Scone student welcomed on board as Bengalla's latest scholarship winner

Pictured: (l-r) Bengalla maintenance manager Steve Flannery congratulated Chris Sampson on his achievement during a recent visit to the coal mine.

Eighteen-year-old Scone High School graduate, Chris Sampson, has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Bengalla Engineering Scholarship.

The scholarship will provide Chris with a total of $34,000 over his four year Bachelor in Engineering (Electrical) degree at The University of Newcastle, and give him hands-on experience working at Bengalla mine.

“I come from a family of teachers, so when I heard about the scholarship through my school careers advisor, I thought it would be a great opportunity to form some networks in the mining industry,” said Chris who lives in Muswellbrook.

“The scholarship money will be a big help as it will allow me to focus on doing my best at uni.

“I’ll also have the opportunity to work onsite at the mine as a paid vacation student during my university holidays.

“This type of industry experience is invaluable these days. I hope it will bring me closer to my goal of a career in the mining industry.”

Bengalla general manager operations Andrea Sutton congratulated Chris for securing the scholarship.

“At Bengalla, our greatest asset is our people, and recent skills shortages are a good reminder that our employees are certainly not a resource we can afford to take for granted,” Ms Sutton said.

“By supporting Chris through his studies we hope to not only nurture local talent and build capacity in our region, but also to tap into Chris’s skills and knowledge as he progresses through his degree.

“Chris will also learn a lot from our site about the way we work, especially our focus on safety and making sure each of us returns home injury-free at the end of each working day.

“I wish Chris all the best as he prepares for his first semester, and I look forward to seeing him in his hard hat and steel capped boots when he joins us on site.”

The Bengalla Engineering Scholarship is in its fourth year and was available to 2009 Year 12 students from Muswellbrook High, St Josephs Aberdeen, Scone High and Scone Grammar planning to complete a mining, electrical or mechanical undergraduate engineering degree.

Media release - Scone student welcomed on board as Bengalla's latest scholarship winner [PDF: 20 KB]