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Foundation News
March 2026
Honours Project Bursaries awarded for 2026
The Foundation is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2026 bursaries awarded to Honours students to assist them with the costs associated with their projects.
Recipients, Connor Fox (left), Rhys Alexander (right), and Iurii Matvienko expressed their gratitude for the grant.
February 2026
Hannah Graduates!
Hannah Watson, winner of the 2025 Honours Project Scholarship, achieved a huge milestone when she graduated with Second-Class Honours in February. Hannah's ambitious Honours Project took her to Kiribati in a party of three to study how a new Geodetic Datum might be established for the Pacific Islands Developing Nations.
Hannah overcame major obstacles to complete her demanding project, but says that the Scholarship was life-changing, the key to her success.
February 2026
ISAQ BEF Industry Leaders' Dinner
Industry leaders, at a dinner hosted by the Foundation Board (Phil Pozzi, Kevin McDougall (centre) and Danika Bakalich (centre right), engaged in a far-reaching conversation covering aspects of recruitment, training and education of skilled professionals for entry to the industry. Highlighted also was the need for post-graduate research for a rapidly changing, AI driven, industry environment. Around the table were company directors, academics, and industry partners. Phil thanked sponsors CR Kennedy and UniSQ for their generous support of this valuable, fact-finding event.
November 2025
Jack de Lange Surveying Scholarship Announced
Celebrating the Scholarship at the Surveyors Trust special event: l-r: Jack de Lange: Meredith Scott-McMahon, EO ISAQ BEF: Phillip Pozzi, Chair ISAQ BEF: Anthony Schmidt, Chair Surveyors Trust.
A major gift to the Foundation from The Surveyors' Trust has enabled the establishment of a new UniSQ Scholarship, named in honour of Jack de Lange, whose efforts over many years were instrumental in the awarding of Intellectual Property for surveyors.
The outcome of a collaborative partnership between the Trust and the Foundation, the scholarship, with gift matching from UniSQ, will support one student per year to enter the undergraduate surveying degree course into the future.
October 2025
As the end of the year approaches, so do university exams. Scholarship students, Casper Elliott, Caleb Sondergeld, and Nicholas Bond, will sit end of year exams, and for Nicholas , they bring the completion of his Bachelor of Surveying (Technology). Nicholas has done well with the aid of the Clem Jones and Geoff Wright Scholarship, and will complete his course in 3 years while working part-time. He attributes this to the help of the scholarship which has enabled him to take an extra day off per week to study.
July 2025
Hannah Watson, Honours Year Scholarship 2025 Recipient, presents her project at UniSQ with congratulations from Chair, Phil Pozzi, and Board Member, Professor Kevin McDougall.
Hannah's project researching an adaptable logic model towards establishing an up-to-date geodetic datum for the Pacific Islands Developing nations was viewed as a valuable step in their future development by the Foundation Directors.
April 2025
Scholarship recipients, Caleb and Nicholas (4th and 5th from left above), had a great day at the FIG Locate 25 Conference meeting many members of the profession. They had their horizons widened by the lecture sessions, industry exhibition, and loved the technology tour they undertook. Nicholas (left, above right) graduates at the end of 2025, while Caleb is in second year. Grateful thanks to GCA for again sponsoring our Scholarship holders!
January 2025
The Foundation welcomes new Board member, Danika Bakalich
Phil Pozzi, Chair of ISAQ Ltd (Corporate Trustee of the Foundation) this year welcomed Danika Bakalich to the company Board. Danika brings a wealth of experience, wisdom, and enthusiasm to the Foundation. Her global knowledge of the profession and industry through her work with the Surveyors Trust will be invaluable to the Foundation's achievement of its goals to augment the industry workforce and to support tertiary students through their surveying and spatial courses and research.
October 2024
Meeting the Honours Research Project Bursary winners at the UniSQ Project Conference
1.
The Project Conference was a great opportunity for Board Members, Phil Pozzi (chair) and Danika Bakalich to meet the winners of the Foundation's first Honours Project Bursary winners, left to right (1&3), Bryan Knight, Mark Wildes and Eric Brifford (and to include Chris McAlister in the photo opportunity!)
September 2024
Foundation Chair Launches Fundraising at the GCA Queensland Conference
Flanked by ISAQ BEF Advisory Committee members (left) Shane Simmons, Angus Scown (far right) Zahra Gharineiat and Scholarship holders, Nicholas Bond and Caleb Sondergeld, Chair, Phil Pozzi with Tony Wheeler celebrate the launch of fundraising for 2024/25.
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GCA Sponsors Scholarship Students to Qld Conference
September 2024
GCA Sponsors Scholarship holders at the Qld Conference
Left
Scholarship holders, Nicholas (middle) and Caleb (background) explore the industry exhibits.
Right
Phil Pozzi (Chair) launches Foundation fundraising for 2025.
Above
(From left) Phil Pozzi (Chair) with Caleb Sondergeld and Nicholas Bond, thank GCA CEO, Tony Wheeler for Conference sponsorshp.
Above
Angus Scown, Advisory Committee, at the Foundation stand.
Photos courtesy GCA
Phil Pozzi, said the experience was pure gold for the students, giving them an understanding of the wider fields they might explore, to see the latest technology and to give them an understanding of the benefits of GCA membership. He expressed his gratitude to Tony for wholeheartedly sponsoring the Foundation.
August 2024
Clem Jones and Geoff Wright Scholarship: Applications Now Open for 2025
With the opening of applications for the 2025 year, Directors of ISAQ BEF welcome the prospect of a third student benefiting from the undergraduate Clem Jones and Geoff Wright Scholarship. The Scholarship, established in 2022 has two current scholarship holders studying for their degrees. Both Nicholas and Caleb say the funding has freed up study time from work, and been a huge incentive to succeed. A bonus has been the sponsorship of their attendance at the QCA Queensland Conference. Read more about their experience in their Q&A. Apply here.
2024 Honours Research Bursaries Awards
The Foundation is delighted to announce that it has awarded 3 Honours Year Bursaries of $1,000 each to students to assist in financing their research projects.
Chair, Phil Pozzi, said the projects had been chosen by the ISAQ BEF Advisory Committee according to predetermined criteria and a Statement of Need. 'Helping students maximise the value of their research will benefit the whole profession', he said.
Read more about the Bursary and the 2024 awardees.
July 2024
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