More than one hundred of Australia’s best and brightest minds will travel the world as part of a once in a lifetime opportunity after receiving the prestigious Churchill Fellowship.
CEO of the Churchill Trust, Adam Davey, said the Fellowship had been delivering positive results for almost 60 years in honour of the memory of the famous wartime UK Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. “The Churchill Fellowship celebrates curiosity, encourages inquisitive thinking, promotes innovation and generates a positive impact,” Mr Davey said. “Our aim is to provide ordinary Australians with extraordinary opportunities to expand our collective knowledge and provide contemporary solutions to the issues and challenges we’re facing as a nation.”
In 2023, Churchill Fellowships have been awarded to 104 everyday Australians who travel for up to eight weeks. Fellowships are awarded to 22 people from NSW, 24 from VIC, 16 from QLD, 13 from WA, 6 from the ACT, 8 from SA, 8 from TAS, 6 from the NT, and, 1 from Norfolk Island.
History of Churchill Fellowships and The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
Almost six decades ago, just four weeks after the death of Sir Winston Churchill on 28 February 1965, the “Churchill Memorial Sunday” doorknock appeal was held across Australia.
The doorknock was to raise funds for an unusual type of memorial to Sir Winston – something like Rhodes Scholarships, but more egalitarian, and available to all people and on a much wider basis.
The concept, endorsed by Churchill before he died, was Fellowships, bearing his name, for ordinary people – providing a unique opportunity to travel, learn, and bring knowledge back to their country.
Such was the admiration and respect that Australian fighting men and women of World War II held for Churchill, that this became one of the greatest one-day doorknocks in Australian history. Read more about the Trust
Churchill Fellows 2023
We are pleased to announce this year’s cohort of Churchill Fellows.
Australian Capital Territory
- Michelle Ainsworth – (ACT) To investigate declining trust in democracy and how the news media can slow this trend
- Michelle Cheah – (ACT) To investigate community-outcome driven models and benefits of scalable carbon reduction investments
- Kylie Johnson – (ACT) The Auto Skills Australia Churchill Fellowship to learn how to communicate the benefits of zero emission heavy vehicles in a fossil-fuelled world
- Michael Jones – (ACT) To study best practice for Defence collaboration with First Nations Rangers on cross-border crime – Joint Fellowship with Norman Daymirringu – (NT)
- Samuel Norman – (ACT) To research world’s best practice in multi-agency case management of recidivist criminal offenders
- Bronwyn Orr – (ACT) To evaluate programs designed to attract, recruit and retain veterinary professionals
New South Wales
- Lorena Allam – (NSW) The Barbara Dunstan Churchill Fellowship to investigate the relationship between Indigenous truth-telling initiatives and the media
- Liesel Badorrek – (NSW) To investigate the processes of creating opera with and for marginalised audiences
- Deborah Bower – (NSW) The Lamington National Park Churchill Fellowship to learn cutting-edge techniques for conservation of threatened freshwater turtles
- Bronwyn Carlson – (NSW) To investigate community approaches to rethinking colonial commemorations and their wider impacts
- Shane Carroll – (NSW) The Gilbert Spottiswood Churchill Fellowship to gain critical skills for the creation, delivery and innovation of audio description for performing arts
- Jennifer Chen – (NSW) To investigate trauma informed legal services for people experiencing vulnerability
- Julianne Chong – (NSW) To develop a model of anticoagulation stewardship for implementation across Australian hospitals
- Nina Earl – (NSW) To investigate how museums can engage audiences with contemporary issues and increase STEM literacy
- Laura Greaves – (NSW) To evaluate dog-assisted therapy programs for children in foster care and determine best practice
- Kathy Karatasas – (NSW) To investigate practice tools to achieve better outcomes for multicultural children in foster care
- Annie Knox – (NSW) To study innovative pathways toward improved welfare for Australia’s off-the-track racehorses
- Andrew McCullough – (NSW) The Churchill Fellows Association of NSW Churchill Fellowship to learn new approaches for mobilising communities during disasters
- Melinda McDonald – (NSW) To study co-designed fire and emergency risk reduction programs for culturally diverse communities
- Laura McManus – (NSW) To examine best practices in responsible recruitment to reduce forced labour among migrant workers
- Anna McVinish – (NSW) The Dr Dorothea Sandars Churchill Fellowship to investigate injectable opioid agonist treatment models and best practice implementation
- Eamonn Moore – (NSW) The Blakeney Millar Foundation Churchill Fellowship to investigate best practice in delivering innovative Stage 6 curriculum through virtual learning
- Lena Nahlous – (NSW) To develop Australia’s first open-access digital archive of culturally diverse artists and creatives
- Tim Senior – (NSW) To investigate how to provide high quality primary care to disadvantaged communities in Australia
- Lucy Shepherd – (NSW) To investigate positive behavioural architecture to eliminate environmental restraints in schools
