South West engineering student awarded ‘life changing’ scholarship

Margaret River-raised aspiring engineer Thomas Hage has been announced as the recipient of the 2025 Steve Lewis Regional Scholarship.

The Southern Ports-backed scholarship will provide Thomas with financial support over the full four years of his Bachelor of Engineering studies at Curtin University.

Thomas said receiving the Steve Lewis Regional Scholarship would be “life changing” and that he jumped for joy while studying in the library when he received the news.

“With the amount of study that I’m doing at the moment it’s a relief not having to add part-time work to that as well,” said Thomas.

“To be able to dedicate my time outside of classes to study or work experience opportunities is a massive bonus that will really set me up for the future.

“This scholarship will give me an added sense of stability in my life.”

Thomas is the second recipient of the scholarship, and will receive a stipend per semester, totalling $112,000 over four years of full-time study, to ease the extra financial pressures faced by students relocating from regional areas to complete tertiary studies.

The scholarship also guarantees Thomas the opportunity to be mentored by the Southern Ports team as well as paid vacation work while completing his undergraduate degree.

“I’m equally excited about the opportunity to get hands on experience and learn from people already working in my field as I am about the financial support,” Thomas said. 

Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Keith Wilks said that it was evident from the inaugural year that the scholarship can foster careers of bright-minded students from our regions. 

“We know from our own people that there is such great talent in our regions, and the applications for the scholarship has demonstrated just that,” said Mr Wilks.

“It’s great to see another fantastic recipient coming through the scholarship program – particularly in the engineering field, which is a critical function to our business and ensures that our diverse and complex infrastructure and assets are fit-for-purpose.”

“I’ll be thrilled to learn even more about Thomas over the coming years as we welcome him into the Southern Ports team.”

The Steve Lewis Regional Scholarship was established in 2023 to recognise the legacy of former Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Steve Lewis during more than two decades in the ports sector.

Curtin University Chief Advancement Officer John Fitzgerald said the university was grateful to partner with Southern Ports to deliver the scholarship.

“Their generous support and ongoing commitment to the scholarship are helping make a real difference in empowering regional students to pursue their higher education dreams and reach their full potential,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“We deeply value this partnership and the shared vision we have for creating meaningful opportunities for students who may otherwise face significant barriers to further study.”

Applications were open to students relocating from the three Southern Ports regions to complete undergraduate degrees in the faculties of Science and Engineering or Business and Law at either Curtin’s Bentley or Kalgoorlie campuses.

“Southern Ports prides itself on creating enduring value within our regions - supporting young members of our communities reach their goals is part of that,” Mr Wilks said.

For more information on the Scholarship and to sign up for notifications of future rounds visit the Curtin University website.