25 years of stories...
Frank Bailey generously shares some of his experiences
At Awards Victoria, we're always on the look out for stories that challenge and inspire.
One person that has heard our call for stories is Frank Bailey, who Coordinated The Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Nagle College for 25 years. His service and support over so many years is phenomenal. The stories he has accumulated over the years are an absolute treasure trove.
Read on for some excerpts of just a few of the stories he has so generously shared with us.
Since I arrived at Nagle College in 1981, I have been involved in teaching Technology...First Aid, and Helth Science. I have taught Biology and Sport for short periods of time. There is one area I have been passionate about for the entire 25 years: motivating and challenging young people through The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
...Coordinating The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is one of the most rewarding aspects of my teaching. The program is designed around meaningful relationships. Award participants discover things about themselves and ther world, and I share in their discovery. They overcome personal challenges and I walk with them.
...Angelo was one of those middle-ground students who normally get lost. Not outstanding but definitely not naughty enough to be noticed. Angelo was not a big student, but he had a large amount of determination. Year after year, level-by-level, Angelo completed every Award, one of about 150 Nagle students over the years to get their Gold.
...Alana was another person with amazing courage. She had a terrible fear of heights. She was tested to her limit on a walk to Mount Feathertop. The drops along the Razorback were bad enough. She had to get down on her hands and knees and crawl to the summit. Others groaned at the effort but Alana stuck to her task...Alana continued to manage her fear and later successfully completed the walk from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair - including all of its high peaks.
...Nyssa also proved that she could take the hard knocks and be there when the going fot tough. She came off in a big way on a cycle expedition and lost some skin...Eventually she decided to continue and despite the pain she successfully completed the trip.
Soon after she applied to join our expedition to Papua New Guinea...each applicant had to pass a medical. Nyssa didn't get through, but instead of complaining she set about organising a trip she could manage - a white water rafting trip down the Mitta Mitta River. Part way down the river, another member of the party came out in a rapid, injuring himself in the process. Nyssa saw what happened and paddle her boat out to rescue him. Again, without fuss or comment, she was just doing her job. Nyssa received her Gold Award from HRH Prince Edward at a ceremony held in Melbourne.
...It's about the young man who lost his father when he was about ten, and found himself thriving on Duke of Ed. He found the companionship, direction and challenge he was searching for...
The adventuror who emailed from his base in Antarctica saying that Duke of Ed gave him the opportunity to believe in himself.
The physically frail who knew they wuld be supported, the overweight who knew they could endure, because there would be no ridicule.
Young people who felt good because they had made a new friend - struggled with them and shared their pain, sometimes cried - and succeeded.
The young people who collectively spent thousands of hours in service to the community, year after year, because they were striving for an Award they believed had value.
They enjoyed the challenge, the enormous sense of satisfaction, the feeling of achievement...
They genuinely appreciated the leadership and direction.
Excerpts from Frank Bailey, Award Coordinator at Nagle College from 1981-2006
