Special Awards

The CCSF accepts applications from students across all fields of study and those selected for an award are all exceptional. Two named awards are offered on occasion: the Belle Shenkman Award is given to the most impressive student of Music or the Arts; the Mary Le Messurier Award to the most impressive student of History. Other named scholarships may be available, depending on the wishes of our supporters, all of whom are part of the Canadian community in the UK.

Julia Montgomery was a stalwart member of the Canadian Women’s Club and for over 30 years a Trustee of the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund, ten years of which she served as Chairwoman.

Born in Saskatoon, raised in Vancouver and alumnus of UBC, Julia and her diplomat husband William (Bill) Montgomery spent a lifetime in the service of Canada and in helping Canadians.

Julia was a highly capable, effective and popular leader.  She was passionate about enabling Canadians with significant promise in their fields, and particularly those in financial need, to achieve their academic aspirations to study in the UK. She was renowned for remembering past scholars and their research, and knowing their whereabouts many years after they graduated. Fiercely intelligent, curious, witty and well informed about politics, history and the world in general, Julia relished the opportunity to converse and exchange views with our scholars.

Julia remained committed to the CCSF and steadfast to its aims and objectives until the end of her life, seeing through many ups and downs of this entirely volunteer run charity. She will be fondly remembered and sorely missed but it is a great credit to her that the CCSF continues to thrive 55+ years after its inception.

(Julia is shown left in photo, with fellow CCSF committee member Jill Cannon.)

 

Since 2018 the CCSF has named a scholarship in honour of Tammy Chen, who, while completing her research, was murdered during a terrorist attack in Burkino Faso. Tammy was a 2015 Cambridge scholar pursuing a doctorate in international development, dedicated to helping women in Africa improve their earning capacity. She was awarded a Canadian Centennial Scholarship for the 2015 – 2016 academic year. You can read Tammy’s profile here.

Mary Le Messurier was Alberta’s Minister of Culture from 1979 to 1986. Following her appointment as Agent General for Alberta, Mary and her husband relocated to the UK in 1986. During her six years in London, Mary complemented her governmental responsibilities with Canadian Women’s Club-related activities. She joined with the CWC President and others at that time in the task of establishing the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund as a Registered Charitable Trust. In recognition of her tireless work on behalf of the CCSF and the CWC, each year a scholarship is given to a deserving student studying history. Since returning to Alberta, Mary has received the Order of Canada (1998) for her services to public life. She celebrated her 80th birthday in 2009.

In 1967, Canadians living in the UK gathered to celebrate Canada’s Centennial with a gala Ball. Chaired by Canadian Women’s Club President, Belle Shenkman, this celebration marked the first time that Canadian organizations in London had joined together to raise funds. That evening, she announced a special Centennial project: to endow scholarships in the UK for Canadian students. The CCSF was then established and small scholarships were awarded to a few deserving students each year. In the mid 1980s, Belle Shenkman, together with Gloria Smith, CWC President at that time, Judy Searle and Mary Le Messurier, Agent General for Alberta, undertook the task of creating the CCSF as a Registered Charity in its own right. Belle Shenkman was a great supporter of the Arts; a room is named in her honour at the Royal Academy in Piccadilly.

In January 2016, a reception was held at Canada House in London for a number of past recipients of the Belle Shenkman Award, attended by Belle’s daughter, Dasha Shenkman. You can read the news article here.