Ravensdown scholarship winner

Hugh Williams Ravensdown Memorial university scholarship recipient Lucy Bell. Photo supplied.
Hugh Williams Ravensdown Memorial university scholarship recipient Lucy Bell. Photo supplied.
East Otago teenager Lucy Bell is the latest recipient of the Hugh Williams Ravensdown Memorial university scholarship.

Miss Bell (18) is in her first year studying towards a bachelor of agricultural science degree at Lincoln University.

The scholarship was established in memory of the late Hugh Williams, who was a Ravensdown director from 1987 to 2000.

It offers the children of Ravensdown shareholders $5000 a year for the duration of their studies for a number of agricultural or horticultural degrees at Waikato, Lincoln and Massey universities.

Growing up on Shag Valley Station, she always wanted a career in agriculture, Miss Bell said.

While at secondary school at St Hilda's Collegiate School in Dunedin, she developed a strong interest in science.

She was "absolutely loving'' her tertiary studies.

She was enjoying her chemistry and biology classes and was looking forward to starting animal, plant and soil classes next semester.

Observing the impact lucerne and summer brassicas had had on the profitability of her family's farm helped spark an interest in plant science.

Once she finished her degree, she would like to join a graduate programme, such as the one Ravensdown had, Miss Bell said.

"I'm really interested in plant development for places like our home in the East Otago hill country.

"I would love to be able to help with development of legumes that are able to thrive on harder hill country and therefore make this class of land more profitable,'' she said.

Miss Bell and her two brothers are the sixth generation to live at historic Shag Valley Station, a 4700ha sheep and beef property.

Eventually, she would like to go farming herself and being able to return to the property would be "pretty awesome'', she said.

Ravensdown deputy chairman and scholarship committee chairman Stuart Wright said the scholarship was about developing future capability in the agricultural sector.

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