{"id":35760,"date":"2025-10-31T11:04:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T00:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=35760"},"modified":"2025-10-31T11:04:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T00:04:00","slug":"scholarship-to-continue-legacy-of-councillor-sinead-francis-coan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/10\/31\/scholarship-to-continue-legacy-of-councillor-sinead-francis-coan\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship to continue legacy of Councillor Sinead Francis-Coan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Applications have now opened for a new annual scholarship established to honour former Councillor Sinead Francis-Coan\u2019s lifelong commitment to the environment and climate justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cr Francis-Coan was partway through her first term as a Ward 3 Councillor when she passed away suddenly in June this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The scholarship was established through a unanimous notice of motion by the elected Council, to be funded by City of Newcastle and administered by Women\u2019s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA) for the next three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to participate in WELA\u2019s transformative leadership programs, which equip emerging changemakers with the skills to transform Australia\u2019s response to environmental and climate challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deputy Lord Mayor Charlotte McCabe said the scholarship program ensures Cr Francis-Coan\u2019s inspiring legacy will continue to support future leaders in the years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Councillor Francis-Coan was a passionate advocate for our climate and environment, equity, feminism and the union movement,” Cr McCabe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis scholarship celebrates her compassionate leadership and remarkable contributions, empowering women and gender-diverse leaders to carry forward her work in creating positive change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before being elected to Council in 2024, Cr Francis-Coan worked as a union organiser and was deeply involved in grassroots movements focused on workers\u2019 rights, environmental protection and gender equity. Since joining the Newcastle Greens in 2014, she has been a role model and mentor to young people and individuals with a disability or experiencing marginalisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lyndall Coan said her daughter\u2019s vision and energy inspired those around her both personally and professionally and hopes this scholarship will empower women and gender-diverse people to develop their leadership potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many gaps Sinead has left behind. These gaps can become pathways for committed, passionate activists with the skills to make a real difference to continue the work that Sinead started,\u201d Ms Coan said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope that those inspired by Sinead\u2019s unwavering commitment, tenacity and courage will seize this opportunity to grow as leaders. The scholarship is not just financial support, it\u2019s a torch passed forward, inviting women and gender-diverse people to rise, lead, and continue the work Sinead began.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sinead Francis-Coan Scholarship is open to women and gender-diverse changemakers living or working in the Newcastle local government area or who have a meaningful connection to the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholarship applications will close on 1 February 2026. The scholarship will cover the full program cost of completing the WELA National Leadership Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the public who wish to support additional scholarships in memory of Cr Francis-Coan can donate via the WELA website<\/a>, which has already received more than $3,000 in contributions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To apply for the scholarship, go to the Scholarships page<\/a> and scroll to the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Applications have now opened for a new annual scholarship established to honour former Councillor Sinead Francis-Coan\u2019s lifelong commitment to the environment and climate justice. Cr Francis-Coan was partway through her first term as a Ward 3 Councillor when she passed away suddenly in June this year. The scholarship was established through a unanimous notice of motion … Continue reading “Scholarship to continue legacy of Councillor Sinead Francis-Coan”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35761,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35760\/revisions\/35761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}