The Queensland Commitment

Raising their young family in Baralaba, rural Central Queensland, Gloria and Gordon Crawford knew that if their children wanted to pursue higher education, they would face many obstacles and likely need to relocate many hundreds of kilometres away from home.

Despite this, they were determined not to let their children miss out on opportunities because of where they came from.

Gloria and Gordon ensured that each of their children had the support they needed to access university study and follow their chosen paths.

Now that subsequent generations of the Crawford family count themselves among UQ alumni, they understand the sacrifices their parents made and that, for some, such an achievement would not have been possible.

Students from regional and remote areas remain significantly under-represented in higher education, despite policy efforts to encourage participation.

To help change this and to honour their parents’ efforts, the Crawford family generously donated $50,000 to create The Crawford Family Scholarship, which will support medical students from regional and remote Queensland who are facing financial hardship.

One of the siblings, Professor Darrell Crawford, studied his Bachelor and Doctor of Medicine at UQ, going on to earn an international reputation in liver disease and hold positions as the Head of School and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

“I am proud to have studied at UQ, but there are many students across the state for whom that isn’t an option,” Professor Crawford explains.

“No-one should struggle to afford education just because of where they were born, but we know that students from rural and remote Queensland face additional challenges.

“My family and I hope this scholarship will support the medical workforce of the future and strengthen the pathways to UQ for students from regional and remote areas.”

The scholarship has been established under the Queensland Commitment scholarship match, meaning it will benefit from a matched donation of $50,000 from UQ.

The total gift of $100,000 will establish The Crawford Family Scholarship Endowment UQ.

This gift will continue to award medical scholarships for students from regional and remote Australia for generations to come. A true legacy gift.