Community & Business
28 August, 2026
Gilgandra and District Country Education Foundation hold first major fundraiser since 2023
Gilgandra and Districts Country Education Foundation set for auction and dinner fundraiser
By Molly Shannon
Since 2003, Gilgandra and District Country Education Foundation (GDCEF) have been passionately advocating for regional and rural youth to take the leap into tertiary education, whether that be university or a TAFE or equivalent course.
This year, the Gilgandra branch will be hosting another fundraiser night to continue to support local youth aged 16-25, achieve their dreams. The fundraiser will be supported by local businesses and feature trivia, a live auction, and dinner.
The Country Education Foundation originally began in Boorowa in 1993 when the community raised money to help one student attend university.
Since then, the CEF has expanded into a network of close to 50 local foundations nationwide, all sharing the same passion to support regional and rural youth access higher education.
The Gilgandra branch has allocated $263,000 to over 230 students from Gilgandra and surrounding districts.
In 2026 Gilgandra supported 18 students, with some who have gone on to receive continued support from the foundation beyond their first year.
Joan Staggs has been with the Gilgandra branch since the beginning, and is a staunch advocate for higher education and helping regional and rural youth gain access to those spaces. “Education changes their world,” Joan said.
“I've seen so many kids come through in quite tough conditions, and then have ended up much more comfortable than their parents as a result of their education,” she said.
The branch tries to host a large fundraising event every two years, though the last one held was in 2023.
The events are crucial to the branch’s survival, as without local support and raising their own funds, access to corporate sponsorship is not then available to students.
“We have to raise our own funds, but we are backed by the national organisation,” Joan said.
“The national branch gets corporate sponsorship, and through that we've had kids get help from Audi, the car manufacturer, and one boy received the chartered accountant's award worth $21,000 over three years.
“That's big money that we can't give but they cannot get this corporate funding unless they have had a local grant,” Joan said.
Scholarships are awarded to students on a needs basis, and the money can be used for anything related to their education, whether that be technology, text books, accommodation, or even fuel.
Local pharmacist, Ruby Schembri, was supported by GDCEF through her bachelor of pharmacy with honours completed through James Cook University, said that having the backing of her community meant the world to her. “The plan was to always come back,” Ruby said, as she now works at Gilgandra Pharmacy.
“Some people view success as setting themself up in a city or something like that, but to me success was coming back to the community that raised me.
“It is really important for people to continue to believe in education for rural and regional students, and I think it's great that [Country Education Foundation] have a platform to provide that support,” said Ruby.
For this year's fundraiser, GDCEF are hoping for a large show of support from not just local businesses but from the community itself.
Joining the Gilgandra branch on the night will also be students who have received the funding over the years, including some students who were part of the very first round of local scholarships in 2003.
“We would like former students, parents, grandparents, anybody that knows anything about what we do, to attend,” said Joan.
“We have a gift tree where you walk in and you buy tickets for the gift tree at $20 a head, then when your ticket number gets called you can get all sorts of things.
“In the past we've had donations like hand-knitted socks, we've had fuel cards donated, and they're very popular to win,” she said.
Joan said that she is excited for the evening, and hopes to raise some good funding to continue to support rural and regional students gain easier access to tertiary education.
