Scholarship to commemorate work of NZDF health personnel who served in Vietnam

Veterans’ Affairs and Ranfurly Veterans Trust has announced a scholarship to commemorate and honour the work of New Zealand Defence Force health service personnel who served in Vietnam.

Called the Brigadier Brian McMahon Scholarship and with a value of $10,000, it will be awarded to a student enrolling in their second year of study for a Bachelor of Health Science in Paramedicine at Auckland University of Technology.

Brigadier (retired) McMahon, who lives in Dunedin, had a commendable military and medical career spanning 60 years. He is a graduate of the University of Otago Medical School and deployed to Vietnam as a Medical Officer with the 1st New Zealand Services Medical Team in 1969.

Following his military career he was the Medical Superintendent at Wakari and Dunedin hospitals. He was appointed Honorary Surgeon to The Queen from 1980-83 and was the Royal New Zealand Returned Services’ Association Anzac of the Year in 2011.

He is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Knight of the Order of St John.

The announcement of the scholarship was made today – Paramedic Research Day – at the Auckland University of Technology South Campus by Major Brendan Wood, Senior Lecturer and Military Programme Leader at the university’s Department of Paramedicine.

Head of Veterans’ Affairs Bernadine Mackenzie said the scholarship commemorated and celebrated the service that veterans had given to New Zealand’s Armed Forces.

“In May Veterans’ Affairs and the Ranfurly Veterans’ Trust partnered with Auckland University of Technology for a Vietnam veteran health and wellbeing expo at the university’s South Campus in May 2019. This scholarship has been established to mark this partnership,” Ms Mackenzie said.

Applications for the scholarship close on 30 November, 2019. Students wishing to learn more about the scholarship should contact Brendan Wood, Military Programme Leader, Department of Paramedicine at brendan.wood@aut.ac.nz or 021 469 556.