Duke of Edinburgh

from Karamu High School Yearbook 2019

Class Photos

Gold

Since year 10, I’ve had some amazing experiences through Duke of Edinburgh Hillary award, with this year being no exception. All the hard work was really put to the test in Year 12 and this year, Year 13, whilst completing my Gold award. This included a year’s worth (52 hours) each of learning a skill (gaining my speech diploma), participating in a sport, (being part of the AUT path to podium gym programme), and completing some sort of service (volunteering at the Hawke’s Bay hospital). This programme has taught me the value of hard work like no other experience, and how not everything has an immediate pay off, but rather something you must work towards. The hard work was definitely made valuable by the adventurous journeys I’ve been able to participate in. Over the years these have included Sunrise Hut, Te Puia Springs (including the hot springs), Lake Waikaremoana, and kayaking through the Marlborough sounds. The connections and memories made on these trips are incomparable, and I’m so thankful to Mrs Van Rijk, Mr Wright and the other support staff who came on these trips that have made them possible.

Silver

Lucy McKay

The Marlborough sounds offers some of the most beautiful scenery in this country, with secluded coves, picturesque waters and an array of wildlife unparalleled to anywhere else I’ve been; this was the perfect destination for the 2019 DOE-Silver Trip. After an evening drive to Wellington we boarded the late-night ferry and attempted to get some sleep before tackling the sounds in the morning. This was made difficult by the droning of the ferry engine at a convenient 2am so, with bags the size of oranges under our eyes, we departed for the Kayak base at around 6am. After the briefings we were ready to head out onto the water; embarking at around 10am, we set off southward into the sounds along the west side, in order to avoid the wind (in theory). The weather did what it does best and changed – presenting us with a headwind that was responsible for the painful journey that ensued. With aching muscles, wet bums and a mission, we trucked forward, very conscious of how important it was to look after one another. The wind got to the point where if we stopped paddling, even for a mere 30 seconds, we floated backwards. The situation forced us to transform our frustrations into encouragement in order to rally our friends and co-kayakers on. Eventually, we made it to the point we were aiming for, crossed the sound (another challenge in and of itself) and relished in the calmer waters of Mistletoe Bay. The second day provided far better weather, which lifted our spirits. We could enjoy the environment more and take time to soak up the views. By then we were really getting the hang of things, our muscles adjusted to paddling. We were greeted by more great weather at Davies Bay, and arrived there earlier in the day, allowing for a scenic walk up to a lookout over the sounds. As we were crossing the sounds to head back home on the third day, Mr Wright with his attuned outdoor eyes spotted a pod of dolphins making their way past. We didn’t get too close but this was a first-time experience for many of us. The saturation of wildlife in the sounds was spectacular. Ultimately, this trip was a challenging one. It required perseverance, teamwork and an almost invincible work ethic. Every single one of us developed as a person, especially in the humility that comes with doing everything as a team – no one rushed ahead, everyone had a turn navigating and group decisions were ‘majority-rules’. It took discipline and will power to accomplish what we did, and thus the reward was sweeter. This trip was a wholesome experience, and one that I will cherish for a very long time! Keelan Heesterman

Bronze

This year I was fortunate enough to go on the Bronze trip for the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary award. Friday afternoon we travelled via the school vans to Sunrise Hut carpark. With our bags over packed with stuff we would later discover we didn’t need, we walked to the hut at the base of the Ruahine range. As night fell, we set up our tents and began to cook our dinner. The wind whistled violently through the trees, as one by one we dozed off. In the morning we packed our gear into our packs and prepared for the hill that stood before us. We began to climb Sunrise Hut. Stopping every now and then to learn about the forest around us, the hours ticked by. Due to some problems (or “lemons” as Miss Van Rijk called them), we didn’t have time to reach the top, as we needed to be back at school by 3pm. We found a place to stop and learnt what to do if a bad lemon occurred. After a few practices of people pretending to get injured and us caring for them, we started our descent. The rest of the walk was mostly downhill, so we reached the bottom quickly. Excited to get the heavy packs off our shoulders, we jumped into the vans and headed back to school. I learnt some very valuable lessons throughout that trip and the whole Duke of Edinburgh Hillary experience. One section requires you to do at least 13 hours of volunteer work. I wasn’t doing anything before DoEH, but having this opportunity taught me a valuable lesson. You must work hard to get something you want, and you must keep your mind focused on the end goal. If I want to finish the award (Bronze, Silver and Gold), I will do at least 91 hours of volunteer work. That’s a lot of work, but I feel like it’s a good experience that will make me a better person. But at the end of it, I can say that I have completed the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary award. I did 91 hours of volunteer work; I can feel good about myself. This award has shown me that you’ve got to put in the hard work before you can get the reward.