CGS Podmore Warawitcha Scholarship
The Podmore Foundation was incorporated in 2008 by a group of Duntroon graduates in gratitude for the opportunities they received for a good education in good company. Podmore now involves a diverse group of Australians who want to create educational opportunities for others.
The Podmore Foundation’s mission has been to provided educational scholarships, financial assistance and personal development opportunities to Indigenous students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Podmore’s motto ‘Returning Opportunity’ reflects the spirit of the founding Board to return the opportunities they had received at Duntroon by financially supporting talented and determined young people to reach their full potential.
Up to 2018, 24 scholarship recipients had graduated and over $850,000 raised and expended for their education.
With shared values, common interests and synergies, in August 2018, the Podmore Foundation and the CGS Foundation established the CGS Podmore Trust within the CGS Foundation to work in parallel with the CGS Indigenous Scholars Programme. Two of the Indigenous Scholarships awarded are directly funded by the CGS Podmore Trust, and are named the ‘CGS Podmore Warawitcha Scholarship’ and the ‘CGS Podmore Brigadier Damian Roche Memorial Scholarship’.
If you would like to help us expand our Indigenous Scholars Programme, you can do so by making a special donation to the Podmore Warawitcha Scholarship
Where did the name Podmore come from?
The founding Board of the Podmore Foundation chose the name ‘Podmore’ to provide a common link from their time at Duntroon in the early 1970s and a ‘tongue in cheek’, whimsical title. Two Western Australian Duntroon Cadets introduced a fictional classmate named Larry Podmore into the conversations, practical jokes and yarns of their class in 1970.
The legendary Staff Cadet Podmore underwent imaginary, and mostly humorous, adventures and evolved into a stereotypical earnest, athletic, patriotic, but somewhat naive Australian; a true blue Aussie and good mate, but conservative and possibly even a bit ‘rural’, and sometimes prone to error.
The Podmore legend became folklore at Duntroon into the 2000s, capturing something of the spirit of youth; the aspirations and hopes of all young people; a sense of the ridiculous, humour and an Australian characteristic of not to taking authority too seriously.
The Podmore Foundation continues through the CGS Podmore Trust
In late 2018, the Podmore Foundation was formally transitioned into the Podmore Fund that is administered by the Canberra Grammar School Foundation. The CGS Foundation will continue the spirit of returning opportunity to disadvantaged Indigenous children in the Canberra region by providing educational scholarships and access to leadership and sporting opportunities. Mr John Dyball, Chairman of the Podmore Foundation, after working with Canberra Grammar School staff said:
‘I have witnessed many things in my career, none surpasses the genuine
warmth we felt today. Every set of arms were open, you all embraced what we represented with your heads and your hearts.
You will make a difference to our kids. You will change lives of our
families and communities. You will walk a beautiful lifelong journey.
You have already done it in so many ways.
The word is out.
I am still absolutely blown away by the generosity of spirit your
staff exhibited today. Please share my thoughts with them.
I thought CGS would be good. Wrong. CGS is and will undoubtedly
prove to be beyond all expectation.
Amazing, amazing people. Thank you’
It is Canberra Grammar School’s aspiration to continue to work towards the shared valued of the School and the original Podmore Foundation, and it is our aspiration that others will also help to continue to build a strong Indigenous Scholarships programme.
