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Two up-and-coming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes at Griffith have been named the first ever recipients of Ron Clarke Griffith Futures Scholarship.

Education student and netballer Beryl Friday and health science student and pool and open water swimmer Bianca Crisp were awarded the scholarships, worth $11,000 per year of full-time study for up to four years for each student in a joint funding arrangement between Griffith University and Commonwealth Games Australia.

Griffith Sports Engagement Director Duncan Free said the athletes were selected from a talented pool of individuals and that the scholarship was a significant opportunity for them.

Free shares “I’ve learnt so much about Bianca and Beryl and the works and connectivity they have with the Indigenous community, including reconciliation. Their passion is very evident.

“Ron Clarke was a great man, a great ambassador for sport, and an unbelievable athlete in his own right who has left us an amazing legacy.

“We could not be prouder of these two students and I’m sure they will be wonderful ambassadors, just as Ron was.”

Ron Clarke AM MBE was not just an Olympic and Commonwealth athlete who set 17 run world records over distances from 3.2km to 20km, but also a qualified accountant.

He served as Gold Coast Mayor from 2004 to 2012 and was instrumental in securing the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Crisp is keen to pursue a career in research to become a specialised medical practitioner, before eventually studying a Doctor of Medicine.

Crisp advised “since starting my degree at Griffith, my passion for learning and inquisition has profoundly deepened, sparking my interest in health, medicine and research.

“Learning about the intricacies of life has opened up a whole new world to me, and I aspire to one day assist Australia’s First Peoples by contributing towards improving current health inequalities as a medical practitioner.”

Image: Bianca Crisp is one of two Ron Clarke Griffith Futures Scholarship recipients.

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