CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

It is people like him that give young people hope that they can achieve their dreams.

Alicia Gill, 2007 George Alexander Foundation Scholar, Swinburne University of Technology

Everyone at The George Alexander Foundation was saddened at the death of its founder, Mr George Alexander, AM, on 6 February 2008 at the age of 97.

George was a man of great vision and generosity, who believed strongly in the principles of philanthropy and was keen to use his Foundation to encourage more people to give in their lifetime.

Not long after the initial Scholarship Programs bearing his name began at Griffith and RMIT universities in 2004, George wrote to me and confessed to feeling ‘an inner warm glow at being able to help real young people’. George continued to take great pleasure in hearing about the achievements of the Scholars supported by his Foundation.

While today over 300 students have benefited from funding from his Foundation, George insisted, ‘Our future will never be in numbers but it will be with quality’. We hope each Scholar has that ‘quality’ of which George spoke. In truth, that quality is probably a little bit of the George spirit, a commitment to reaching their goals in spite of the challenges life throws at them.

In 2007–2008 the Foundation continued to grow George Alexander’s scholarship legacy with the provision of a new Campus Accommodation Scholarship Program at Murdoch University in Western Australia, our first Scholarship Program in that State.

Scholarship Programs continue at the Australian Catholic University, Charles Darwin University, Deakin University, Griffith University, Gordon Institute, RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology.

In the past year, the Foundation also continued its commitment to George’s other great interest, the environment. Funding in the environment included a children’s tropical marine discovery space at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, called Archie’s Shipwreck; scholarships to provide budding environmental scientists with field work experience via the Earthwatch Student Challenge; and a natural heritage interpretation project with the National Trust of South Australia via its property at Wilabalangaloo on the northern banks of the Murray River, just outside of Berri.

We will miss our contact with George, who was a man of great humour and compassion. As you will see from this report we continue to support projects that meet with George’s vision of philanthropy.

Charles Goode, AC Chairman