- Posted on 27 Oct 2026
Creating pathways for students to study mathematics and physics at UTS.
An extraordinary gift and new memorial scholarship will create new pathways for talented Western Sydney students to pursue mathematics and physics at UTS, carrying Greg Curry’s belief in education and public service into the next generation.
From the public schools of Western Sydney to a distinguished career in public service, Greg Curry understood what education could make possible.
Greg Curry, a former Western Sydney public school student who then found opportunity through studying at what is now the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has left a legacy of $2.3 million to help students like he was follow their potential into maths and physics.
The University of Technology Sydney is proud to establish the Greg Curry Memorial Scholarship Program, a new scholarship and pathway initiative supporting public school students from Western Sydney to pursue mathematics and physics at UTS.
More than financial support, the program represents an investment in the talent and potential of Western Sydney. Through Greg’s generosity, UTS has an opportunity to widen pathways into university and help talented young people turn their ability into education, careers and contribution.
Honouring Greg's Legacy
1 May 1956 – 3 January 2025
Greg’s own story began in Western Sydney.
Born in Penrith and raised in Emu Plains, he attended local public schools before joining the Australian Public Service at just eighteen. His pathway to university was not simple or automatic. He balanced work, study, travel and responsibility, but his ability and determination eventually brought him to what was then the New South Wales Institute of Technology, now UTS.
Here, Greg’s talent flourished. He completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mathematics, majoring in Statistics, graduating with distinction and becoming the first part-time student in his course to receive the University Medal.
It was a remarkable achievement and the beginning of a life in which education and public service would remain closely connected.
At UTS, Greg found a place where his ability could take shape.
Greg had talent, but he also had discipline, intelligence and humility. He was not handed an easy path. Education gave him an opening, and he made the most of it.
That opening shaped a life of contribution. Across more than 40 years in public service, Greg worked through NSW Health, the NSW Attorney General’s Department, NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages, and Service NSW. His career sat at the intersection of mathematics, data, systems and public institutions: practical work, done seriously, in service of the community.
One of the two trustees of Mr Curry’s estate, John Homersham, said that education gave his friend opportunity, and he made the most of it.
This scholarship carries forward the thread that ran through his life: that ability can be found anywhere. We hope it gives students the encouragement Greg once found himself: the belief that university is within reach, and that their future is worth investing in
Investing in Western Sydney’s future
Western Sydney is home to talented and ambitious young people with the potential to make important contributions through science, technology and beyond.
Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor James Wallman, said that through the Memorial Scholarship Program, Mr Curry’s legacy would help open that same door for Western Sydney students who showed promise in STEM subjects.
“Mathematics and physics are foundation disciplines. They underpin the systems, technologies and decisions shaping our future,” Professor Wallman said. “This scholarship will help open the door to UTS for talented students who may not otherwise have seen that pathway as possible.”
The Greg Curry Memorial Scholarship
The program will support undergraduate students from Western Sydney who attended a public high school and aspire to study mathematics or physics at UTS. Launching in October 2026 for Autumn 2027 entry, each scholarship will be valued at $30,000 over three years, providing practical support towards the costs of university life, including transport, technology, study materials, food and rent, while reducing the pressure to undertake paid work alongside study.
For students, that support can mean greater freedom to focus on their studies and make the most of university life.
But the ambition reaches further than any single scholarship.
By opening pathways into mathematics and physics, the program has the potential to build confidence and aspiration among students, demonstrate what is possible to their families and school communities, and contribute to a new generation of graduates equipped to take their knowledge into their careers and communities.
A legacy that keeps moving
Greg Curry’s story is testament to what can happen when talent meets opportunity.
Through his extraordinary generosity, that opportunity will now be extended to others. From one student to another, from university into careers, and from graduates back into the communities they will help shape.
It is a legacy grounded in Greg’s own experience, but looking firmly towards the future.
The Greg Curry Memorial Scholarships launch on 26 October 2026 for students commencing their studies at UTS in 2027.
Find out more about the Greg Curry Memorial Scholarship Program and how to apply here.
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