The scholarship, offered by Foundation Barossa, provides financial support for a young person to assist with their tertiary education.

Liam, who will study law at Flinders University this year, will use the scholarship to pay for special on-campus accommodation while living away from home.

Liam completed Year 12 at Nuriootpa High School in 2009 and earned a Tertiary Entrance Rank score of 92.6.

He will start studying Law and Legal Studies, combined with Commerce, later this month.

Liam has Muscular Dystrophy and he relies on a wheel chair, but it doesn’t hold him back.

He is a Division One lawn bowler for Angaston and in his spare time he loves to hang around with his mates.

He will be the first member of his family to head off to university, and said the assistance of the Foundation Barossa scholarship would make his uni life a lot easier.

“I am forever grateful for the kind generosity that business people of the Barossa have shown in order to make this scholarship possible,” Liam said.

“Without these wonderful people, the Stump Jump Scholarship would never have been created, nor would I be attending university without financial strain.”

Liam hopes the scholarship continues to help disabled people with Barossa links achieve their goals.

Kathryn Fuller, Foundation Barossa chairperson, said the group was delighted to congratulate Liam as the first winner of the scholarship.

“Liam has demonstrated that he has both the academic capacity and individual courage and determination to further his tertiary studies and achieve his life goals and we very much applaud him,” Kathryn said.

The Stump Jumper Scholarship has been developed by Foundation Barossa to add to its growing number of scholarships and awards.

“The scholarship supports a person who can be colloquially known as a “stump jumper,” Kathryn said.

“The Stump Jumper Plough was invented in South Australia and played a major part in the development of agriculture and viticulture in the state.

“The term given to this farming implement has come to be associated with people who have the ability to jump over adversity in order to make a positive contribution to their community.”

This scholarship was initiated by two Barossa identities dedicated to helping out anonymously.

They contributed the first $10,000 to the scholarship and have actively canvassed friends and colleagues to contribute a further $15,000 to date.