This year has been one of the most disrupted years for students completing their Award due to Covid restrictions.

However, we have had 5 students complete their Bronze Award, 2 completed Silver and, showing that all obstacles can be overcome, Dev Pandya (13ABJ) completed his Gold Award after 3 disrupted years. A huge congratulations goes to Dev for this massive achievement. The following is Dev’s summary of his time in the Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh International Award was formed in 1956 by the collaborative efforts of His Royal Highness Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, Kurt Hahn and Lord Hunt. This award was adopted in New Zealand on the 19th of July, 1963, dubbed The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award since 2009 in recognition of Sir Edmund Hillary. Since its establishment, this award program seeks to transform the lives of young people throughout the world by pushing them to their full potential and recognising their achievements. It requires dedication to the community through community service, as well as to one’s self through devotion to a chosen physical recreational activity and skill. Finally, it allows for the exploration of one’s full potential through Adventurous Journeys and Residential Projects, which young people to test and expand upon their physical and mental limits while simultaneously meeting new like-minded people. However, in very few schools does this award program shine as well as it does at Burnside High School.

I can say confidently that my three years in the Duke of Edinburgh program here at Burnside, I have had the opportunity to take part in several activities that allowed me to meet some incredible people, see the beauty of New Zealand from a different perspective and overall develop my character and values into what they are today. For my community service, I was able to help Environment Club develop plant growth at Jellie Park and Te Uru. Similarly, the Burnside Chess Club helped me develop my skills in chess for the Skill section of my award. Finally, I was able to form good team relationships through my participation in Basketball, Hockey and Kapa Haka for my Physical Recreation sections. However, above all else, the highlights of my experiences with DOE must be the Adventurous Journeys and my Residential Project for my Gold Award. The Adventurous Journeys allowed me to trek through New Zealand backcountry with skilled support from Bushworks and Boyle River Outdoor Education Centre. I saw some beautiful sides of New Zealand while meeting people from Christ’s College, St Margaret’s College, St Andrew’s College and many more. My Residential Project took this to a whole new level, as I took part in a National Junior Non-Commissioned Officer Course with the New Zealand Cadet Forces. This allowed me to get to know fellow cadets from across New Zealand, from Tauranga to Invercargill, and develop my leadership abilities, shape my values and get a better understanding of the operations of the New Zealand Defence Force.

Overall, taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award program here at Burnside has been a highlight of time at high school. I can speak for many of the over 40 students that we have in the program at Burnside in saying that though it isn’t always easy, the program serves a key role in developing a sense of character and an appreciation of our local and national communities. It leads young leaders. It guides global citizens. It builds champions.

Dev Pandya