The Peter Carnley Scholarship

Supporting Life Changing Opportunities

St John's College is dedicated to fostering academic excellence and providing opportunities for young people, 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, while building 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 College Warden from 1973 to 1981, returned to St John's in the Autumn of 2024, reminding us of his enduring legacy. His eminent career speaks volumes about his commitment to theological exploration and community building.

During his 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.

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!

Our goal is to raise $250,000 to endow a $10,000 scholarship annually in perpetuity, supporting students experiencing financial hardship.

We need your help to achieve this goal. Your tax-deductible contribution to the Peter Carnley Scholarship or the broader St John’s College Scholarships and Bursaries can make a significant difference. Without your support, many deserving students may miss the opportunity to benefit from the enriching experience that St John’s College offers.

One-time donations are greatly appreciated and can be made online on our  giving portal , via EFT, or bank cheque addressed to: St John’s College Foundation, College Road, St Lucia QLD 4067.

For more information please contact  Triona Maddick, Director of Advancement |  t.maddick@stjohns.uq.edu.au or  (07) 3842 6600

Donate now to the Peter Carnley Scholarship and make a difference