Babcock Australasia is celebrating a decade-long partnership with Yalari – a not-for-profit organisation supporting First Nations students achieve better education outcomes through senior boarding school scholarships.
Yalari’s program expands education opportunities for students from regional, rural, and remote communities — areas where subject choices, teacher availability, and class sizes can sometimes limit academic and career pathways. These students also face logistical challenges such as long travel distances, fewer extracurricular activities, and limited exposure to diverse learning experiences.
Through Babcock’s continued support, Yalari has helped close these gaps by providing students with greater access to resources, specialised courses, and a broader network of support.
Babcock Australasia CEO Andrew Cridland said: “Babcock’s partnership with Yalari highlights how a shared vision can create lasting change.
“Seeing these students develop and emerge into future leaders through the pursuit of their academic goals—and knowing we’ve played a small role in helping them access opportunities—makes this initiative incredibly rewarding.”
Yalari Founding Director Waverley Stanley AM said: “At Yalari, we believe it takes a whole community to educate a child, and our 10-year partnership with Babcock is a true reflection of that.
“Babcock’s long-term commitment to education, opportunity, and supporting young Indigenous people has been invaluable.
“Together, we’re helping to empower the next generation of Indigenous leaders and creating lasting impact for families and communities across Australia.”
Yalari alumni Seferina Whap, a Torres Strait local, graduated from The Glennie School in Toowoomba in 2022, and said a Yalari scholarship reshaped her life.
“Yalari opened more doors for my future than I ever could have imagined. Coming from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait to boarding at The Glennie School was a huge leap, but Yalari gave me the support and courage I needed to thrive,” she said.
“It helped me grow in ways I never expected – academically, personally and culturally. I’ve become a role model for my family and community, and it’s inspired me to dream bigger and help me realise my full potential.”
Babcock proudly supports communities in the Torres Strait, operating the region’s emergency medical service helicopters in a partnership with Queensland Health. The service is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In 2025, Yalari has 251 students on Yalari scholarships nationally and a group of almost 600 alumni studying at universities, working or undertaking further training.