- Jessica Luyue Teoh – (NSW) The Peter Mitchell Churchill Fellowship to investigate the role of early pregnancy assessment service clinics in domestic violence screening
- Robert Urquhart – (NSW) To explore best practice in supporting children’s healing journeys from the harm of family violence
- Edward Washington – (NSW) The Northern Districts Education Centre (Sydney) Churchill Fellowship to investigate how museums teach contested or challenging history and perspectives to primary students
Victoria
- Antoinette Braybrook – (VIC) To study organisations to inform the establishment of a business model for Djirra’s expansion
- Polly Britten – (VIC) To investigate programs encouraging girls and women and underrepresented others into skilled trade careers
- Dannae Campbell – (VIC) To investigate regulatory best practice on safe handling of hydrogen and ammonia at large scale
- Amber Collins – (VIC) To investigate practices to increase accessibility of digital media for people with disability
- Joseph Doyle – (VIC) To investigate public health systems to link people with newly diagnosed hepatitis C with treatment
- Cassandra Embling – (VIC) To determine best practice for teaching blind and vision impaired people independent living skills
- Lauren French – (VIC) To study Indigenous Elder-guided relationship and community repair after youth sexual violence
- Lyndon Galea – (VIC) To learn from the most impactful school lunch programs, to support Australia’s highest needs kids
- Chandni Gupta – (VIC) To research the impact of deceptive online design practices on wellbeing and strategies to mitigate harm
- Matthew Gutman – (VIC) The Dr Lena Elizabeth McEwan and Dame Joyce Daws Churchill Fellowship to develop advanced neuro-modulation and lesioning techniques for epilepsy and brain tumour surgery
- Hilary Hall – (VIC) To investigate technology and policy approaches that enhance the beneficial use of biosolids
- Christopher Hayes – (VIC) The NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Churchill Fellowship to improve road user safety by assessing alternatives to enforcement on high-speed roads
- Madeleine Healy – (VIC) To improve dementia assessment and management for people living with an intellectual disability
- Petra Kalive – (VIC) The Stuart and Norma Leslie Churchill Fellowship to learn how to create extraordinary professional ‘public theatre’ with, for, and by community
- Grant Liddy – (VIC) To research international digital forensics strategies to inform future operating models
- Gina Milgate – (VIC) To learn how First Nations women change the Public Service to be inclusive of their leadership
- Kylie Moore-Gilbert – (VIC) To explore international best practice to improve Australia’s approach to wrongful detention
- Judy Ryan – (VIC) The Sir William Kilpatrick Churchill Fellowship to learn how drug-impacted communities engage governments to save lives using health-based solutions
- Elicia Savvas – (VIC) To investigate child centred legal services in child welfare law
- Tim Stone – (VIC) To research the Cyprus Brig pirates in archives across the Pacific, Japan and the UK
- Joanna Sumner – (VIC) To investigate best practice techniques for cryopreservation of Australia’s unique wildlife
- Chelsea Tobin – (VIC) To investigate family violence crisis response for children as victim survivors in their own right
- Peter Trott – (VIC) To research the manufacture of woodworking hand tools for traditional craft and furniture making
- Emily Wilson – (VIC) To learn how music teacher educators and music teachers are decolonising their practice
Queensland
- Katie Acheson – (QLD) The Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to examine how involving young people in decision-making can help address rising mental ill-health
- Debbie Brittain – (QLD) To investigate best practice museum programs sustaining wellbeing of people with dementia
- Maia Cavendish – (QLD) The Peter Mitchell Churchill Fellowship to investigate the implementation of informal urban art in residual urban spaces
- Meriel Chamberlin – (QLD) To investigate the latest global best practice in commercialised and scaleable zero waste textiles
- Christie Cole – (QLD) To investigate emerging intensification technologies for wastewater treatment plants
- Bryce Corbett – (QLD) To investigate international best practice for teaching media literacy to primary school children
- Rachel Downie – (QLD) To develop an anti-bullying program for schools that supports and empowers students to effect change
- Daile Kelleher – (QLD) To investigate abortion advocacy models for government policy change to increase public access
- Ingrid Marshall – (QLD) The James Love Churchill Fellowship to investigate international house-like residential aged care models and their Australian viability
- Kathy McLeish – (QLD) To investigate programs that increase gender equality for women working in and represented by media
- Virginia Nelson – (QLD) To study crises of trust in policing organisations, leadership and change
- Michael Newman – (QLD) To investigate police agencies cybercrime responses worldwide and the networks supporting them
- Lucas Patchett – (QLD) To learn about innovative NFPs and social enterprises supporting and reducing homelessness
- Nigel Poulton – (QLD) To expand my movement methodology by auditing practitioners who have demonstrated unique practices
- Alex Raineri – (QLD) The Dame Roma Mitchell Churchill Fellowship to research performance practices embodied within contemporary art music
