The University of Melbourne
Young Achiever Award

At the start of 2011 the University of Melbourne entered into a sponsorship agreement with the Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union Club which gave them exclusive use of the designation Official Education Partner of the RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels. The University has exclusive naming rights to a Victorian Schools Rugby Union young rugby player/schools excellence award known as the Young Achievers Award. It is a tertiary education scholarship up to the value of $5,000 and was awarded for the first time in 2011 to the student/rugby player who best exemplified the characteristics that Weary Dunlop was famous for: leadership, academic endeavour and sporting excellence.

Young Achievers Award launch group

Provost Professor John Dewar, Rebel Luke Jones, Rebel Tim Davidson, Chairman Melbourne Rebels Harold Mitchell, John Dunlop (Son of Weary Dunlop), Rebel Julian Huxley, MURFC President Simon Davis.

The University of Melbourne's Provost, Professor John Dewar, officially announced the Young Achiever Award on Wednesday 16 February at the MURFC's 2011 Season Launch and Rebels Welcome Reception at University House. In attendance were many dignitaries including Rebels Chairman Mr Harold Mitchell AC, University of Melbourne Alumnus and Rebels CEO Ross Oakley and Rebels Julian Huxley and Luke Jones.

Award Benefits

The $5,000 award comprises a $2,500 tertiary scholarship from the University of Melbourne and a $2,500 rugby scholarship from the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club

Award Conditions

The $2,500 tertiary scholarship from the University of Melbourne is contingent on the award recipient enrolling in tertiary study in 2013 and will be payable upon provision of tertiary enrolment confirmation to the Selection Committee Secretary.

The $2,500 rugby scholarship from the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club is contingent on the award recipient joining the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club for the 2013 season and will be payable upon confirmation of membership by the MURFC.

The Nomination Process

The University of Melbourne Young Achiever Award recipient will be a Year 12 school leaver who encapsulates the qualities of the University's most famous and revered rugby player – Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop. These qualities – Academic Endeavour, Leadership and Sporting Excellence – will form the selection criteria by which nominees will be considered. Nominees will be asked to provide details of how they demonstrate these qualities and endorsements from their school or club rugby coach and a school teacher or coordinator.

Applications for the 2013 Young Achiever Award are now open. For further details email young-acheiver@unimelb.edu.au with any queries.

How to Nominate

  • Download the Nomination Form
  • Nominations to be sought from School/Club Rugby Coach and School Teacher/Coordinator
  • Completed Nomination Form to be printed, signed and sent to Rod Warnecke, Secretary of the Young Achiever Award Selection Committee: via email (rod.warnecke@unimelb.edu.au) or mailed to: Young Achievers Award (Attention: Rod Warnecke), Melbourne University Sport, B103 Sports Centre, Tin Alley, The University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010
  • Nominations close 5.00pm Friday 14 September 2012.
Download Form


Past News

Young Achiever Award Breakfast – Tuesday 1 May

The University of Melbourne, in conjunction with the RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels and the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club, will be hosting a breakfast to celebrate the start of the Victorian Schools Rugby Union (VSRU) rugby season and to promote the 2012 Young Achievers Award. The breakfast is open to staff and students from the VSRU schools, and coaches and players from any Victorian Rugby Union under 14s clubs.

DATE: Tuesday 1 May 2012
TIME: 7.00-–8:30am
VENUE: Woodward Conference Centre, Level 10, Law Building, 185 Pelham Street, Carlton

Special guests will include Professor Rob Moodie, Stefan Prelevic (the winner of the 2011 Young Achiever Award), members of the University of Melbourne's staff and senior representatives from the Melbourne Rebels.

Please click to download a copy of the invitation here and a map of the venue location here.

Enquiries can be sent to Simon Davis, President Melbourne University Rugby Football Club on M: 0408 999 847 or E: young-achiever@unimelb.edu.au

The Winner of the Inaugural Young Achiever Award

Following their deliberations back in October, the Young Achiever Award Selection Committee was able to narrow down the group of five shortlisted candidates to the three finalists for 2011: Andrew Gillies (St Kevin's College), Antony James (Melbourne Grammar School) and Stefan Prelevic (Melbourne High School).

