The Bush Bursary program designed to bring health students to the country will receive another year’s support from Cabonne Council.

Cabonne councillors voted to provide $3000 in funding to sponsor two students with Bush Bursary scholarships.

Council support helps the Rural Doctors Network to foster rural health exposure and experience amongst medical, nursing and midwifery students – offering them a two-week experience in country NSW during university holidays.

The bursary gave students “hands-on experience second to none,” a report from students who spent time in Canowindra in December 2024, provided to councillors, said.

“During this placement I have experienced a greater variety of medicine and practiced more clinical skills than I have in my entire life,” one student wrote.

“The culture of medicine is deeply inspiring, offering an array of medical experiences second to none.

“The people are warm, and welcoming having hosted us for dinners, sport and activities wherever we went.

“The combination of the work environment and community involvement has greatly motivated me to pursue a career in rural medicine and I would greatly encourage any medical professional to do the same.

Students witnessed a birth, scrubbed into theatre for a surgery, sutured a wound and spent time in the pharmacy and nursing home as well as GP and hospital.

“In two weeks, I was exposed to such a large variety of medicine having experienced general practice, pharmacy, nursing homes, surgical consults emergency medicine, numerous surgeries, maternity wards and internal medicine,” the student wrote.

“The capacity for rural doctors to experience such a diverse nature of medicine is something I never expected and one that greatly excites me.”

As councillors made the decision to again fund the program, Cr Andrew Rawson said he’d enjoyed reading the students’ accounts of their time in our community.

“The passion for country medicine, for being a rural doctor, was clearly evident in those reports, and I congratulate Dr Bullock in particular and the others involved in that program – I think it’s a magnificent program which we could continue to support,” he said.