AFTER four years of dedicated service, four Cooroy Scouts Johanna Beasley, Jade Clarke, Thomas Haack and Dylan Hafey, have been awarded the Australian Scout Medallion.
All Scouts have the opportunity to receive the award, which is an incremented and progressive program that takes four years to complete, but Johanna, Jade, Thomas and Dylan passed the program with “flying colours”.
The program is designed to move a Scout from a dependent child to an independent adolescent by completing the Pioneer, Explorer and Adventurer levels.
Each level features a different set of basic skills for the Scout to complete such as a leadership course that requires the Scout to organise and independently run an overnight activity and a 30km, three-day unassisted hike.
It’s not surprising that not every Scout will complete this exhaustive list of tasks, but Johanna, Jade, Thomas and Dylan passed with flying colours.
Scout group leader Sally Clarke said she was excited these Scouts had come so far and was even more excited that three of the four would now be going onto Venturers where a whole new level of adventure awaits.
“As the mother of one of the recipients, I know how much work has gone into getting this award,” she said.
“The kids have put their heart and soul into it and so have their leaders. It’s no easy feat creating opportunities for these kids to succeed.”
Ms Clarke said the activities took time and money, and was thankful to the Cooroy Community Bank Branch of Bendigo Bank for their much-needed funding.
“We’ve been able to buy the equipment we need to offer the full program,” she said.
“It was great to have Geoff Edwards present at our awards night last week to see the end result and the difference this makes in the kids’ lives.”
Mr Edwards said supporting the community was the bank’s point of difference.
“The Cooroy Scout Group is all about engaging and inspiring young locals to develop confidence, resilience and leadership. It’s fantastic stuff, and as we generate more profits from our Cooroy Community Bank branch it means more for organisations just like Cooroy Scout Group. We look forward to providing more support in the years ahead,” Geoff said.
If you would like more information about Cooroy Scout Group, or become a volunteer to help assist or lead some of the Scouts on these exciting activities, call Sally Clarke for more information on 0415 984 900 or arrange a visit to the Scout Den at 2 Mary River Road, Cooroy.
