29 July 2021
Today is International Day of Friendship. With the many challenges facing the world, it’s important to confront these and promote and defend a shared spirit of human solidarity. This can take many different forms, but the simplest is friendship. Through friendship, we can accumulate bonds of camaraderie and develop strong ties of trust.
Our Resident Committee at Regis Hollywood Retirement Village in Perth is working together to build bridges between communities and to offer opportunities to those who need it. Under the stewardship of Mary-Maude Winter, the committee established The University of Western Australia (UWA) Scholarship Foundation of Regis Hollywood Retirement Village. Beginning in 2015, the residents donated a large sum to set up this foundation, aimed at providing scholarships to underprivileged students of UWA who came from remote areas. The donation has created a perpetual foundation that is still active every year.
The committee members who were instrumental in starting the foundation were current members Doris Byleveld, Walter Jenkins, Mary Melot, and past members Mary-Maude Winter, Phyllis Blackmore, Vera Chantry and Margaret Gawler.
The students in receipt of this scholarship are from regional and remote areas of Western Australia and it gives them the opportunity to live on campus where they can receive easy access to professional and peer support.
Emer Bagge, coordinator of the recipients of the grant from UWA commented, “Scholarships such as the Residents of Hollywood Village Scholarship create life-changing opportunities for the recipients, opening the door to an education they may otherwise not be able to access.”
“On behalf UWA and the students, thank you for your kindness. Your generosity has made a tremendous impact on the lives of the students, and we are truly grateful. The scholarship has allowed them to pursue an education they could only have dreamed of, and enabled them to make lifelong friendships, and connections that will open doors to very bright futures,” added Emer.
Regis Hollywood Village offers specialist independent living units to those wishing to reside in central, leafy Nedlands. With a community centre and swimming pool along with refurbished units, Hollywood Village offers residents security and independence without the worry of home maintenance.
