South Australian Governor Gives Recognition to
Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Scholarship Awardees

28 May, 2010

The Cheung Kong Group celebrated the spirit of global awareness and personal growth at an awards reception held today in Hong Kong to honour the recipients of the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards.

In 2010, 77 recipients of the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards will participate in educational exchange opportunities between Hong Kong and Australia, with 39 Hong Kong students going to Australia and 38 Australian students coming to Hong Kong.

The Special Guest of Honour at the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards was His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia, who made a special trip to attend the event and present plaques to the awardees while he was in Hong Kong. Also officiating at the ceremony were Mr Les Luck, the Australian Consul-General in Hong Kong and Macau; and Mr H L Kam, Group Managing Director of Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited ("CKI").

The Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards represent an initiative between the Cheung Kong Group and the Australian Government to promote educational exchange opportunities between Asia and Australia. More than 1,200 undergraduates and postgraduates have been awarded the scholarship since the programme's inception in 2004. Over the scholarship's projected span of 15 years, a total of A$22.5 million (half contributed by the Cheung Kong Group and half by the Australian Government) will fund approximately 3,500 - 4,000 student exchanges.

Every year, the Awards offer educational exchange opportunities to approximately 250 undergraduate and 10 postgraduate students, with half for Asian students going to Australia and half for Australian students coming to Asia. Significant emphasis is placed on cultivating exchanges between Australia and Hong Kong and Mainland China, as two-thirds of the scholarships are allocated for students coming from or going to Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Mr H L Kam, Group Managing Director of CKI, said that the awards have proven to be very popular and have received great support from universities, students and many different levels of government in Asia and Australia.

"In light of its success, Cheung Kong and the Australian Government last year agreed to extend the scholarship scheme for ten more years, bringing the total duration of the programme to 15 years. It is estimated that there will be over 1,000 exchange students between Hong Kong and Australia throughout the entire scholarship programme," Mr Kam said. "This represents a significant body of young people that will play a vital role as ambassadors for Hong Kong and Australia."

Mr Kam added that the Cheung Kong Group was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful programme and that he was excited to see the Awards reach as many Asian and Australian students as possible.

"These ambassadors are poised to make significant contributions to Hong Kong, Australia and the region, and to become future leaders in the ever-expanding global community," Mr Kam expressed.

Photos:

(Front row, from left to right) His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia; Mr H L Kam, Group Managing Director of CKI; and Mr Les Luck, Australian Consul-General in Hong Kong and Macau; together with recipients of the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards.

Mr Les Luck, Australian Consul-General in Hong Kong and Macau (far left); His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia (second from right); and Mr H L Kam, Group Managing Director of CKI (far right); present a plaque to Ms Emma Wilkie (second from left), an Australian postgraduate studying marine ecology at the University of Hong Kong.

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