Nineteen-year-old Elijah, who had been home schooled, left home last year to study criminal law and languages at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

After such a short space of time, Elijah has excelled in his chosen subjects, so much so that he was invited in early May this year to apply for a four-week scholarship.

The scholarship is to study Chinese at the Shanghai University Summer School in China this year.

Only three positions were offered in Australia, and only 20 worldwide.

Elijah has been officially accepted to attend and is now very busy getting his passport processed and awaiting confirmation of the date to attend, possibly as soon as mid June.

Elijah’s parents, Paul and Alison, and the family are very proud and excited about this opportunity, and are saving madly to pay the air fares. All other expenses are covered in the package.

It is also to be noted that Elijah’s older brother James, who has turned 21, is in his third year at ANU studying music and sound engineering.

He is already performing live with many noted musicians in the Canberra area.

What an incredible achievement for these two local lads who have entertained us over the years at seniors concerts and busking in the street with their musical abilities.

Congratulations must go to Elijah and James, but especially to their parents who have given their children the best possible opportunities there are in life with a positive attitude and a Christian upbringing.