THE winners of scholarships in memory of an Albury physician hope to carry on his kindness and generosity.
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Maddie Bullock and Loran Towell are the first winners of the John McDonald scholarship, set up by the Albury-Hume Rotary Club.
Before Dr McDonald died last year, the club’s past president had been setting up a program to help first-year medical students buy textbooks and equipment.
“This is our way of remembering his name in a field of work he loved,” rotary president Peter Lee said yesterday.
Ms Bullock, 18, is a first-year medical student at the University of NSW.
“I’m living on campus and having fun, but also working hard,” she said.
The former Catholic College Wodonga student was presented with a diagnostic kit and iPad to help with her study.
A year as a receptionist at Wodonga’s Federation Clinic cemented her interest in the field.
Ms Towell, 24, is looking forward to using the text book and diagnostic kit she received for her course at the University of Queensland.
The former Billabong High School student is just 12 weeks in to her four-year course.
“I wanted to be a paramedic, but there wasn’t enough science involved,” she said.
“Now I have plenty more.”
The recipients said they were grateful for the scholarship and said they were aware of Dr McDonald’s kindness and generosity towards patients.
“I heard he was amazing with patients and he sounded like a really rounded doctor,” Ms Bullock said.
Both women are keen to return to the Border to work.
“I grew up in Wodonga and I am a country girl at heart,” Ms Bullock said.
Ms Towell agreed saying: “I enjoy the country lifestyle and I will come back to the district someday to work and ride my horses”.
