Grace Murray (‘09) arrived as a boarder from Louth, north-west NSW, in Year 7. Grace has a Criminology degree from Armidale University and has worked in Dubbo with Community Corrections and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. She currently works alongside her husband and his family in their agricultural operation and is the youngest and first female president of the Bourke Show Committee, is on the executive of the Enngonia Race Club and Louth Turf Club and has recently joined the Bourke Shire Council as a Councillor.

“I had received a small bursary in Year 7, but after that I was a full fee student all the way through. I can tell you that a bursary would have significantly reduced the amount of stress at home. I was one of many boarding students in a similar situation. We just got on with it though and tried to capitalise on the opportunities we had in front of us in the meantime, knowing the sacrifices being made for us to be at school. Overall, the sense of community in the school, but particularly amongst the boarders, was tangible. The further I got through school, the more friends across all year groups in the boarding school I collected – much like sisters. I think that had a lot to do with how I became Boarder Captain for Year 12 – I always say I wasn’t overly academic, but school gave me much more in other ways. It is so important that Loreto continues to turn out community-minded young women who can go in to their communities, contribute, and help address the many challenges these areas face in a world that continues to change at an ever-increasing pace. They deserve to have the gates of opportunity opened for them in the form of bursaries, and to live and learn in an environment that is designed for them to thrive.”

Want to hear from more Bursary students? Visit our Bursary and Scholarships page