Yirara College honoured with royal visit

Yirara College was honoured to be chosen to host His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, acknowledging the 60th anniversary of the award in Australia. They were proud to share the special event with fellow schools delivering The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award: Acacia Hill, Centralian Senior School, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and St Phillips.

Students at Yirara College have been participating in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program since 2014. Yirara students log hours in activities they are already participating in, giving them additional opportunities to earn credit points towards their NTCET with successful completions of bronze and silver awards, and in 2019, Yirara has two students working towards their gold award.

The award consists of four development areas: physical recreation, skills, voluntary service and an adventurous journey which challenge students to develop their character.

Some of the activities students have participated in include:

• Physical recreation: basketball, AFL, weights training, soccer, softball, swimming, bike riding, table tennis and volleyball
• Skills: driving lessons, first aid training, VET training and hairdressing
• Voluntary service: picking up rubbish, spending time at Old Timers, chapel band, Riding for the Disabled, Hetti Perkins aged care, and assisting with community events and soup kitchen

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program supports students in achieving goals and acknowledges their participation and successes. Some of the ‘soft skills’ such as confidence, leadership, resilience and initiative are developed in this program, encouraging students to become valuable community members.

Yirara students are from remote communities, and some of the activities that take them out into the wider community, such as assisting with the preparation for the Finke Desert Race and Clean Up Australia Day, expand their worldview and gives the outside community a positive view of our young people.

Read the welcome speech by Finke River Mission Board chairperson Tim Stollznow.