Congratulations to the following students who have achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Awards:

Gold Awards

• Lucy McLean - 10 August 2023

• Rebekah Murphy - 22 June 2023

Bronze Awards

• Holly Mason - 1 August 2023

Here are some reflections:

Gold: Rebekah Murphy

I began my Duke of Edinburgh journey in year 10, completing my Bronze and Silver awards and have worked my way to achieving my Gold award in June. During my Gold Duke of Edinburgh, I learnt so much about myself and the world around me. Over the period of 52 weeks, I developed my skills in knitting, embroidery and continued my training as a goalie in Hockey and committed myself to help out in the school library each week.

My favourite part of the award was doing the Adventurous Journeys. For my practice journey, I went on explorations along the West Coast of the South Island. Learning all about how people are able to live there and protect the natural scenery around the area. We travelled from the Buller Gorge down to Franz Josef Glacier, seeing many sites and participating in lots of activities along the way. It was absolutely amazing. For my qualifying journey, I travelled to Stewart Island, spending 10 days there. I met so many like-minded people and we all learned about the native wildlife and the reserves on Stewart Island. We explored many coves, predator-free areas and kayaked around part of the coast. We were fortunate enough to see a range of endangered species in their natural habitat, including Little Blue Penguins, Sea Lions, South Island Saddleback and Kiwi.

My residential project was attending a Scouting jamboree in Mayfield, Canterbury alongside 1000 similar-aged Scouts and Guides, from all over New Zealand and Australia, as well as some from Canada and the Netherlands.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award was an amazing challenge and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try new skills, learn about tramping, discover more of our beautiful country and develop new interests. To extend yourself and to learn that you can achieve more than you often realise is possible. 

Gold: Lucy McLean

I have thoroughly enjoyed completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award. Over the past fourteen months, I’ve completed 52 hours for each of the following sections: Service (I assist REPLAY, our local charity recycling sports equipment), a Skill (I play guitar and do weekly baking) and Physical Recreation (triathlon training). For my Residential Project, I attended BLAKE Inspire - a week-long leadership development programme run by the Sir Peter Blake Trust in October 2022, and last summer I completed two four-night tramps in the Ruahine and Kaweka Ranges respectively. A highlight of completing the Gold Award was my final tramp, where, on the third day, we gained 1050 metres of elevation to summit ‘Kaweka J’, the highest point of the Kaweka Ranges. We had panoramic views from Mount Ruapehu around to the Napier Port, and we stayed at the lovely Rocks Ahead Hut overlooking the Ngaruroro River the night before. Another highlight was attending BLAKE Inspire - I met some inspiring people and have taken many great learnings from the programme. I would highly recommend the Duke of Edinburgh Award to anyone - it teaches really valuable life skills such as preparation, planning and problem-solving competency, and provides the opportunity to build connections with a variety of people. I really appreciate all the support that Mrs Dustin, other teacher coordinators and my section assessors have given to help me complete my Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award.

Bronze Award: Holly Mason

My experience with the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award has been incredibly enjoyable. Throughout the duration of this adventure, I have gained valuable lessons in personal growth and resilience. I dedicated my volunteer hours to a local charity shop. Engaging in physical activities, I enjoyed working out at the gym focusing on weightlifting. Whilst my chosen skill led me to participate in music lessons. Undoubtedly, the highlight of this achievement was the tramping, I immersed myself in nature and explored beyond my limits. These outdoor tramps allowed me to make new friends along the way which made the journey more exciting! Escaping the routine of my daily life and exploring the natural world was refreshing. Overall this award taught me the importance of perseverance, I have come to realise that achieving goals is incredibly rewarding and to never give up!