From: 22richardsonh
Sent: Wednesday, 8 June 2022 4:10 PM
To: Liam Callaghan; Bulletin Submissions
Subject: Re: Hannah Richardson- GOLD Duke of Edinburgh
Dear Jen,
Attached are some images that encapsulate many elements of my duke of Ed journey.
Kind regards,
Hannah
From: Liam Callaghan
<lcallaghan@kws.nsw.edu.au>
Sent: Thursday, June 2, 2022 7:54 pm
To: Bulletin Submissions <bulletin@kws.nsw.edu.au>
Cc: 22richardsonh <22richardsonh@student.kws.nsw.edu.au>
Subject: Hannah Richardson- GOLD Duke of Edinburgh
Dear Jen,
Could you pleas publish the following student report from Hannah Richardson (12) explaining her Duke of Edinburgh journey Bronze through to Gold. I have CC Hannah into the email as she has some better quality photos she can send through to attach to the article.
Hannah Richardson- GOLD Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh has been a fantastic journey that has challenged me taught me many life skills. I started the Duke of Edinburgh process in year 9 completing my bronze level and then moving on to finish my silver by the end on year 10, and my gold by the start of year 12. You do not need to have completed the lower levels to attempt the silver or the gold however, it does reduce some of the time you have to spend working towards the higher levels. Overall, it has pushed me to reach out and obtain new life skills as well as develop intrinsic motivation and stay organised.
Duke of Edinburgh is broken into three main sections skill, sport, and service which you must complete for 1 hour a week for a certain number of weeks; this varies in accordance with the different levels. For the skill component I participated in musicals including the Adams family, Oliver, and High School Musical; I also read novels with the goal to read a large range of books. For the sporting component I played netball and rowing and for the service component I worked at a nursing home, coached a netball team and for filled a leadership position as New House captain. There is a large variety of activates you can do for each section and commitments such as cadets, playing a musical instrument, and being part of a sporting team can all count towards the award.
Another element to Duke of Edinburgh is the adventurous journey. Cadet camp counted for my bronze level but for silver I walked the six-foot track, from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves and for gold I complete a trail ride on horseback. The length of the journey beings at 2-day 1 night for bronze and extends to 4 days 3 nights for gold. This was one of my favourite parts of Duke of Edinburgh as it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. When walking the six-foot track, we climbed over 900m in elevation in half a day and when horsing riding for my gold we covered over 80kms. The school also runs camps for Duke of Edinburgh to help facilitate the students. Personally, I had journeys that I knew I wanted to achieve, hence why mine were self-planned by my peers have spoken positively about the school organised trips.
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and found that the program works excellently with what is already offered at KWS. I will be honest in saying completing the Gold Duke of Edinburgh does require time, commitment, and organisation but it certainly pays of being an internationally recognised award. For me it was a fun program that gave me the opportunity to give back to my community and keep me busy; this improved my studies as it encouraged me to be efficient with my time and stay organised. The award is a commitment which requires dedication, organisation, and persistence. However, it is well worth it and something to be proud of. Universities recognise this and some offer adjustment factor points which can help you get into your desired course.
Logging the award is also a simple process and I would highly recommend using the online record book. If anyone has any questions on how to complete the award or wishes to discuss options regarding their sport, service, and skill I am more than happy to help or provide some help!
Hannah Richardson
Regards
Liam
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