OLA Awards

Lauriston is very grateful to the donors of all awards and prizes which are presented across the School. Prizes and awards include donations of varying sizes from the Old Lauristonians' Association, the Lauriston Parents’ Association, the Lauriston Arts Association and some bequests.

Over the years it has been the Old Lauristonians' Association in particular that has, at various times, worked on behalf of the School to raise funds in support of a program of scholarships and bursaries.

The Old Lauristonians' Association was founded in 1913 (as the Old Lauristonians' Club) and exists to support the School and to provide a means by which Lauriston alumnae can keep in touch.

In 1985, for example, the aims and reason for existence of the Association were the stated in The Lauristonian as:

Having the interest of the School at heart, to support it in every possible way.
To provide opportunities for past pupils of Lauriston to meet socially.
To maintain Scholarships and Bursaries at Lauriston.

Over the years the Old Lauristonians Association had worked proactively to assist the School by organising successful fundraising activities. For example, as early as 1938 the Association formed a Bridge Club with the specific purpose of ‘raising money for the Irving Scholarship’.

By 1968 the Bursary Fund Dinner Dance had become an established annual event and that year raised $300 for the fund.

In 1969 a younger set dinner dance raised $134 for the bursary fund. A buffet dinner raised a further $112 and the dinner dance $220.

All these money raising activities enabled Lauriston to give eight Bursaries this year (reported in the 1971 Lauristonian and the Irving Scholarship.

The Association continued these very successful fund raising activities into the 1970s and in the 1980 edition of The Lauristonian reported that, ‘the OLA has maintained its interest in its long standing commitments to girls of the school. These include the Irving Scholarship, the Kirkhope Bursary, and the Mary Merrifield ad other awards.’ Similarly, in 1989, following the establishment of the Foundation in early 1985 the Association stated that: ‘We as old girls have a responsibility to support the Foundation to ensure the future of the School.’

OLA Fellowship

The Old Lauristonians' Association (OLA) has established a Fellowship program to support the professional development of Lauriston alumnae.

Lilian Irving Bursary

Each year, the OLA presents the Lilian Irving Bursary award to the Year 11 daughter of an Old Lauristonian for high achievement and contribution to school life.

OLA Howqua Bursary

Each year, the OLA offers two OLA Howqua Bursaries to Year 8 students who participate in the Howqua program.

Applications for the OLA Fellowship

All applications must be submitted online by EOB 15 August each year.
All applicants must have completed their year 12 at Lauriston Girls' School.
Only one OLA Fellowship will be awarded per calendar year.
OLA Fellowship applicants may apply a maximum of 2 times for the OLA Fellowship over their lifetime, if unsuccessful after the first application.
If submitting a subsequent application for the OLA Fellowship, the applicant will need to demonstrate a difference in their previous application.
An applicant will only be awarded the OLA Fellowship once.
If there is an insufficient number of applicants, and / or an insufficient quality of applications, the OLA Committee reserves the right not to award a Fellowship in a calendar year.
The successful Fellowship recipient must submit receipts to the value of $5,000 by 30 June of the following year, for reimbursement.

The Fellowship funds cannot be used towards a University or study debt.
The successful Fellowship recipient will be announced and presented with their Fellowship at the Valedictory Assembly, or at an occasion agreed by the OLA and School.
The successful Fellow will be expected to attend an agreed number of OLA and LGS events by the conclusion of their 12-month Fellowship.
The successful Fellow will actively participate in OLA and LGS communications initiatives including in publications, online, social media platforms including LinkedIn.
The OLA reserves the right to withdraw the Fellowship should the Fellowship recipient not act in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Fellowship or the values of Lauriston Girls' School and the Old Lauristonians' Association.

Application Requirements:

All applications are to be submitted via online application by EOB Friday 15 August each year.
Each application must include 2 referees. One personal and one professional.
All applicants must include a resume (no more than 2 pages).
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by 28 August each year.
All applications will be reviewed by a panel of 3, comprising of OLA Committee members and Lauriston Girls' School staff members.
Selected applicants will be invited to an interview with the panel. The interview will take place online, and will be recorded.
Once the interviews have taken place, the Fellowship Committee will decide the Fellowship recipient.

Key Selection Criteria:

Demonstrates significant benefit to the wider community
Aligns with the Lauriston Girls' School and Old Lauristonians' Association values.
Demonstrates a commitment to career development and improvement.
Can clearly articulate the benefits, time-line and budget for their project.

We are extremely proud to be offering this opportunity to our Old Lauristonian community and look forward to showcasing the successful Fellow to the wider Lauriston community at the Valedictory Assembly or other event.