The three boys were invited (with their parents and/or representatives from their schools) to attend the Weary Dunlop Lunch at Crown Casino on Thursday 10 November at which the overall winner for 2011 was announced. Simon Davis, President of the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club spoke about the Young Achiever Award on behalf of the University and the awards were presented by Professor Robert Saint, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne and Julian Huxley, Fullback with the RaboDirect Rebels and a member of the Young Achiever Award Selection Committee.


Simon Davis, Professor Robert Saint, Julian Huxley, Antony James, Stefan Prelevic & Joy Gillies (representing her son Andrew) on the stage at the Weary Dunlop Lunch, November 10 2011

The runners up were ANTONY JAMES from Melbourne Grammar School and ANDREW GILLIES from St Kevin's who was sitting an Economics exam at the time and was represented by his parents Joy and Ian Gillies. Both boys were presented with certificates and offered a $1,500 Peter Hone Scholarship each as well as a Melbourne University Sport scholarship package including fitness centre membership if they choose to play at MURFC in 2012.

And the winner of the Young Achiever Award for 2011 was STEFAN PRELEVIC from Melbourne High School who was also presented with a certificate and receives a $2,500 tertiary scholarship from the University of Melbourne, a $2,500 rugby scholarship from the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club and a Melbourne University Sport scholarship package including fitness centre membership.

Stefan is Captain of the U18 Victorian Schools Division 1 team and is currently undergoing his Year 12 exams. When asked about his future plans for his rugby and academic careers he said that he would like to study Science at the University of Melbourne and would one day like to put on the Rebels jersey. Congratulations to Stefan and good luck in his future endeavours both on and off the rugby field!!

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Julian Huxley, Simon Davis, Antony James, Stefan Prevelic, Kevin Culliver (Chair of the Victorian Schools Rugby Union), Joy Gillies and Tyronne Mitchell (Victorian Rugby Union State Representative Manager and Head Coach for the 1st XV at Melbourne Grammar School) pose for photographs after the announcement of the Winner of the 2011 Young Achiever Award.

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Andrew Gillies, Stefan Prevelic and Antony James with their certificates after the Weary Dunlop Lunch at Crown Casino, Thursday 10 November 2011

For further details of the story you can check out the article from Volume 7, Number 11 of the Voice newspaper released Monday 14 November or head to the official website of the Melbourne Rebels.

Candidate Shortlist

In 2011, the shortlisted candidates for the Young Achiever Award were:

  • Matthew Dewar from St Patrick's College - Ballarat
  • Andrew Gillies from St Kevin's College – Toorak
  • Antony James from Melbourne Grammar School
  • Stefan Prelevic from Melbourne High School
  • Samuel Williams from Marcellin College

The Committee chose three finalists (Andrew Gillies, Stefan Prelevic and Antony James) who were invited with their parents and rugby coaches to the Weary Dunlop lunch on Thursday 10 November where the overall winner was announced.

The Selection Committee:

  • Vacant - To be confirmed

    Committee Chair

  • Julian Huxley

    Committee Member
    Fullback, RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels

    31-year-old Julian Huxley is an experienced former Wallaby back whose try-scoring exploits during two stints with the ACT...more

    Brumbies and one with the Queensland Reds marked him out as rugby star.

    In 2008 however, shortly after establishing himself as a Wallaby and being named Australian Rookie of the Year, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. This kept Julian out of the game for two years but he returned to professional rugby in March 2010 and is now one of the sport's most inspirational stories.

    Julian is a world-class fullback but has the versatility to operate across the backline. Away from rugby, Julian enjoys playing music and is a self-confessed golf-tragic, with an almost-professional handicap of one. ...less

  • Pat Freeland-Small

    Committee Member
    Chief Marketing Officer, University of Melbourne

    Pat is a senior marketing and communications specialist with extensive Australian and international experience. His...more

    background includes leadership in all areas of strategic marketing and brand building plus professional endorsement as Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute. Just prior to taking up the role of Chief Marketing Officer at the University of Melbourne, Pat had been Business Development Director for the Foster's Group, and prior to that had spent 10 years as the head of the global market development of one of Australia's best-known international brand icons – FOSTER'S .

