Drysdale venturer earns prestigious award

A DRYSDALE Scouts venturer has attained the top accolade possible in his section at a special ceremony earlier this week.

18-year-old Geelong Peninsula District Venturer Unit member Brendyn Wilson was awarded the rare Queen’s Scout Award on Tuesday in front of friends, family, and dignitaries at Leopold Scout Hall, becoming just the 10th Drysdale venturer in 60 years to receive the honour.

“It was such a well-organised night, but it didn’t really feel real until I was up there talking about it and realising it was my last hurrah in venturers,” Mr Wilson said.

“Only five per cent of adventurers get this award and I’m now a part of that group and I’m just very proud of myself.

“But to see everyone there… Scouts is essentially my first family given my entire family has been in Scouts my whole life and it all kind of blends into one. I’ll never leave it.”

Obtaining a Queen’s Scout Award is a rigorous task entailing reaching the Venturer Award standard in all 13 Venturer Award activities.

Typically taking three years to complete, a venturer must then reach Queen’s Scout Award standard in an activity area from each of the following disciplines: Leadership Development, Outdoors Activities, Personal Growth and Community Involvement.

Mr Wilson managed to compress his Queen’s Scout task into 18 months, overcoming challenging tasks including a 75km hike from Geelong to Anglesea by way of Drysdale, Ocean Grove and Torquay.

“I started late in getting this award and in September last year I was still way off from completing it, but mum Nicole really pushed me to stick with it and thankfully I got there,” he said.

“The last home stretch of getting the last few badges was extremely hard, it was stressful, it was rough, but we got there and it’s a terrific feeling.”

Mr Wilson hopes more people can join Scouts given his experience and says no matter what age someone is, they can still join.

“Even if you’re in your thirties, it’s never too late to join as a Scouts leader, encourage your kids to join, it’s like nothing else.”

If anyone is interested in joining Scouts, reach out via email at [email protected] or by attending a weekly unit meeting at Leopold Scout Hall on Tuesdays at 7pm.