- Posted on 27 Oct 2026
- 4-minute read
A gift and new memorial scholarship program will help Western Sydney public school students study maths and physics at UTS.
Key takeaways
- Greg Curry’s legacy will help Western Sydney public school students pursue maths and physics at UTS.
- The program will award at least four scholarships each year, providing each recipient $30,000 over three years for study and living costs.
- Alongside financial support, the legacy will strengthen mentoring and pathway programs.
Mr Greg Curry, a former Western Sydney public school student who 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 him follow their potential into maths and physics.
For public school students from Western Sydney who imagine themselves at university, the Greg Curry Memorial Scholarship Program – launching for applications in October 2026 for Autumn 2027 entry – has created both scholarships and pathway support to help them achieve their potential.
In providing this gift, Mr Curry wanted to make the path to university easier for students than it had been for him, giving them access to opportunities they might not otherwise have.
Greg’s legacy is not just a gift but a promise to future students that their potential is limitless, and that university can lead to a future with meaningful impact.
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.
“We’re using this legacy to strengthen initiatives such as Mentor Science+ Science Extension alongside additional mathematics and physics workshops for Western Sydney public schools.
“The scholarship will provide $30,000 per student, paid as $10,000 a year over three years, to help with the real costs of study such as transport, technology, rent and food.
“It will be awarded to at least four participants per year.”
Mr Curry’s path to university wasn’t straightforward. Raised in a working-class family in Emu Plains, educated in local public schools and working while he studied part-time, he turned talent into possibility at the New South Wales Institute of Technology, now UTS.
He graduated with distinction from a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mathematics, majoring in Statistics, and became the first part-time student in his course to receive the University Medal.
The achievement reflected not only Mr Curry’s talent, but his discipline, intelligence and humility, which led to 40 years of distinguished public service across NSW Health, the NSW Attorney General’s Department, NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages, and Service NSW.
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," he said. “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.”
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Kylie Readman, said Mr Curry’s story was a reminder that talent and drive exists everywhere, but opportunity is not always evenly available.
“This scholarship will honour Greg’s legacy by helping students from Western Sydney public schools see university, mathematics and physics as places where they belong,” she said.
“By opening pathways into mathematics and physics, the program will 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.
“Greg’s legacy is not just a gift but a promise to future students that their potential is limitless, and that university can lead to a future with meaningful impact.
“It will help the next generation step into opportunity, just as Greg once did.”
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