    As the University's Chief Marketing Officer, Pat is responsible for defining and positioning the University's brand, for optimising communications with key stakeholder audiences and for overseeing the University's marketing & communications programs. Pat was responsible for the development of the Dreamlarge advertising program which underpinned the launch of the Melbourne Model and the many recent advances in Melbourne University's marketing, digital media, news distribution and public profile.

    Pat has extensive experience in strategic marketing, brand building and business development across a broad range of consumer markets and cultures, retail, and business to business environments. He especially brings a worldly perspective drawn from his experience developing a category leader in over 155 countries worldwide and from working with some of the world's largest sponsorship properties, most experienced advertising agencies and Marketers from around the globe....less

  • Tim Lee

    Committee Member
    Director of Sport, University of Melbourne

    Tim is responsible for the overall management of Melbourne University Sport (MUS) in the provision of fitness,...more

    sport & recreation, facilities and programs. Tim provides high-level advice to the University (via the Provost) and the MUS Board on the future development and management of sport & recreation at the University.

    Tim is also responsible for the development and implementation of the MUS Strategic and Operational Plans. Tim's role includes overseeing the development and support of sporting Clubs in collaboration with the Melbourne University Sport Association (MUSA).

    Tim represents the University to government agencies and national and state sporting bodies on matters pertaining to sport, fitness, recreation and physical activity....less

  • Kevin Culliver

    Committee Member
    Chair, Victorian Schools Rugby Union

    Following an education at St. Kevin's College, Kevin earned a Bachelor of Arts, as well as Diplomas in Business, Education...more

    and Outdoor Education. Since October 2007 he has been the Executive Officer of the St Kevin's Old Collegians' Association, on the teaching staff of St Kevin's College and is the TIC of Rugby at St Kevin's. From 1996 to 2007 he was Outdoor Education Co-ordinator at Marcellin College and St Bernard's College before that from 1982. Kevin has trekked and led school expeditions allover Australia for large and small groups.

    Kevin is the Chairman/Secretary of the Schools' Rugby Union, 10 years as Vice President of the Victorian Rugby Union and Executive Member of the Australian Rugby Football Schools' Union Committee and Victoria's delegate to the general committee. He has been the Tournament Co ordinator of the Australian Schools Championships ( 2003 – 2009) and was Manager of the Australian Division II team in 1998, 2000 & 2001 and was delegate the IRB World Youth Rugby Conference (England) in 1999. Kevin won the Merv and Iris Allen Award in 2004, the highest award in Australia for dedication to rugby by a teacher and the VRU Distinguished Service Award in 2008. In 2009 he was VRU Volunteer of the Year and ARU national finalist as well as a finalist for the Eunice Gill Victorian Sports Leadership Award. He even has a movie credit to his name by arranging players as extras choreographing rugby scenes and playing a Referee in 'Playing for Charlie'. Unusually though for the rugby world he has not played rugby as he grew up in Melbourne, the home of Australian Rules Football and did not become a convert to rugby until he left school. In recent times he introduced rugby as a fledging sport into both St. Bernard's and Marcellin, two of Victoria's strongest Aussie Rules schools and with some success too. His rugby enthusiasm and administrative ability were rewarded as he was the Manager of the Rugby 7s competition at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games where world record crowds saw the two day festival and was involved as a Competition Manager in the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens.

    Besides his rugby Kevin has had interest in playing and coaching cricket, Aussie Rules, golf and sailing where at one stage sailed javelin class yachts in the Australasian championships. At school coaching level his teams have won premierships in cricket, rugby and Australian Rules. Apart from team sports he has a great love for the outdoors and has been a keen bushman, mountaineer, snow skier and scuba diver. Kevin is proudly married to Christine and they have two children Audrey 5 years and William 4 years....less

  • Tyronne Mitchell

    Committee Member
    VRU State Representative Manager

    Tyronne Mitchell is the Victorian Rugby Union State Representative Manager. He also serves as the Assistant Coach for the...more

    Rebel Rugby 5 Star Program and as Head Coach for the 1st XV at Melbourne Grammar School. ...less

  • Simon Davis

    Committee Member
    President, Melbourne University Rugby Football Club

    Simon has been involved with community rugby in Victoria for the last 15 years as a player, coach and administrator....more

    Simon is a former captain of the MURFC 1st XV and Victorian State rugby team.

