30 March; Matt Roseby
As Semester One is soon to get underway, the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club has welcomed the recipient of the 2023 Rugby Young Achiever Award, Lachlan De Garis.
Named in remembrance of Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop AC, CMG, OBE, the Scholarship seeks to support a student-athlete who encompasses the spirit of its eponym; namely, someone who exemplifies the values of leadership, academic endeavour, and sporting excellence. Providing a total of $5,000 in scholarship funds, accompanied by support from a Melbourne University Sport Winged Victory Scholarship, the Award is a highly competitive offering for incoming student-athletes looking to represent the University and MURFC.
Lachlan De Garis previously attended Rugby power-house St. Kevin’s College, where he progressed through the ranks to ultimately represent their First XV side. His prowess for the game earned him selection to the Victorian State team and a spot in the Melbourne Rebel’s Under 18 Academy. However, the Scholarship stood out as a distinguished achievement to Lachlan, explaining that being named the 2023 recipient was a major reflection of all the hard work he’d invested in his sport and academics; he is confident the support offered by the Scholarship will prove vital as he begins university. “Having the Scholarship will help me balance my studies with also playing sport, knowing they’ll help support me throughout my time at university while I’m playing sport. It’ll be a great help with all the endeavours I hope to pursue both on and off the pitch”.
Discussing his potential to progress to the professional level, Lachlan shared how “its been my dream since I was a kid, it would be absolutely incredible”. Keeping his mind focused on first establishing himself within MURFC, De Garis explained that currently his “plan is just to train with Melbourne Uni, we have a really good program here. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of the people (at the Club) and everyone’s really nice. After playing and training with the Club, hopefully I can make more development teams with the Melbourne Rebels and then potentially get a professional contract”. Lachlan would be following in the steps of former MURFC member Jordan Uelese, who currently plays hooker for the Melbourne Rebels and Wallabies.
Reflecting on his journey to the Rugby Young Achiever Award, Lachlan praised his Mum, a former London resident who introduced him to the sport when he was only eight years old, as well as his high school coaches, who in his mind, were a driving force behind his personal growth and success as a rugby player.
The Bachelor of Arts (Economics) student could not understate his eagerness towards starting his time at the University of Melbourne; with a keen eye on University Nationals at the end of 2023, Lachlan is cautious not to let the broader experiences the University has to offer pass him by.
“I really love meeting new people. Everyone I’ve met so far has been really nice. There’s a lot of foreign students, there’s been a lot of people from France and England and its been great to get their perspective on the sport. I’m happy to get out of the high school bubble and meet new people and create new relationships. I’m really happy about that”.
MURFC President Adrian Garvey also shared his excitement about welcoming Lachlan to the Club, explaining that on-field talent is seldom the primary consideration in selecting the recipient;
“They’ve got to have leadership skills. I think (the past recipients) are definitely making a positive impact on the Club, but often from their leadership capabilities and general demeanours, I don’t think its necessarily performance-based. From the Club’s point of view, there’s a strong student cohort in our Under 20s program which creates the next generation of leaders at MURFC”.
Alongside the Young Achiever Award, Lachlan Moen and Joel Morrison were awarded the Peter Hone Rugby Scholarship. Seeking out the same intrinsic values and on-pitch abilities as the Young Achiever Award, the Peter Hone Scholarship hopes to similarly foster the next generation of Club leaders amongst University of Melbourne student-athletes. Garvey explained further, “the scholarship program, both the Edward Dunlop and Peter Home programs, are important to the Club because there’s a strong link between education and sport, and that differentiates us between other clubs within the competition”.
Peter Home, University alumnus and a former MURFC player and President, represented the Club during a time when the program was exclusively varsity, meaning only enrolled University students could don the black and blue; “From the Club’s point of view, we want to honour those student roots both in the male and female programs, so these scholarships are very important for us to secure not only good playing stock for the future, but also pay respects to our past members”, explained Adrian Garvey.
Sir Edward Dunlop begun his Rugby career with MURFC’s 4th grade squad, quickly progressing through the ranks to earn state, and eventually national, representation accolades. The first Victorian-born player to represent the Australian Wallabies, the former Ormond College resident also remains the only Victorian-born player inducted into the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame following his post-humorous selection in 2008. However, having been detained as a prisoner-of-war in Java during World War II where he was serving with the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, Dunlop’s fabled leadership, resilience, and enlivening spirit became a symbol of perseverance amongst Australian troops and prisoners-of-war alike. It is these qualities that often overshadow his on-pitch talent, with the Rugby Young Achiever Award’s ethos demanding student-athletes who likewise are equipped to create a positive impact for both their Club and broader community.