Blackmores awards scholarship

By Michelle Guillemard. Blackmores provides a scholarship to an aboriginal student nominated by the Yalari organisation.

Yalari was founded by Indigenous educator Waverley Stanley and his wife Llew Mullins. Waverley’s own experience of attending boarding school at Toowoomba Grammar School over 20 years ago started him on the Yalari journey.

The organisation provides and supports Indigenous children from regional, rural and remote communities and towns throughout Australia to gain access to a first-class secondary education through scholarships to attend some of Australia’s leading boarding schools.

Yalari draws its’ support from individuals, companies, philanthropic foundations and Government Departments. Established in 2005, Yalari now supports 180 children around Australia enrolled at schools in 34 partnership schools in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.  

Blackmores has been a corporate partner with Yalari since it started five years ago and we provide a scholarship to year 9 student Rickelle Parfitt from Karama in the Northern Territory. She started on the Yalari program in 2008, and attends Scotch College in Adelaide where she is an active and valued member of the Scotch community. Rickelle represents the school, district and State in basketball and athletics and would like to be a sports journalist when she finishes school. Rickelle is also performing well academically and always receives high marks for her behaviour and attitude.

Yalari officially turned 5 on the 13th April 2010.

Australia’s leading rock band Powderfinger has recently announced that they will be highlighting Yalari’s work on their forthcoming national farewell tour. The band has a genuine and long-standing commitment to Indigenous Australians.