The O'Sullivan Family Scholarship Fund is available to support a South Canterbury student in pursuing an agricultural degree.
Working alongside the Aoraki Foundation, the O’Sullivan family created the fund to help a student achieve an agricultural degree from Lincoln University.
The family has a long-standing connection to Lincoln University that spans five decades, beginning with William (Dermott) O’Sullivan who graduated in 1973. All four of his sons — Ryan, Brett, Tim, and Chris — followed in his academic footsteps, creating a generational bond with the university.
After starting his career with Lands and Survey in Timaru, Mr O’Sullivan and his wife Bronwen built a farming legacy in Cricklewood, expanding Glenire Farm into a 500ha dairy operation. All four sons returned to help in 2007 — shortly before Mrs O’Sullivan’s death later that year.
Mr O’Sullivan said the family was now giving back in a way that reflected their gratitude and commitment to the region’s future.
"Lincoln University, we believe, has played a major part in our family’s success in getting us to where we are today. We would like to give something back, and one way is to support a student from South Canterbury in pursuing an agricultural degree," Mr O’Sullivan said.
Mr O’Sullivan established a named endowment with the Aoraki Foundation to provide the scholarship annually.
"The foundation staff have been great to work with, and we were stoked to get nine applications from South Canterbury students in our first year, thanks to the great promotion work they did in conjunction with Lincoln."
The inaugural scholarship was awarded in 2024 to Jack Neal, a former Timaru Boys’ High School student now studying for a BLPM at Lincoln University, with a focus on rural valuation and agricultural management.
Mr O’Sullivan said he firmly believed an agricultural degree not only helped address the nationwide shortage of rural valuers, but also equipped students with versatile skills that opened doors across the agricultural industry.
He said the family also believed that a strong foundation in education could build legacies that served both the land and the community for generations, and that a good education could shape both their personal and professional lives.
Applications for the scholarship fund can be made to Lincoln University and close on October 31.
— Allied Media
