The Peter Carnley Scholarship

Supporting Life Changing Opportunities

St John's College is dedicated to fostering academic excellence and providing opportunities for young women and men, regardless of personal or financial circumstances.

Your support will enable us to welcome students from all backgrounds into our community, where they can fully participate in the academic, sporting, cultural, spiritual, and social life of the college, build connections and skills for life. These scholarships ensure that St John's College remains accessible to our highest quality students, regardless of their financial capabilities, enabling them to reach their full potential.

This year, we are focused on establishing a scholarship in honour of former Warden Dr Peter Carnley AC - a scholar, visionary leader, and deeply respected member of our community. This scholarship will not only commemorate his years of outstanding service but will also ensure that his legacy continues to inspire generations to come.

Dr Peter Carnley AC, a distinguished leader who served as our Warden from 1973 to 1981, returned to the College this autumn, reminding us of his enduring legacy. His eminent career speaks volumes about his commitment to theological exploration and community building.

At a recent visit back to St John’s, Peter said:

What a remarkably rare experience it was to be able to connect with so many Old Johnians of the 1973-81 cohort at a wonderfully enjoyable re-union dinner at St John’s on the evening of 22 April 2024.

One of the things that most impressed us, and certainly that meant a great deal to us, was the fact that so many of those present had openly described their College experience in unqualified positive terms, and were enormously grateful for it, explicitly recognising how important it had been in their subsequent lives.

Ann and I lived in College for the week. We were delighted to meet so many current College students who were openly friendly and relaxed in a very “Queensland” way, and with whom we were privileged to have stimulating and congenial conversations over meals. And we were very impressed by the present policy of leaving all phones on a shelf at the door of the Dining Hall, and then filling the first empty seats at tables in sequence as a way of ensuring, by a kind of subtle social engineering, that everybody mixes together at meals rather than being tempted to hive off only with the same sub-set of like-minded close friends.

May the College of St John’s within the University of Queensland continue to flourish in the years to come!

Read more from Peter Carnley...

Dr Peter Carnley AC

Our goal is ambitious: to raise $250,000 to endow a $10,000 scholarship annually, ensuring that Archbishop Carnley’s influence continues to shape the lives of generations to come.

With the June 30th deadline approaching, your donation to the Peter Carnley Scholarship not only supports our community's future leaders but also provides you with the opportunity to be part of something truly meaningful.

Your support is what makes our community thrive. By giving generously, you empower deserving students to embody the excellence synonymous with St John’s College, providing them with opportunities to forge connections and uphold the cherished legacy we all share.

Donate now to the Peter Carnley Scholarship and make a difference

More from Peter Carnley:

What a remarkably rare experience it was to be able to connect with so many Old Johnians of the 1973-81 cohort at a wonderfully enjoyable re-union dinner at St John’s on the evening of 22 April 2024. Apart from the fact that Ann and I had not seen more than one or two of those present for 50+ years, in many cases they had not seen one another for that period of time.

Fortunately, we all wore name badges. We were treated to food and wine of the highest quality in the delightful ambience of the Founders’ Room built in the time of John Morgan’s Wardenship, and entertained by wonderful reminiscences, punctuated with good humour, crafted by Toby Ford and Chris Hughes. Who could ask for anything more?

In the course of the planning of the occasion I observed to the Warden that it would be “pure fun” - and so it was. Certainly, it was a privilege to re-connect with this splendid group of (mostly) men who have clearly made an enormous contribution to the life of the wider community across a spectrum of careers.

It was “mostly men” because there were three important women present: First, Rose Alwyn, the Warden, who with Toby Ford and Chris Hughes, hatched the idea of such a re-union. The College is currently in the very good hands of a Warden who has a clear vision of educational excellence and the value of community life in achieving it. Second, Isobel Johnson, who though the wife of Johnno who was a member of staff at the time, was herself also a student, and thus the first female student at St John’s well before the important decision to go “co-ed”.

Then third, Ann Carnley, who was very affectionately remembered for her involvement in College life, especially in the provision of late night suppers following the Wednesday evening eucharist, and as a paradigm of motherhood in the care of our two small children, while also pursuing full-time career.

A few days after we got back home to Perth, Ann went down with Covid (probably picked up on the plane), so we went into quarantine for ten days. As it turned out this was actually a kind of gift, for it gave us some quiet time to process the experience and to reflect upon and cherish its many highlights.

Both at that time, and then later as we recounted all this to Perth friends, we found ourselves expressing the view that one of the things that most impressed us, and certainly that meant a great deal to us, was the fact that so many of those present had openly described their College experience in unqualified positive terms, and were enormously grateful for it, explicitly recognising how important it had been in their subsequent lives.

Ann and I lived in College for the week. We were delighted to meet so many current College students who were openly friendly and relaxed in a very “Queensland” way, and with whom we were privileged to have stimulating and congenial conversations over meals. And we were very impressed by the present policy of leaving all phones on a shelf at the door of the Dining Hall, and then filling the first empty seats at tables in sequence as a way of ensuring, by a kind of subtle social engineering, that everybody mixes together at meals rather than being tempted to hive off only with the same sub-set of like-minded close friends.

And this is not to mention the ever-so impressive Dawn Service at 6am on Anzac Day, attended by (I guess) about 80+ students and College staff. The quietly dignified ceremony was poignantly moving, and the sermon delivered by the Chaplain, Sam Dow, exemplary.

For us this was certainly a wonderful reliving of College life. Each year (for as many years as we have left) on 22 April we will prayerfully remember and, indeed, drink a toast to, the cohort of Old Johnians of 1973-81. This date will be easy to remember because of its proximity to Anzac Day, and this will be a prelude to the annual celebration of the Feast of St John (ante portam latinam) on 6 May. May the College of St John’s within the University of Queensland continue to flourish in the years to come!

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