Not a lot of people have the foresight to change their circumstances. Fewer have the audacity to try. Even less are motivated enough to succeed.
But not a lot of people are Haidar Bashir, the 2021 recipient of a Boarding Scholarship at Melbourne Grammar School.
In September 2020, in the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns and widespread restrictions across the country, while a lot of young Australians were looking for ways to stave off boredom, 13-year-old Haidar was looking for a way to change his life.
Living in a bustling house with seven sisters and four brothers, Haidar had spent hours searching online for boarding opportunities that would allow him to make the most of his education, and eventually found his way to an application for Melbourne Grammar.
“I feel humbled and grateful to be born in Australia,” he wrote in his application letter. “It would be a point of humiliation for me if I wasted this opportunity.”
Haidar, then a Year 8 student at a local community college, had been motivated his whole life by his father, who had emigrated from Afghanistan to secure a more peaceful life for his family.
“I wanted to help my Dad,” he says.
“He’d come to Australia as a refugee and really wanted the best for me… when the opportunity [to apply for a scholarship at Melbourne Grammar School] came up, I was like ‘I have to go for it.’”
Haidar’s dedication, hard work, and determination to make his family proud was undeniable to Headmaster Philip Grutzner, and to his supporters, Alex Scanlon and Sophie Duggan, Deputy Chair and Chair of the Scanlon Foundation respectively.
Alex and her husband Brady Scanlon, alongside Sophie and her husband, Anthony Duggan, had been long-standing donors to Melbourne Grammar.
Their desire to support deserving students through their family Foundation aligned with the Headmaster’s vision and made Haidar’s enrolment possible.
“I’ve had four children go through the school who all had very different experiences, but wonderful opportunities,” Alex says.
“Haidar’s story was incredible, and we were thrilled to be a part of providing the opportunities to him that our own children have had.”
“For me,” Sophie says, “I’d already recognised Melbourne Grammar’s values of inclusion, respect and diversity, and they aligned very well with our own values and with the values at the Scanlon Foundation.”
“We knew that Haidar would bring something to Melbourne Grammar, just as Melbourne Grammar would bring something to Haidar.”
Haidar has become an integral part of the boarding house throughout his time at the School – now Vice-Captain of Perry House – and says the sense of community will be one of the most important things he will carry with him after school.
“It’s probably been one of the biggest parts of my school experience, the constant support I’ve had from everyone around me,” Haidar says.
When Haidar first wrote his application four years ago, his aspiration to become a cardiothoracic surgeon was impressive.
Now, it’s not only still impressive, but closer to reality as he approaches the end of Year 12.
“I’ve been presented with so many opportunities, and I’ve tried to take as many as possible,” he says.
“I never would have been able to come to a school like this if it hadn’t been for the scholarship. I just hope I can go on to build my career and hopefully one day, be able to give back in the same way.”
If you would like to support talented and driven students through scholarships at Melbourne Grammar School, please visit: Annual Giving 2024.
