Moore Family Scholarship

John and Greg O’Brien, descendants from one of Warrnambool’s founding families established the Moore Family Scholarship in 2008 as a lasting legacy and to honour their mother and aunt.

Arriving in the Warrnambool district from a famine-ravaged Ireland in the 1840s and 50s, brothers John and James Moore acquired land on the Merri River and encouraged their sister Mary’s seven children to join them. The Moore family prospered in the Warrnambool district in the 160 years or so that followed and contributed considerably to the development of the local rural and regional community.

Mary Isabella (Isabelle) Moore and her sister Eileen Marjorie O’Brien completed their nursing training at the Warrnambool Base Hospital around the time of World War II. The Moore Family Scholarship is funded from the estates of Marjorie and Isabelle and also their brother John (Jack) Moore.

“Even though I live on the other side of Australia my brother and I still have a place for Warrnambool in our hearts,”

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for a young member of the Warrnambool or Western District community to take up nursing and eventually contribute to the wellbeing of the community – just like our mother and aunt.”” John O’Brien said.

John and Greg considered funding a student at one of the University’s in Western Australia, but wanted to give back to the south-west community by supporting a deserving rural and regional student wanting to study nursing at Warrnambool – just like Isabelle and Marjorie.

Since 2008, the Moore Family Scholarship has supported three students including Kari Searle, the most recent scholarship recipient.