Western students taking up rural studies have the chance to be awarded $2000 under a scholarship set up to honour late Gulargambone community titan William 'Willy' Redington.

Announced at Gulargambone's Australia Day celebrations, the William Redington Agricultural Scholarship will provide the money annually to one second-year university or TAFE student.

The scholarship will be open to anyone originally from the areas covered under the '68' telephone code area, which includes most of the Western Plains, Dubbo and Moree.

Organisers hope to award their first recipient by the end of 2025.

"It's just something else we can remember Dad by," said Willy's daughter Samantha Redington.

"I hope it helps them along their educational journey and their life journey."

Willy Redington (centre) with his family. IMAGE: supplied

The scholarship will be funded with about $24,000 left over from the community auction hosted in Gulargambone toward the end of Willy's life, topped up by donations from the Gulargambone Lions Club.

Willy cut his teeth as a shed hand and was heavily involved in the wool trade for most of his life, so his loved ones decided a rural studies scholarship was a natural choice to honour his life.

Gulargambone farmer Ian (Bull) Lambell was a friend to Willy for over 60 years and announced the scholarship.

"The area is the Dubbo phone book, the 68 phone book, which covers a lot of where Willy spent a lot of his time kicking asses," Ian said.

Ian also said some money from the local fundraising pool would go towards installing a shade cloth over an approximate six-metre square lawn area on the western end of Gulargambone Hospital.

Born in April 1957, Willy came to Gulargambone as a five-year-old when his family bought a small block.

He joined the Gulargambone Show Society in 1977 and ten years later was one of the Charter Members of the Gulargambone Lions Club.

He took part in wool judging competitions throughout the region and was renowned for his commitment to educating the industry's up and coming generation. Willy passed away in February 2024.

The Gulargambone Australia Day crowd, which included members of the Redington family, observed a minute silence for Willy and other loved ones lost that year.