    With a background in research, company analysis and secretarial services, Simon is the General Manager of the CommStrat Association Services Team. Simon has over 15 years commercial experience including seven years in Business Development, Secretarial Services and capital markets conference management as well as ten years working as a Financial Analyst for Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse First Boston, BHP Billiton and ANZ. Simon holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland and a Master of Commerce (Finance) from the University of Sydney....less

  • Rod Warnecke

    Secretary
    Sport Development Manager, Melbourne University Sport

    Rod is responsible for all sport and club programs at the University. He is directly responsible for inter-collegiate sport,...more

    inter-university sport, sports scholarships and the University's participation in the Australian Sports Commission's Elite Athlete Friendly University program and National Talent ID and Development program....less

Our "Weary"

Weary Dunlop statue

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Ernest Edward "Weary"
Dunlop, AC, CMG, OBE (12 July 1907 – 2 July 1993)

Edward Dunlop grew up in Wangaratta, Victoria and attended Benalla High School. He started an apprenticeship in pharmacy when he finished school, and moved to Melbourne in 1927. There, he studied at the Victorian College of Pharmacy and then the University of Melbourne, where he obtained a scholarship in medicine. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1934 with first class honours in pharmacy and in medicine.

Whilst at university, Dunlop took up rugby union, commencing as a fourth grade player with the Melbourne University Rugby Club in 1931. He made a lightning-fast progression through the grades, to state and then to the national representative level becoming the first Victorian-born player to represent the Wallabies. He made his national representative debut against the All Blacks at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 23 July 1932 as a number 8. In the first Test of 1934 he again appeared for Australia, this time as a lock.

Australia won the match 25-11, and two weeks later the second and final match of that year's Bledisloe Cup series finished in a draw. Although Dunlop missed that match due to injury he stands as a member of the first Wallaby squad to have won the Bledisloe Cup away from New Zealand. Posthumously, in June 2008, he was inducted into the Wallaby Hall of Fame. To date, he is the only Victorian so honoured.

Dunlop had been a school cadet, and he continued his part-time army service until 1929, when his service ceased under pressure from his pharmacy studies. He re-enlisted in 1935 and was commissioned into the Australian Army Medical Corps on 1 July with the rank of Captain. In May 1938 Dunlop left Australia for London by boat. He was the ship's medical officer. In London he attended St Bartholomew's Medical School and in 1938 became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

weary dunlop in action

At the outbreak of World War II, Dunlop was appointed directly from London as VX259, to medical headquarters in the Middle East, where he developed the mobile surgical unit. In Greece he liaised with forward medical units and Allied headquarters, and at Tobruk he was a surgeon until the Australian Divisions were withdrawn for home defence. His troopship was diverted to Java in an ill-planned attempt to bolster the defences there. On 26 February 1942, he was promoted to temporary lieutenant-colonel. Dunlop became a Japanese prisoner of war in 1942 when he was captured in Bandung, Java, together with the hospital he was commanding.

Because of his leadership skills, he was placed in charge of prisoner-of-war camps in Java, despite not being the senior ranking officer there. He was later transferred briefly to Changi, and in January 1943 commanded the first Australians sent to work on the Thai segment of the Burma-Thailand railway. After being held in a number of camps in Java, he was eventually moved to the Thai-Burma railway, where prisoners of the Japanese were being used as forced labourers to construct a strategically important supply route between Bangkok and Rangoon. Conditions in the railway camps were primitive and horrific — food was totally inadequate, beatings were frequent and severe, there were no medical supplies, tropical disease was rampant, and the Japanese required a level of productivity that would have been difficult for fully fit and properly equipped men to achieve.

weary dunlop rugpy team

Along with a number of other Commonwealth Medical Officers, Dunlop's dedication and heroism became a legend among prisoners. A courageous leader and compassionate doctor, he restored morale in those terrible prison camps and jungle hospitals. Dunlop defied his captors, gave hope to the sick and eased the anguish of the dying. He became, in the words of one of his men, a lighthouse of sanity in a universe of madness and suffering. His example was one of the reasons why Australian survival rates were the highest on record.

