Tori Cowburn Scholarship
In Tori’s memory, the Tori Cowburn Scholarship will be awarded annually to a local Hunter Region female to complete their university studies in a discipline specific to mining.
#About Tori
Tori Cowburn, a young local woman from the Singleton community, commenced her working career with Thiess as an Administration Trainee at our Mount Thorley Workshop in April 2012. After completing her traineeship, Tori transferred to our Mt Owen Project and continued her working career as an Administration Officer in the Maintenance team for the next 11 years.
Tori had plans to travel overseas at the completion of the Mount Owen Project and was to return to Thiess to continue her working career at Muswellbrook Coal Rehabilitation. Unfortunately, Tori did not get that opportunity. On 11 June 2023, Tori’s life was lost in tragic circumstances whilst returning from a wedding in the Hunter Valley bus tragedy. This tragedy claimed the lives of 10 young people and injured many more from the local community.
In Tori’s memory, the Tori Cowburn Scholarship will be awarded annually to a local Hunter Region female to complete their university studies in a discipline specific to mining.
#Eligibility
The following outlines the list of eligibility requirements that a candidate must meet to be considered for the Tori Cowburn scholarship:
- A female student.
- Live locally in the Hunter Valley Region.
- Preparing to attend university to study a relevant undergraduate Bachelor’s degree at an Australian university in one of the following disciplines:
- Mining Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Environmental
- Geology
- Surveying
- Accounting & Finance
- Health & Safety
The selected Tori Cowburn Scholarship recipient will have three options to choose from to fulfill work and study requirements:
- Option 1: Work full time on a Thiess NSW project and attend university part time.
- Option 2: Work part time on a Thiess NSW project and attend university full time/part time (dependent on study load).
- Option 3: Study full time and complete paid vacation work for up to 10 weeks per year at a Thiess NSW site.
The successful scholarship recipient will receive $8,000 per annum to assist with the costs of completing the associated degree, for a maximum duration of three years.