Duke of Edinburgh Award – A do-it-yourself kit for growing up

When Prince Philip founded the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in 1956, he described it as ‘a do-it-yourself kit in the art of living’ – a program designed not to be done to young people, but by them. Seventy years on, that idea still sits at the heart of what makes DofE different. The Award doesn’t hand out achievement; it asks young people to go and find it for themselves.

 

That’s what makes this year’s results worth celebrating. So far in 2026, 34 MLC School students from Year 9 through to Year 12 have completed their Awards – 5 Gold, 18 Silver and 11 Bronze. Each has set their own goals, chosen their own activities, and seen them through.

 

The Adventurous Journey is often the part students talk about most. Our Gold cohort travelled to Southern WA in the April holidays and came back changed by it – quieter in some ways, more capable in others. In December, it’s Year 9 and Year 10 students’ turn: a new group heads to Victoria’s High Country for the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. Different trip, same pattern – students step out of their comfort zone and step back in as someone slightly more grown-up.

 

If there’s one thing we’d whisper to parents along the way: support the climb, don’t carry the pack. When students do it themselves, the adult within them grows.

 

Congratulations to all 34 students. You’ve earned every bit of it.