Awards, Grants, and Scholarships
The board has established the following support for the nursing and midwifery professions.
Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards
Since 2021 the Leahurst Foundation has been a Bronze Sponsor for these annual awards in South Australia, and has also provided a Category Award for Excellence in Practice – Aged Care . These awards aim to ‘publicly recognise and celebrate the significant contribution that nurses and midwives make to the healthcare outcomes of the broader South Australian community’. The focus on the aged care award is in recognition of the funding for the foundation from the sale of Leahurst Home for Aged Trained Nurses Inc.
https://sanursingandmidwiferyexcellenceawards.com.au/
Recipients Excellence in Practice – Aged Care
Leahurst Practice Scholarships
Since 2022, the foundation has established annual nursing and midwifery scholarships to support nursing and midwifery students undertaking their final clinical placement in a Bachelor of Nursing program or Bachelor of Midwifery program at Adelaide University (formerly the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide), Flinders University, and Torrens University. Applicants must be experiencing financial hardship in the undertaking their final clinical placement to be eligible. More information can be obtained through the university websites.
Flinders University: https://students.flinders.edu.au/finances-and-admin/support/scholarships
Adelaide University: https://scholarships.adelaide.edu.au/
Torrens University: https://www.torrens.edu.au/how-to-apply/fees-scholarships/scholarships
Testimony from Britney McInnes
Recipient of Leahurst Practice Scholarship
“I grew up in Broken Hill, a small rural town 5 and half hours away from Adelaide. I chose to study nursing because my mother is a paramedic and I loved seeing how she made an impact on people and loved learning about all the things she could do.
This funding has honestly helped me so much. Going on placements without getting paid is financially very challenging and this scholarship contributed and relieved a lot of stress for me. It has allowed me to pay for necessities such as food, petrol and rent. Thank you so much, as a student who completes many placements, this money has helped me a lot. My future goal is to become a bloody good nurse!”
A further testimonial from Kelly Lawton can be found in the Flinders University Impact of Giving Report at the following web address:
https://www.flinders.edu.au/giving/our-donors/impact-of-giving
Dominican Sisters Refugee Scholarship
In 2022 the board gifted a scholarship to pay the final year fees of a refugee undertaking their Bachelor of Nursing degree.
Rob Bonner Scholarships
From 2026 the foundation is sponsoring two Rob Bonner Scholarships per year in partnership with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (SA Branch). The scholarships aim to support practice improvement projects with a broad impact that will improve access to high quality services; strengthen care coordination and responsiveness; enhance wellbeing and workplace culture; and apply new models of care that advance nursing and midwifery practice in South Australia.
2026 Recipients of Rob Bonner Scholarship
Emily Richards (Clinical Nurse Student Facilitator) Mount Barker District Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network
Emily proposed the development of a structured Nursing Work Experience Workshop Program for high school students across the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network. The week-long, interactive program will provide students with an engaging and realistic insight into nursing through simulation-based learning activities, including CPR and manual handling, exposure to clinical scenarios, guest presentations from a range of healthcare professionals, and discussions about enrolled and registered nursing career pathways.
Emma Moore (Nurse Unit Manager, General Medical Ward 2 East) Modbury Hospital, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network
Emma’s project will focus on the design and pilot of a dementia-friendly inpatient room within an acute hospital ward. The project aims to create a therapeutic environment that reduces disorientation and anxiety while promoting independence, comfort and dignity for patients living with dementia. The room will incorporate evidence-based design features, including appropriate lighting, clear signage, contrasting colours to support navigation, noise reduction strategies, and familiar homelike elements to enhance orientation and wellbeing.
