More local health industry workers will have the opportunity to extend their studies and improve their workplace after the Masonic Lodge donated $7,000 to Kerang District Health (KDH) through its annual Kerang Masonic Lodge Scholarship.

The presentation was made at KDH’s Annual General Meeting held on Monday, December 18 by former Kerang Masonic Lodge member Trevor Wilkinson, and Russell Sincock from the Cohuna Masonic Lodge, who was also there in his capacity as District Co-ordinator of North West 101.

The funds for the scholarship, which has been going for 10 years, were derived through the sale of the Kerang Masonic Lodge assets and are specifically to kickstart and boost the training or retraining of hospital staff.

Hospital employees Sian Boyd, Sue Ilsley, Tracey McKerrow, Michelle Maritz and Kate Hucker were recipients of the 2023 scholarship. 

Mr Sincock said that following the sale of the Kerang Masonic Lodge assets when it wound up in 2013, Freemasons Foundation Victoria (FFV) struck an agreement for $7,000 to be donated annually to the hospital for 10 years. This year was the final donation from those funds, but Mr Sincock is hopeful that FFV will continue to offer the annual scholarship, but indicated that could only happen if another organisation was to contribute to the fund, topping it up to $10,000. 

Mr Sincock lost his wife, Carol, in October and received exceptional service and care from the staff at the hospital. “I will do what I can to help raise money for this hospital and look after these nurses and the people who want to educate themselves to a better life,” he said.