John F Lynch Memorial Scholarship

Application dates

Applications open

23 October 2023

Applications close

13 March 2024

What you'll receive

You'll receive $5,000 for one year to assist with study expenses. The scholarship will be paid as a stipend in Semester 1, following confirmation of your enrolment after the census date.

Eligibility

How to apply

You need to complete and submit the online application form by Wednesday 13 March 2024.

Your application should include the following attachments:

• a copy of your CV or resume providing previous experience in a particular field of study
• an academic transcript for previous studies
• a written statement on your interest in water management and water conservation
• evidence of financial hardship.

What happens next?

Our selection panel will allocate the John F Lynch Memorial Scholarship based on information provided in the applications. Interviews won't be conducted.

If your application is successful, we'll notify you via phone and email. During your scholarship, you'll be required to:

• meet with the scholarship donors
• provide a letter of thanks to the scholarship donors, John F Lynch’s family
• participate in an online news story about the scholarship.

If your application is unsuccessful, we'll notify you via email.

Conditions

Terms and conditions for John F Lynch Memorial Scholarship (PDF file; 194.4 KB)

About the scholarship

About John F Lynch

John Frederick Lynch, an alumnus of QUT, grew up with a determination to succeed. He was raised from the age of three in a single-parent family following the death of his father from wounds received in World War I.

A keen sportsman, John played club cricket and was an enthusiastic member of the Glebe Rowing Club.

When World War II broke out, he lied about his age and joined the RAAF as a radio operator. He saw action in New Guinea but returned to Australia seriously ill from malaria and blackwater fever. After making a full recovery, he joined the Merchant Navy and travelled the world.

When war ended, he joined the ABC's radio service in Sydney before moving to Brisbane to work with the Main Roads Department, studying at night at Central Technical College (QUT) for a civil and structural engineering degree. He then joined the Irrigation & Water Supply Commission as an engineer and worked on a wide range of projects.

Leaving the Government to form his own building company, he went on in 1958 to establish a consulting engineering practice specialising in structural and civil works. It was in this practice that he began to train large numbers of architects and engineers, an interest that remained with him throughout his life. John has been responsible for the design and construction of a wide range of civil works, office buildings, warehouses, shopping centres and such iconic structures as the public grandstand at Doomben racecourse.

He was also the driving force behind the creation of the Eumundi Brewery which included choosing the site for its proximity to good water.

Despite an extremely busy career, he was an accomplished poet, had a black belt in karate, became a qualified acupuncturist, and studied philosophy at night. He was also a writer of science fiction and children's books.

As an alumnus of QUT, he retained a strong involvement with the university's developments and maintained contact with the faculty's full range of research and commercialisation programs.