Long live discovery
I am particularly grateful to have received the Allan White Scholarship as without it, it would be very difficult to study geology, an area that I really love.
Bruce Chappell and Allan White were friends for over forty years and despite contrasting skills and personalities they complemented each other perfectly. Both men were exceptional geochemists and geologists as well as beloved teachers and mentors.
While best known for their joint work on granites neither their ground-breaking research nor discoveries could take Bruce or Allan away from teaching.
Bruce taught at ANU for more than 30 years. He might have been described by his students as a rough diamond but his unique sense of humour, his loyalty and his absolute dedication to the work inspired many students.
Allan worked at ANU from 1960-1971 before moving to Melbourne to continue teaching. Like Bruce, he is also remembered and loved as an outstanding educator, inspiring great loyalty by taking a genuine interest in all his students.
David Moore, a past student and current PhD Candidate at the School of Geoscience at Monash University, remembers them fondly.
"Allan and Bruce were two of the most influential people in my life, since it was their passion for great science combined with great leadership that inspired this aimless young uni student to take up geology. Forty years later here I am, still studying geology. Is there a better endowment they could have given me? I can't imagine it," says David.
Allan passed away in 2009 and with this news came the realisation for Bruce that there was more to discover than he or Allan could ever achieve in their lifetimes. Bruce wanted a way to honour his friend, continue their work in petrology (a branch of science concerned with the origin, structure and composition of rocks) and encourage students to find a love of discovery in rocks. With the help of Allan's former student, Paul Larkin, they created the Allan White Endowment.
Before Bruce passed away in April 2012, he had the pleasure of learning that the inaugural Allan White Scholarship had been awarded to Research School of Earth Sciences PhD scholar Helen Crocker.
Helen is thankful for the Scholarship and the freedom it is giving her to focus on her studies.
"I am particularly grateful to have received the Allan White Scholarship as without it, it would be very difficult to study geology, an area that I really love. I am also planning to do some field work next year in Grasberg, Indonesia," she says.
"Scholarships are very important in supporting students as they allow us to focus on our research, without constant financial worries. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Allan White Scholarship, it has made a huge difference to me."
