The Chris Wild (ON 1991) Indigenous Scholarship was established in 2012. Chris, the son of the late Rob (ON 1964) and Jenny Wild, was a teacher and his passion was Indigenous education.
Following Chris' death in 2011, the Wild family, their friends, and a number of generous Old Newingtonians established the scholarship, named in Chris' memory. The scholarship is one of the most significant managed by the Newington Foundation. From its corpus, the investment earnings cover the tuition fees for Indigenous scholars. The College works with local Indigenous communities surrounding La Perouse, Redfern and beyond to identify suitable students who are aspiring leaders within their local community.
In 2021 Harrison Marsh matriculated with his Higher School Certificate – our first Chris Wild Indigenous scholar to achieve this benchmark. Harrison is now in his final year of study to become a primary school teacher; and continues to help mentor Indigneous children in the Gooriwal community, on the northern headland of Kamay.
With your support more Wild scholars will matriculate from Newington with the HSC or International Baccalaureate. The Wild Scholarship currently supports six Indigenous students. We have not set a benchmark on the number of scholars at the expense of providing the best pastoral care for each Wild scholar.
Your gift now ensures that we can meet the evolving aspirations of our Wild scholars, now and in the years ahead.
In the words of a Wild Indigenous Scholar:*
You’ve given me a goal in life and an idea on what I want to achieve outside of school. Even when I've struggled, there is so much support. I honestly can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me here at Newington. I hope this is the start of something bigger."
* Student's name has been withheld.
