Heidi Montgomery had dreamt of becoming a veterinarian as a little girl, but living in one of Australia's most expensive cities while studying had been a financial burden on her Trangie sheep farming family.
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But, lucky for 18-year-old Miss Montgomery, that burden has been eased after winning a $300,000 Dalara Scholarship to study vet Science at the University of Sydney.
"It is difficult to find the perfect words to explain how my family and I feel about achieving the Dalara scholarship, but deliriously ecstatic might come close," Miss Montgomery laughed.
"The scholarship means the world to me and enables me to carry out my dream of becoming a rural vet in the beautiful wide-open spaces where I will return once qualified."
Miss Montgomery grew up on the farm with her siblings, a sister and twin brothers, and spent the vast majority of her childhood 'hanging out with animals.
"I have dreamed of being a vet since I was a small girl, spending most of my days outside hanging around with a menagerie of animals including chooks, dogs, cats, sheep and cattle," she said.
"I loved going through the breeding process with all our animals and consider myself very lucky to have grown up on a farm and to be so closely involved with animals which are such an ongoing passion of mine."
"When I was in Year 10 I did work experience with a local Dubbo vet. I worked with small animals but also hands-on with horses and livestock. The whole experience made me sure of the career I wanted."
Miss Montgomery said she had considered medicine at times, but knew working with animals instead of people would suit her personality and satisfy her 'life-long dream' and 'passion'.
With the scholarship at hand, it has also given Miss Montgomery the security to see that dream through.
"Sydney is known as one of the most expensive cities to live in the world and it would be a huge financial burden to remain in Sydney for the duration of the veterinary degree without the Dalara Scholarship," she said.
"My family are recovering from a detrimental drought out west which transformed our properties into dust bowls.
"To say our land resembled a desert is no exaggeration.
"The scholarship gives me the security to achieve my life-long goal regardless of future hardship on the land and me and my family couldn't be any happier."
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