* Scholarship fund-raiser dinner honours former Mayor of Dubbo and MP for Dubbo * Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarships awarded so far to 12 recipients from locations including Ballimore, Gilgandra, Dubbo, Parkes, Narromine, Wellington, Coonamble, and Trangie * Guest speaker at 2018 dinner will be Mr Roger Fletcher, owner of Fletchers International AbattoirThe Charles Sturt University (CSU) biennial 2018 Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship dinner will be held Dubbo RSL Club on Monday 17 September.The scholarship honours the memory of Mr Tony McGrane (pictured), a former Mayor of Dubbo and later Member for Dubbo in the NSW Parliament who worked hard to establish CSU in Dubbo.Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo Ms Cathy Maginnis said, “The University and I fully support the Tony McGrane Scholarship committee in their ongoing commitment to raising funds to provide scholarships to assist our students who reside in the Orana Region.“Scholarships are essential to assist rural students to engage in higher education because it provides opportunities for them to learn, to improve both their own and their families’ health and wellbeing, and provides greater employment opportunities.“The Tony McGrane Scholarship can mean the difference between students continuing to study or not, and greatly assists with the costs of travel, attending work placements, and eases other financial pressures.“The more funds that can be raised for the Tony McGrane Scholarships, the more scholarships can be awarded to students to increase their chance of achieving their goal and completing their study.”There have been 12 recipients of the Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarships, and this year’s recipient was a nursing student from Trangie.The guest speaker at the dinner this year will be Mr Roger Fletcher, who owns Fletchers International Abattoir. He also has rail, wool and grain enterprises, and is a board member of Infrastructure NSW. Mr Fletcher had a long association with Tony McGrane, and with CSU which awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in Business in 2007 in recognition of his business contributions to the western region.Chair of the Tony McGrane Scholarship Committee Mr Geoff Wise said, “The 2018 dinner on Monday 17 September marks the 14th anniversary of the death of the late Tony McGrane, and aims to guarantee that perpetual scholarships can continue to support students from the Orana Region who attend the University in Dubbo.”Mr Wise explained that the committee is working to establish an adequate sized capital fund through tax deductable donations and attendance at the biennial dinners to support the ongoing scholarships.“All these funds are contributed through the CSU Foundation Trust and held specifically for the Tony McGrane Scholarships,” Mr Wise said.“The CSU Foundation has been extremely supportive of the efforts from the Orana Region, and has generously underwritten the provision of Tony McGrane Scholarships for the next three years.“Twelve students from locations including Ballimore, Gilgandra, Dubbo, Parkes, Narromine, Wellington, Coonamble, and Trangie have been awarded Tony McGrane Scholarships. The range of locations complements the diversity of both financial support towards the Foundation and areas of advocacy generously given by Tony McGrane.”Full-time students are eligible to apply for each annual $3,000 scholarship, with preference given to students in the first year of their studies.The cost per person to attend the biennial 2018 Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship dinner is $150. To book a table or purchase individual tickets please promptly contact the Dubbo RSL Club on 6882 4411.