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Tuesday, 27 May 2014

An economics, law and arts student at The University of Western Australia, Timothy Lefroy (21) is a youth finalist in the Western Australian of the Year Awards.

Timothy, from Moora, is engaged with his local community as a student, athlete and volunteer.  He was Race Director of this year's Rottnest Channel Swim, coordinating one of the most successful events in the history of the swim.  He is also Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Crawley.

Timothy is committed to breaking down barriers within his community.  Concerned about youth issues in his local electorate, he was elected as a Member for Moore in the 2012 Youth Parliament where he debated legislation and emphasised the need for better education and social infrastructure in regional communities.  He worked to increase voting participation rates in regional areas as an ambassador for the WA Electoral Commission.

He is a professional umpire in the West Australian Football League and in the future hopes to umpire in the AFL, having umpired more than 100 games of community football.  Noticing the barriers between players and officials, he has worked to increase the level of respect and understanding through his umpiring.

Timothy engages with people of all ages and has mentored youth in England and Australia.  As a boarding assistant at Scotch College he has supported and helped rural students make the difficult transition from country to city, and has also coached water polo, football, cricket and basketball.

In 2012, Timothy was awarded the UWA Elders Scholarship (Walter Johnson) for his academic achievement and potential to contribute to agribusiness.  Through this scholarship Timothy initiated an internship with Elders where he met with farmers throughout WA to gain a better understanding of issues facing the farming community.  For his Honour's thesis, Timothy is researching the viability of family farming in WA and the advantages of alternative business structures.

His career goal is to become a leader in the development of public policy, with a special interest in policies affecting agriculture and education.  He has represented UWA on a number of international occasions, including the prestigious Mitsui Educational Foundation Tour of Japan in 2012 and the 2013 Mannkal Internship in the United Kingdom.

Media references

David Stacey (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716

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