THE first ever recipient of the new Fay Newell Scholarship has been announced, awarded to newly appointed intern with Broken Hill Health Service, Dr Natalie Gordon.
Dr Gordon, a Ngunnawal woman who recently moved to Broken Hill for her role as an intern with the health service, said she was honoured to receive the scholarship for 2025.
“I’m really grateful to Fay Newell for such a legacy that she’s left, and for the opportunity its going to provide me,” she said.
Fay Newell was a nursing sister at Broken Hill District Hospital for almost 40 years, who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to the community.
The annual scholarship provides $5000 to encourage excellence in the training and education of students in the medical industry, and is funded through a gift provided to the service by the late Ms Newell.
Dr Gordon said the scholarship will help her to cover expenses associated with her training to become a rural generalist through the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
“I’ve been so excited to move and live here, to be part of the community,” she said.
“I didn’t want to be one of the doctors who flew in and flew out; I wanted to be immersed and get to know people, and I think that was in the spirit of applying (for the scholarship).
“I think that’s really what Fay Newell anticipated would be a good outcome for the scholarship, and I just felt that the Far West people deserve doctors who would care and love them in their best times and worst times.
“Hopefully this scholarship enables me to continue to do that.”
