SCOUT CHIEF RETURNS TO PRESENT DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS
Chief Executive of the Scouting Association, Derek Twine returned to his Reigate roots to present a total of 127 Reigate Grammar School students with their Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award. The awards ceremony saw the largest number of RGS students to gain an award in the school’s history, with 81 students achieving Bronze, 29 Silver and 17 achieving Gold Award. Commenting on the growth in the number of students who achieving a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Mr Simons Collins, who runs the scheme at RGS, said: “I did wonder if the economic climate had made a wet expedition across the Brecon Beacons seem more appealing to teenagers, but actually I think the real reason is the dedication and organisation of an outstanding group of young people who really have worked hard.”
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards at Reigate Grammar School is one of the longest running schemes in the country. Started in 1960 by teacher Mr Aubrey Scrase, the scheme has steadily grown in numbers, resulting in RGS becoming a dedicated Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Centre in 2009.
On returning to his old school, Derek Twine was delighted to be reunited with his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award leader and former teacher, Mr Aubrey Scrase. Mr Twine attended Reigate Grammar School from 1963 to 1970 before gaining a First Class Honours degree at Bangor University and going on to a career in the voluntary sector. Mr Twine’s involvement with the Scout Association began in Surrey as an Instructor with the County Training Team and eventually led to his appointment as Chief Executive in 1996. In 2007 he was appointed CBE for ‘services to young people.’
Reflecting on how his experiences as a school boy, engaged in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme Mr Twine told the students: “My overriding memory of our first expedition was of a very dark evening and my team arriving at the check point late, very tired and in foul weather. There were two of us trying to put up tents and the other two cooking up awful rations on a trangia. We’d just got tents ready when one of the cooks burnt his hand and spilled the stew all over the muddy, wet ground. That night dinner was just Kendal Mint cake. We learnt a lot about perseverance, forgiveness and teamwork!”
Commenting on how his time in the awards scheme influenced his career, Mr Twine added: “These are experiences that go on through life, which is why DoE is so important. As part of the community service element to the award, each week I visited a widower who lived in Holmesdale Road. It was a positive experience and I had a feeling that I was making a bit of a difference, but wasn’t really sure what. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realised that the networking I undertook across the UK to organise lunches for elderly had its roots in these early days.”
He added: “My first attempt at buying a pint was on Bronze Award expedition, and that’s a social skill that has stayed with me!”
Following the presentation of the awards, the students who had achieved the Gold Award recounted their personal highlights. 19 year old Madeleine Phillips, recounted: “Gold was tough and I definitely can’t say it was plain sailing. After completing the expedition across the Brecon Beacons I promised myself that I would never return to Wales. But I’ve now just moved on to Cardiff University after finishing my A Levels last summer! DofE is great fun, I met amazing people and found success when I really committed to it and now I’ve been invited to St James’ Palace in March. I’d encourage all those doing Bronze and Silver Awards to carry on as it’s worth so much.” 18 year old Kathryn Carmody reflected on her expedition to Morocco: “My team were extremely lucky to go to Morocco for an expedition across the Atlas Mountains. We motivated each other through a whole range of challenges. We had to choose all our food before we set off and we’d chosen some onions. This was a mistake as we couldn’t cook them so ended up eating them whole, raw.” Bringing the Awards Ceremony to a close, Mr Twine gave the students some final words of encouragement: “The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is just as important as an exam result. The Award says something about you, about what kind of person you are, not just what result you can get.”
For a photo gallery of the award ceremony click here.