- Melissa Smith – (QLD) The Hort Innovation Churchill Fellowship to investigate approaches for reduction of on-farm food waste in horticulture
Western Australia
- Jay Emmanuel – (WA) To develop skills in collaborative theatre-making and directing by immersing in the world’s best practice
- Anni Fordham – (WA) The Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to investigate the provision of highly accessible information to people impacted by emergencies
- Mace Francis – (WA) To investigate organisational structures and presentation methods of international jazz organisations
- Nils Hay – (WA) To research the impact of large-scale renewable & low-carbon energy projects on regional communities
- Shelley James – (WA) To mobilize Australian historical and type collections at the Cambridge University Herbarium
- Rebecca James – (WA) The Churchill Fellows Association of WA Churchill Fellowship to benchmark shipping recycling practices to apply to waste from the cruise industry in Australia
- John Lehane – (WA) To investigate community awareness strategies concerning race hate and violent extremism
- Drew Mayhills – (WA) To investigate the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve teacher effectiveness
- Melissa Perry – (WA) The WA Department of Communities Churchill Fellowship to investigate best practice models to residential domestic violence men’s behaviour change programs
- Iain Robbie – (WA) To transform percussion education in Australia by studying the world’s best pedagogy in Taipei and the USA
- Renae Tapley – (WA) The AV Jennings Churchill Fellowship to research innovation in green building materials manufacturing and supply in global markets
- Ros Thomas – (WA) The Paul Tys Churchill Fellowship to study effective community models for the treatment of chronic loneliness
- Scott Whiting – (WA) The Dr Dorothea Sandars and Irene Lee Churchill Fellowship to conserve Australia’s sea turtles through shared capacity across the Indian Ocean
South Australia
- Martin Burke – (SA) The Donald Mackay Churchill Fellowship to research methodology in countering and disrupting organised crimes use of cryptocurrencies
- Ryan O’Hare Doig – (SA) The Dr John and Mrs Joy Yeo Churchill Fellowship to advance molecular imaging of the spinal cord to predict neurological outcomes following injury
- Christina Ly – (SA) The Dr Dorothea Sandars and Irene Lee Churchill Fellowship to explore accessible and sustainable models of eye care delivery for refugees
- Andrew Polkinghorne – (SA) The Caroline Welsh Churchill Fellowship to investigate how farmers use fluid fertilizers on calcareous soils in their farming systems
- Travis Saunders – (SA) To investigate models of support that enable autistic people to access and enjoy bushwalking
- Lama Shono – (SA) To explore innovative models that respond to complex trauma on systemic and therapeutic levels
- Kim Syrus – (SA) The Hort Innovation Churchill Fellowship to research the propagation and growing of cutting-grown roses versus traditional budded types
- Melanie Turner – (SA) The Churchill Fellows Association of SA to investigate the use of emergency mental health centres for suicidal patients
Tasmania
- Niamh Chapman – (TAS) To educate people to measure blood pressure at home to prevent heart disease
- Chris de Bono – (TAS) The Saskia Beer Churchill Fellowship to investigate miso, tamari and soy sauce production in different scale and cultural contexts
- Andrew Denman – (TAS) The Park Family Churchill Fellowship to research skills preservation, technology, and sustainable resource use in wooden boatbuilding
- Anne Gigney – (TAS) To investigate best-practice distilling training to apply to Australia via in-house or other models
- Scott Hardie – (TAS) To investigate approaches to monitoring, disentangling and managing impacts on inland waterways
- Jim Lovell – (TAS) The Churchill Fellows Association of TAS Churchill Fellowship to learn how to implement a user-ready acoustic observation system for wildlife conservation
- Shampa Sinha – (TAS) The MPST Foundation Churchill Fellowship to investigate innovative palliative and aged care models potentially applicable to Tasmania
- Amanda Wilson – (TAS) The Gallaugher Bequest Churchill Fellowship to study literacy education methods that help adults overcome psychological barriers to learning
Northern Territory
- David Collins – (NT) The Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to research how mural arts and restorative justice projects intersect
- Norman Daymirringu – (NT) To study best practice for Defence collaboration with First Nations Rangers on cross-border crime – Joint Fellowship with Michael Jones – (ACT)
- Katie Hagebols – (NT) To investigate First Nations communities maintaining sustainable staff retention and continuity – Joint Fellowship with Rosemary Nabulwad – (NT)
- Freya Mulvey – (NT) To implement best practice soil and landscape regulation into Australia’s legal and policy frameworks
- Rosemary Nabulwad – (NT) To investigate First Nations communities maintaining sustainable staff retention and continuity – Joint Fellowship with Katie Hagebols – (NT)
- Amy Nicholas – (NT) To explore best practices in prevention of vicarious traumatisation in trauma-exposed workforces
Norfolk Island
- Sorrel Wilby – (ET) To develop my skills, expand my research base, and publish a book on the biodiversity of Norfolk Island