After 1945, with the darkness of the war years behind him, Dunlop forgave his captors and turned his energies to the task of healing and building. He was to state later that, in suffering we are all equal. He devoted himself to the health and welfare of former prisoners-of-war and their families, and worked to promote better relations between Australia and Asia. He also served with surgical teams in another theatre of war, in Vietnam, in 1975.
He was active in many spheres of endeavor. In his own field of surgery, he pioneered new techniques against cancer. He became closely involved with a wide range of health and educational organizations, and his tireless community work had a profound influence on Australians and on the peoples of Asia. As well as numerous tributes and distinctions bestowed upon him in his own country, he received honors from Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom.

In addition to his knighthood in 1967, 'Weary' Dunlop received many honours and awards throughout his life, including; the Order of the British Empire (1947); Companion of the Order of Australia (1987), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (1992), Knight Grand Cross (1st Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Royal Crown of Thailand (1993); Honorary Fellow of the Imperial College London; Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; Honourary Life Member of the Returned and Services weary dunlop's murfc team photoLeague of Australia; and Life Governor of the Royal Women's Hospital and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. 'Weary' Dunlop has also received the honour of having the Canberra suburb of Dunlop named after him in 1993.

In 1976 he was named Australian of the Year and in 1988 he was named one of '200 Great Australians' (and according to his sons John and Alex, surely one of Australia's 200 worst motor car drivers!). His image is on the 1995 issue Australian fifty cent coin with the words They Served Their Country in World War II, 1939 - 1945, surrounded by strands of barbed wire!

'Weary' Dunlop also has a platoon named after him in the Army Recruit Training Centre, Blamey Barracks, Kapooka. Weary Dunlop Platoon is a holding platoon to recruits that want to leave recruit training.

The University of Melbourne Young Achiever Award will honour the spirit of Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop in its search for a student player who exemplifies the attributes that he made famous: leadership, academic endeavour and sporting excellence.


Other Scholarships

There is a range of other sporting scholarships available to students intending to enrol at the University of Melbourne to study. These scholarships include:

For more information regarding these Scholarships & Grants, contact Rod Warnecke, Sport Development Manager and Elite Athlete Contact Officer on 03 8344 8891 or via email: rod.warnecke@unimelb.edu.au

Julian Huxley

“The University of Melbourne's Young Achiever Award is an exciting initiative. It's a way of bringing the brightest and the best of the local boys into rugby at the University level and then hopefully on into the national and international arenas. We're looking for the boys out there who have got it all: great leadership skills, academic ability and sporting prowess”

Julian Huxley

Hear more about the Melbourne Rebels at The Voice
or find out more about Julian Huxley

News and Fixtures:

Rugby @ UoM:

Melbourne University Rugby Football Club (MURFC) is a foundation Club of the Victorian Rugby Union and has been an active participant since 1909 in the Victorian Premier Division, which is the leading level of rugby in Melbourne.

MURFC fields 3 teams in the Division across First, Second, and Third Grades. In 2011 we have 2 Colts (U21) teams and an over 35′s “Gents” team. Our members traditionally come from around the world including France, Ireland, New Zealand, Wales and the Pacific Islands. Joining MURFC is an excellent way to meet people if you are new to Melbourne and want to establish local and international social and professional contacts.

Our coaching group is led by Paul Webster (Head Coach) and Peter Grigg (former Wallaby). We also have access to former Wallabies Matt Cockbain and David Fitter, and have strong links to the VRU and the Melbourne Rebels. MURFC prides itself on offering all players a pathway to higher grades of rugby.

mrufc player mrufc game mrufc action

If you demonstrate talent you will progress through the grades and be released for representative duties.

Download the

MURFC centennial booklet
SUFC V MURFC Program

Coaching Clinic:

On Sunday 31 July, student players from the Victorian Schools Rugby Union (VSRU) players met at Visy Park (home of the Melbourne Rebels) to take part in a RaboDirect Rebels/University of Melbourne rugby coaching clinic. The young men and women were put through their paces by the Rebels players and coaches over a couple of hours with a variety of different training drills. This was then followed by a barbecue with parents, coaches and some of the Rebels players.

Click here to read more about what happened on the morning and see some of the photos taken at the clinic.