The Natalie Burton Memorial Award

The Natalie Burton Memorial Award has been awarded annually since 2004 to a local high school student who has overcome adversity.

Natalie Burton was a Hawkesbury woman who achieved many extraordinary things despite a cancer diagnosis at 25 which sadly claimed her life when she was just 32, in 2003.

After finishing school as the Dux of Colo High in 1987, she completed two degrees to become a veterinarian. In 1994, Natalie received a fellowship to Cornell University in the USA where she studied epidemiology with leading academics in the field. In 1995, she was awarded the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists College Medal for her work in epidemiology.

Natalie had a profound sense of optimism towards her disease. She continued to follow her dreams, getting engaged, climbing in the Himalayas and cycling around Australia and overseas. She was posthumously awarded a Master’s of Public Health degree.

In 2024, the Burton, Turner and Lawrance families, who established the award, decided to expand it, awarding seven students from the Hawkesbury's seven secondary schools: Arndell Anglican College, Bede Polding College, Colo High School, Hawkesbury High School, Richmond Agricultural College, Richmond High School and  Windsor High School.

These schools will nominate a student from their student body each year to receive the  award.