UQ Emmanuel College student Simon LaBlack has become the first recipient of a scholarship in honour of former High Court Chief Justice Sir Harry Gibbs.
Head of the TC Beirne School of Law Professor Ross Grantham presented the inaugural Sir Harry Gibbs’ Law Scholarship to Emmanuel College student Simon LaBlack at a dinner to honour Sir Harry on May 16.
Sir Harry was an Emmanuel collegian in the 1930s and was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia in 1981. He served in this position until his retirement in 1987 and passed away in 2005.
The scholarship covers Mr LaBlack's residential fees at Emmanuel College while he studies law and journalism at The University of Queensland.
Mr LaBlack said he was surprised and proud to be the first winner of the scholarship.
“I love staying here [at Emmanuel College]. There’s so much to do, so many opportunities,” he said.
“It’s an honour for them to say ‘here, be an ambassador for the college’. Sir Harry Gibbs lived here and what he did as an ambassador for the college [was inspirational], it’s an honour to receive a scholarship in his name.”
The idea of establishing a law scholarship for an Emmanuel student arose from discussions between Sir Harry and Emmanuel College Principal Adjunct Professor Stewart Gill shortly before Sir Harry’s death, Dr Gill said.
“Our shared vision was to provide a full residential scholarship for a student studying law at The University of Queensland with an expectation that the student would pursue a career in the law and act as an ambassador for the College,” he said.
“The scholarship is renewable on the student continuing to achieve outstanding results and making a positive contribution to the life of the College.
“Simon is a very worthy first recipient of the Sir Harry Gibbs Law Scholarship and he has contributed a great deal to college life since he first arrived from Bundaberg in 2006.”
Mr LaBlack is in his third year of a dual Bachelor of Journalism/Bachelor of Laws degree at The University of Queensland and is an active student, editing a student newsletter, playing bass, tenor and side drum in the College pipe band and competing in AFL, soccer, rowing and distance running.
“Academic achievement, intellectual creativity, community spirit and teamwork are all valued at Emmanuel and Simon scores highly in all of these areas,” Dr Gill said.
“Emmanuel College strives for excellence in providing a rich collegiate experience for students of the University of Queensland.”
“We’d like to be able to provide many more scholarships in the future and we’re working hard to achieve this, particularly for students from rural or remote areas or students from an Indigenous background. Educational philanthropy is so important.”
The Honourable Justice Roslyn Atkinson spoke at the dinner on the topic of: “The Chief Justice and Justice Murphy: Leadership in a Time of Crisis”. A copy of her speech is available from the Emmanuel College office.
MEDIA: Dr Gill (07 3871 9390, 0419 589 033 or s.gill@emmanuel.uq.edu.au) or Tegan Taylor at UQ Communications (07 3365 2659)
