Shalom Gamarada branches out

Shalom Gamarada has appointed dual Olympian and former senator Nova Peris as its ambassador as the Indigenous scholarship organisation expands to the University of Sydney.

The organisation, which has supported more than 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through residential scholarships over the past two decades, also announced media entrepreneur Alexandra Senter as its new chair and David Gonski as patron.

Peris said education remained one of the most powerful pathways to freedom and opportunity for Aboriginal Australians.

“For more than 20 years, Shalom Gamarada has supported over 100 Aboriginal students through boarding and full scholarship education, ensuring that opportunity is not confined to one postcode, one suburb, or one background,” Peris said.

“Education is central to closing the gap. Shalom Gamarada plays a profound role in bringing together Jewish values of learning and philanthropy with real need here in Australia.”

Senter, CEO of Sentral Media Group, said the appointment came at a time when institutions grounded in community, education and belonging were more important than ever.

“Since October 7, many within the community have felt an even greater need for their contributions to be real and deeply felt,” Senter said.

“In that context, the work of supporting others through education is not abstract. It is tangible, enduring, and perhaps more than ever necessary.”

The organisation has expanded its residential scholarship program to the University of Sydney’s Mandelbaum House, with two students commencing studies in physiotherapy and social work this year. They join seven other Indigenous students currently residing at the college.

Three students have also recently commenced studies at UNSW in medicine, law and drama at NIDA.

Co-founder Lisa Jackson Pulver said the program had contributed significantly to the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates over the years.

“Since the program started, students did not have to work one, two or three jobs to make ends meet while studying, the vast majority finished their studies,” Jackson Pulver said.

“There are many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors, lawyers, engineers, social workers, artists, academics, researchers and educators and so much more from the efforts of many making this program work.”

The organisation paid tribute to the passing of its inaugural patron, Dame Marie Bashir, who played an important role in its early history.

Senter succeeds outgoing chair Lisa Sarzin, whose leadership guided the organisation through a period of renewal following a strategic review initiated and led by the Board in 2024.