Generous donation creates new bursary

St Patrick’s College, through its Foundation, is delighted to announce the establishment of an ongoing new bursary, courtesy of the incredible generosity of a grieving family in honour of a College Legend.

The Geoff Torney Bursary is being established in honour of the acclaimed Old Collegian who died in 2017.

Geoff’s wife Janet, in accordance with Geoff’s and his family’s wishes, has generously provided a substantial donation to the St Patrick’s College Foundation with the aim of assisting families who may otherwise be unable to send their sons to the College.

Geoff (SPC 1946-52) was inducted as a College Legend in 2002 in acknowledgement of his decades of work in developing the Ballarat community, primarily through his role as a lawyer with Byrne, Jones and Torney (BJT) but also through his many community involvements, including a life-long passion for horse racing.

Geoff was a highly respected and valued role model for the entire St Patrick’s College community and the College is now thrilled that his legacy will live on at the College.

The bursary will be awarded from the 2020 school year and will be administered by the SPC Foundation in liaison with the College Business Manager and Headmaster.

To be eligible for consideration as a recipient of the Geoff Torney Bursary Fund students must be from families encountering financial difficulties which may otherwise prevent their son from attending St Patrick’s College while preference may be given to students who are particularly talented in their chosen field.

Eligible candidates may be current students or prospective students at any year level.

The Headmaster and the Business Manager will be responsible for identifying eligible candidates and will make recommendations to the SPC Foundation for the dispersal of funds.

The Foundation and the College will seek to disperse annual amounts in the hope that the initial donation can then support families for several years.

The College will ensure all beneficiaries are made aware that they are recipients of the Geoff Torney Bursary Fund.

We hope the Torney family’s generosity inspires other members of our community to make their own donations which can be used to help marginalised members of our community.

Anyone seeking information on how to much a tax deductible donation to the SPC Foundation is urged to contact Director of Development Paul Nolan on 5322 4450 or email pnolan@stpats.vic.edu.au