Bishop Druitt College Celebrates Region's Top Talent with 2027 Scholarship Awards

Fifty-six exceptional Coffs Coast students recognised for excellence across academics, the arts, sport, and community leadership.

COFFS HARBOUR, NSW – Fifty-six of the top-performing students from across the Coffs Coast region have been awarded prestigious scholarships to attend Bishop Druitt College (BDC) for 2027 and beyond. 

Representing a diverse footprint that spans from Cooma to Arrawarra Headland, and from Bielsdown Hills and Upper Orara, this year’s recipients reflect the rich character and talent of the regional community within our Anglican Diocese. 

The college's comprehensive scholarship program spans multiple disciplines, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarships, Academia, All Rounder, the Branson-Ackland Scholarship for Language Arts and Humanities, Noel Jackson Memorial Bursary, Performing Arts, Sporting Performance, Textiles & Design, STEM and Visual Arts. Our founding Principal and wife, Mr Victor Branson and his wife Margaret Ackland, still support our scholarship program, which is an outstanding legacy.

Bishop Druitt College Principal, Mr Simon Doyle, praised the incoming cohort for their outstanding dedication to their studies, wider community and the BDC Way.

"I warmly welcome these scholarship recipients and applaud their passion, dedication and expertise in their area of focus," Mr Doyle said. "Their admirable qualities of grit, tenacity, curiosity, steadfast commitment, and a pursuit of excellence act as a reminder of the importance our college plays in providing outstanding opportunities for our regional community."

Securing a scholarship at BDC involves a highly competitive and rigorous selection process, requiring students to demonstrate excellence through public referee endorsements, auditions, portfolios, or academic testing. This year, the college received over 140 applications. We also acknowledge the many high-quality applicants who applied and were unsuccessful this year and encourage them to continue their dedication in the areas of their expertise.

The 2027 recipients include both existing BDC students and families new to the college community, spanning from Kindergarten through to Year 12.

Bishop Druitt College 2027 Scholarship Recipients

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander: Kye Badke, Tehani Badke (combined ATSI and Sporting Performance Scholarship), Estelle Baechtold, Koda Carey, Cornelia Casey-Kay, Jillian Gibson and Ellie Simpson.
• Academic: Aria Cohen, Felix Friess, Arnav Garg, Zitong Lin, Aanya Rao, Leo Urbani and Delilah Uzzell.
• All Rounder: Nuiena Anderson, Richmond Bartlett, Amelie Caesar, Eliza Dodd, Lucy Hargraves, Daniel Hellier, Mahi Jain, Twylah Konkoly, Willow Nuttall, Isaac Powell, Emma Sandes and Josephine Tait.
• Branson-Ackland Scholarship: Sally Bartlett and Estelle Dunn.
• Noel Jackson Memorial Bursary: Arabella Porter.
• Performing Arts in the field of Dance: Jala Baker, Charlie Bell (combined Dance and Drama), Ava Galway, Zara Hoare and Calamity Thorncraft.
• Performing Arts in the field of Drama: Ingrid Acheson, Ruby Mee and Jade Messner.
• Performing Arts in the field of Music: Alannah Guselli, Frank Lane and Daniel Vivas-Gutierrez.
• Sporting Performance: Finn Adam, Olivia Cheney, Molly Crichton, Tilda Duerinckx, Indiana Eggeling, Indiah Gadsden, Bonnie Harris, Zara Harris, Oscar Kelsall, Tyler Sens and Persia Vongxayalath.
• STEM: River Cheetham and Griffin Guselli.
• Textiles & Design: Lilly O’Leary.
• Visual Arts: Sally Bartlett and Estelle Dunn.

2028 Scholarships

Families interested in applying for the 2028 scholarship intake can find full criteria, key dates, and application portals on the college website https://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au/join-our-college/scholarships