibly confident about their future contributions to Australia.

Dr Fahy reminded the scholars they were the first ‘children of a hundred year life’ who were also lucky enough to be brought up in Australia, one of the world’s greatest success stories in implementing the principles of the western canon such as liberal democracy, rule of law, tolerance and liberal economic settings.

“You’re embarking on a journey to becoming successful, empowering, impactful leaders with purpose, and that will manifest itself in a number of ways, and is a really, really heavy burden,” Dr Fahy said.

“We want you to be confident, to take the amazing energy and capabilities that you have and bring that to bear on the most wicked and enduring problems that we face within our society. The exam question for you in the coming years is that of our benefactor Paul Ramsay; the well-lived life of impactful contribution to society characterised by kindness, tolerance and generosity. It’s a simple goal but a very demanding one that we place on you.”

Addressing the scholars, Centre Board member Dr Amanda Bell AM spoke of Paul Ramsay’s gift to Australia, saying “he left the largest private bequest in Australian history for the purposes of advancing the betterment of Australia and our understanding of this country’s evolution.”

“While you are all recipients of his largesse, it is timely to sow that seed that while your dedication to excellent scholarship and academic endeavour is your immediate task, your future focus should include a commitment to paying this legacy forward,” Dr Bell said.

Dr Bell urged the scholars to reflect on the character and qualities of a scholar beyond being clever, and to have strength of purpose.

“Stick to your vision and purpose, be happily absorbed in the rabbit holes of research; debate ideas – different ideas – often; and never settle for the summary video! You have a responsibility to value your opportunity as much as Paul Ramsay valued the young people of the future, when he imagined his philanthropic vision – for you and others like you.

“There are few times in your life that you are afforded the opportunity and indeed the intellectual decadence to study deeply and widely. Take your intellectual endeavours seriously – just as Paul Ramsay took his commitment to young Australians and their academic growth seriously. Similarly, think of your educational opportunity afforded by Paul Ramsay’s vision and generosity as delicately balanced between the extrinsic and intrinsic learnings, yet with an elasticity in strength of purpose that will position you all so well in your futures to follow on from his great humanity.”  

In a vote of thanks 2024 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholar Georgia McKerracher expressed gratitude to Paul Ramsay and said that as they commence their studies the scholars “…carry with us the values and aspirations instilled by the Ramsay Centre, eager to make a positive impact on the world.”

The Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarships have been made possible through the extraordinary generosity of our founder and benefactor, the late Paul Ramsay AO. Paul Ramsay founded Ramsay Health Care, now one of the largest private hospital operators, and was a regional television pioneer, building stations that today form the Prime Television Network.

A full list of the 31 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholars and their bios can be found on our website at: https://www.ramsaycentre.org/scholarships-courses/postgraduate-scholarships/2024-ramsay-postgraduate-scholars/

Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098/ sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org