The John Monash Scholarships were designed to select Australia’s finest young leaders, and equip them for their future role through postgraduate education at leading international universities. General Sir John Monash was chosen as the iconic brand of the Scholarships and the Foundation, because of his status and beliefs in education and excellence. General Monash is widely acknowledged as one of Australia’s outstanding military leaders, and a leading engineer and citizen. Monash strove for excellence in all fields. He was successful academically, being awarded Dux (jointly) of Melbourne’s Scotch College and achieving a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne. In later life he was awarded Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Engineering by the University of Melbourne, Doctor of Civil Law (Oxford University), and Doctor of Laws (Cambridge University) in recognition of his achievements. He was Vice-Chancellor of Melbourne University and encouraged a lifetime pursuit of knowledge.


General Monash was the Australian born son of Prussian-Jewish immigrant parents of modest means. He was a gifted linguist, talented musician, appreciated the theatre and the arts and was involved in many community activities. As a citizen soldier, he led a division at Gallipoli and achieved recognition through his brilliant command of the Australian Army Corps in France during the last six months of World War I. Some acclaimed him as one of the best of the Allied generals in that War. Monash also contributed much in his leadership roles in civilian life. He was the first General Manager of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, and led exploitation of the brown coal deposits in the Latrobe Valley, resulting in the electrification of much of Victoria. He also played a pivotal role in the Shrine of Remembrance at St Kilda. Upon his death in 1932, he was accorded a State Funeral, and his funeral procession was the largest seen in Melbourne.


For more information see the 1985 biography by Geoffrey Serle “John Monash: A Biography” (Melbourne University Press)
General Sir John Monash – Brief Biography
Monash’s Contribution to Australia’s Economy

Sir John Monash’s major peacetime contribution to Australia was probably his drive for the electrification of Victoria, utilizing the brown coal resources of the La Trobe Valley. Monash became Chairman of the new State Electricity Commission (SEC) early in 1921. The commission was established to develop open cut mining of the huge deposits of brown coal in the La Trobe Valley and to build the installations, which would transmit power statewide. Monash led efforts to dewater the coal allowing it to be economically utilized for power generation. In 1929 the Institute of Engineers, Australia awarded Monash its highest honour, the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal, and in June 1931 he was awarded the University of Melbourne's Kernot Memorial Medal for distinguished achievement in Australian engineering.


Monash’s Legacy

Sir John Monash continues to be recognized particularly in his home State of Victoria, lending his name to a number of civic institutions.
Most prominent of these is Monash University. Established in Melbourne in 1958, Monash is Australia's largest and most internationalised university, with around 56,000 students and 15,000 staff. It has eight campuses including one in Malaysia and one in South Africa, and a centre in Prato, Italy.
Monash University is a commissioned Victorian university. It was established by an Act of the State Parliament of Victoria in 1958 as a result of the Murray Report which was commissioned in 1957 by the then Prime Minister Robert Menzies to establish the second university in the State of Victoria. This was the first time in Australia that a university had been named after a person, rather than a city or state.
Monash University is a member of the "Group of Eight", a group composed of some of the most research-intensive universities in Australia. It was ranked by The Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings at number 45 of the world's top 200 universities for 2009. It is one of only three post World War II universities in the world's top 50.
One of Monash’s most well known statements is inscribed along a walkway between the Robert Blackwood Hall and Performing Arts Centre at the University’s Clayton campus:
“Adopt as your fundamental creed that you will equip yourself for life, not solely for your own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole community.”
The City of Monash is one of Melbourne's most populous municipalities, with around 172,000 residents. It is located 20km south east of the CBD in Melbourne's fastest growing population corridor. Monash is a cosmopolitan city with 37% of its residents coming from more than 30 countries. The City has a highly skilled and well-educated workforce, with 13% having a degree or higher education. Its residents also enjoy a level of home ownership that is considerably higher than the Melbourne average.
Monash has some of Melbourne's best known landmarks within its 82 square kilometres, including the Monash Medical Centre, the Victoria Police Academy and Jells Park. The City is also home to Melbourne's most substantial innovation cluster, with notable features including Monash University's Science Technology Research and Innovation Precinct and Technology Park and the Australian Synchrotron.
In 1994, with the amalgamation of the two former cities of Oakleigh and Waverley a new name was needed for the new municipality. The name Monash was suggested and approved by the Local Government Board.
The Monash Freeway is an urban freeway in Victoria, Australia linking Melbourne's CBD to its southeastern suburbs and the Gippsland region. It runs northwest to southeast for 34 kilometers, and was named in 1998 by then-Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett.


Recent News and Bibliography

Apart from the Geoffrey Serle biography, major works relating to General Sir John Monash include:

  • Roland Perry: Monash: The Outsider Who Won a War
  • Michael Lowrinwsky: Hard Jacka

There is also continued interest in Monash’s military title, in particular whether he may be accorded the rank of Field Marshal.
Monash Foundation © 2010Kryptonite Design Group
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