Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Sixty-five years ago, His Royal Highness Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh, established The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the UK and three years later it was introduced to Australians. Since then, it has been offered in more than 130 countries and territories, equipping and empowering millions of young people to build the skills, confidence and resilience they need to support their communities and be ready for the world. 

Peter Kaye, the Australian CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award says:

The International Award family mourns the loss of our inspirational Founder. Prince Philip’s belief in the infinite potential of young people, coupled with his championing of non-formal education and learning, positioned him as a leader and thinker of truly global stature. 

Through the personal leadership and involvement of Prince Philip, the Award that bears his name has transformed the lives of millions of young people since it started in 1956 and well over 750,000 in Australia.   As young people face exceptional challenge and change in the wake of the current pandemic, this “do-it-yourself growing-up kit”, as he described it, is even more relevant today than ever.

I would like to express the sadness of our loss, but also my thanks to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh for pioneering the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.  As a Gold Awardee, whose involvement led to me becoming a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Leader, I am grateful for the wonderful experiences I have had over more than thirty years. It is a privilege to see young people climb their way up the steep slope that leads to adulthood, garnering confidence from a connection with the outdoors, as well as the other activities such as the Community Service. His Royal Highness was a great advocate for adventure and remote spaces, and because of his vision and commitment he has left an extraordinary legacy with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

I am sure that His Royal Highness would have been impressed with the efforts of our students over the Easter holidays, when we ran two gold expeditions, one around the Hawkesbury and the second in the Blue Mountains. The girls had to deal with rain, shortened autumn days and windy, cool nights, whilst covering the greater distances required at the Gold level. As always, they applied effective teamwork, planning, resolve and good humour to throw aside the challenges. Congratulations to all, especially those who have now completed their Qualifying Expedition and can get on with the other components to achieve Gold.

Joanne Bower
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Leader
and
Doric Swain
Expedition Coordinator