Community News

Grafton student cooks up four huge wins

Grafton local and TAFE NSW graduate Harley Norman was awarded the William R Galvin Memorial Scholarship at a recent ceremony in Sydney.  

The win comes only weeks after being named TAFE NSW Excellence Award winner in the three categories of Student of the Year; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year and Tourism and Experience Services Student of the Year. 

The proud Dharawal man’s first memory was cooking bush tucker with his mum and dad in the family kitchen.  

Mr Norman’s childhood experiences and his parent’s love of food have had a strong impact on his career choice, going on to study a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery at TAFE NSW Grafton. 

“I am so thrilled to have won the scholarship as well as so many categories in the TAFE NSW Excellence Awards, I wasn’t expecting to win, and it means the world to me that my hard work and dedication over the past three years has paid off.” 

The scholarship was established by TAFE NSW, in memory of the late William R Galvin OAM, a former TAFE NSW teacher. The scholarship encourages further study, training or work placement in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry and includes $5,000 prize money to pursue further learning. 

Mr Norman is planning to use the scholarship money to visit other cities to learn and gain experience in the world of fine dining to build on his skill set. 

“Studying at TAFE NSW has been the best thing I’ve ever done. I have learnt hands-on practical skills from industry experts.  

“My teachers have been a huge support by encouraging me to push my creative boundaries and to think outside the box when creating food.” 

TAFE NSW Grafton Commercial Cookery teacher Bernadette Ryan said Mr Norman is a natural leader in the kitchen and often supports and shares his experience with other students in his class. 

 

“The responsibility of leading has never daunted Harley, he enjoys supporting his classmates. Students looked to him for guidance and often referred to him as a walking encyclopaedia on cooking.” 

“Harley has shown the most amazing passion and commitment to his cookery studies. His wins are well deserved.”