Pair earn top Scouting award

THERE’S two new Queen’s Scouts in town.

Jeremy Coad and Jesse Cruickshank were both presented with the Queen’s Scout Award at a ceremony held in Black Hill recently.

Open to all Venturer Scouts during their three years with the program, the achievement represents a significant investment of time and effort.

“The Queen’s Scout award is an equivalent to the Duke of Edenborough award,” Jeremy Coad said.

“It helps me in the real world, with all the different skills I can learn. Skills I can use in other aspects of my
life.”

Both recipients had different routes to their achievement with the Arch Venturer Unit.

Jesse made Queen’s Scout after joining as a Venturer whereas Jeremy has moved through the levels of the Scouting movement, starting as a Joey at age six.

To earn the Queen’s Scout Award participants must complete a number of badges across a wide range of areas of study, from outdoor education and first aid through to leadership and community outreach.

Some of the badges are compulsory and all come with their own set of requirements.

For Jeremy, that represents an investment of about 270 hours.

“I enjoyed the Outdoor Queen’s Scout badge,” he said. “I went to the snow for a week and we had to ski in for 11km.

“We did various activities and ski hikes for the week and then skied back.”

It’s not like Jeremy had nothing else going on during this time.

The 17-year-old is on the back end of his last year of VCE at St Patricks, as well as working a job.

As a result, his mum, Elizabeth Coad, said there was a fair amount of juggling time to help Jeremy achieve the award.

“Most of it he organised so he didn’t have to do it this year in Year 12. He only had a couple of things left to do,” she said.

“We were running around doing lots of camps and hikes and everything, mostly last year so he could have his badges up-to-date.”

Family involvement was a big part of helping Jeremy make Queen’s Scout and he was quick to acknowledge both his parents and his Venturer leaders.

“My parents have helped with running me around everywhere,” Jeremy said.

“Our Venturer leader, Kristen Bourquin, helped us as well, and heaps of other leaders all-over Victoria.”