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Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme

and Wednesday, 9th June, have been available with five and ten cadets respectively obtaining flights.

With the departure of some senior cadets last year 'hang gliding has been held in abeyance. However, a group of cadets in the present Flight A hope to revive this activity in 1976-7 under the leadership of J. /Cpl. Wiggle.

Among the achievements of the section in the past year W.O. P. T. Atkinson succeeded in passing 0 level Air Navigation on a very limited instruction time, and Cpl. Holderness qualified as a glider pilot during the Easter holidays.

P.L.H.

THE CROCK OF GOLD

It seemed, as far as I remember, to be a rather simple job at the time, though the passage of the intervening years has doubtless dulled the memory. Possibly it should also be admitted that it is most unlikely that the niceties of the task were apparent to me, since I was rather young back in '50 and I couldn't possibly have appreciated the considerable problems of three dimensional geometry, involved in the alignment of a ball catch with its socket on the pantry door. Even at such a tender age I displayed a marked lack of patience as I held the door steady whilst my father painstakingly chiselled away; it seemed to take a time totally out of proportion to the problem, time enough for Dick Barton (Special Agent) to have extricated himself from many dilemmas and to have solved numerous apparently insoluble problems of much greater significance. I vividly recall not being too impressed when ringing in my ear I heard, "If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right". A well worn cliché perhaps, but full of meaning and worthy ideals.

I hope those who have just completed their programme of activities for the Gold Award feel that they have lived up to its meaning. For my part, I am sure they have, and they have every reason to be proud of their achievement.

Though five of the seven have worked through the Bronze and Silver stages to Gold during the last four years, one chose to omit Silver and one was a direct entrant at Gold, and in every case much has been accomplished in the two years needed for completion of the Gold Award.

The Physical Activity section may have seemed rather inappropriate, particularly for those who have taken part at every level, but in most cases it allowed a different form of pursuit to be undertaken, resulting in a new experience. The Service section is, I believe, the most significant part of the Gold Award programme, since it presents a very real opportunity for a worthwhile contribution to the community. Several spent a year acting as voluntary National Park Wardens and in addition to enhancing the enjoyment of others, it proved to be a most rewarding form of service. The cycling proficiency scheme could not function 28

thout voluntary help and we are happy to have made a significant ntribution to this most worthwhile activity. The Residential Qualifica- n involves being away from home comforts for a week or so, to 1nend a course designed to broaden the experience, and most chose join one of the numerous Acorn Camps which are organised by the tional Trust throughout the country. It seems to have been a most joyable week, and resulted in much worthwhile forestry work being e. The Interests section presents an opportunity and incentive to rsue a chosen enthusiasm to a level of considerable expertise and these re chosen wisely and have been rewarding. Indeed, those who chose 'mming have contributed significantly to that activity within the chool and have made tangible improvements to the amenities in the ool.

Finally I would like to thank the Gold group for the contribution hey have made to the running of the Silver and Bronze. I hope they eel that they have benefited from their time in the scheme and that hey agree with me that the badge is merely an outward sign of a great hievement.

We are very pleased to record the following awards:

C. A. F. Brown T. C. Moore R. W. Parkinson

S. Bruce-Jones I. A. Nichols G. F. Pritchard

V. V. Matthews

I hope this success will inspire others to continue to the Gold Award. D.H.H.

SILVER AWARD

Having previously completed the Bronze Award, those who chose to ntinue to Silver took to it like "old hands", and apart from a few who d to succumb to the pressure of other interests, completed the ogramme successfully.

The Physical Activity section involved some in all manner of gyrations the Sports Hall whilst others completed the ASA gold award personal rvival course. For the Service section some chose to learn more about the Fire Service, others became "Fifth-columnists" within the ranks of the Police, whilst the remainder learnt more about the care of animals under the direction of the R.S.P.C.A. Whilst most chose to walk on the North Yorkshire Moors for the expedition, some chose seemingly the more leisurely pursuit of cycling, but having seen them struggling over a contour line" on one occasion I think they are right to feel peeved at that less than accurate description. One of the walking groups had the audacity to set out to correct the Ordnance Survey map, resulting in a boulder-by-boulder description of walks on the moors.

The personal Interests section is always the most difficult to administer. It calls for above average commitment to a chosen pursuit which may be golf, squash, war-gaming, taxidermy or one of a host of others. When someone's interest is seen to be flagging he must be, and is encouraged to continue, but the line between encouragement and enforcement is a fine one and some owe their success to possibly overzealous cajolement, but it is very difficult to stand by and watch someone flounder, when every other section of the award has run so smoothly. 29

Those concerned ought to remember that the Interests section is the only one which hinged on personal initiative rather than group organisation, whereas at Gold level the whole programme rests on the individual willingness to organise all sections of the scheme.

In the end, however, I am satisfied that the following boys deserve the Silver Award: M. B. Anderson R. A. C. Bronk S. M. Burn D. M. Caulton R. E. Craig A. H. Day D. J. Fawthrop J. A. Lethem J. W. Preece G. W. Tait S. C. Wetherell R. M. Wilkinson R. J. T. Wilson

D.H.H.

BRONZE AWARD

We owe thanks to the more senior members of the School's Award Group for much of the donkey-work that has gone into this year's 23 Bronze Awards. And thanks, perhaps, to the Bronze entrants for allowing themselves to be organised. Even at the beginning they were running round small circles (in the name of fitness). They must have wondered then, and since, if obtaining an Award involved anything else.

It does. Eventually the whole group satisfied the Service section requirements by gaining British Red Cross Junior First Aid Certificates.

There have been more individual satisfactions, too: many boys made the best possible use of the opportunities offered them by the Interest section, meeting assessors and supervisors well able to help them with a very diverse range of activities: Power-boating, with the assistance of a member of the R.N.L.I.; Ornithology, with help from a member of the B.T.O.; Vikings, with encouragement from a University Lecturer. It is almost invidious picking out individual examples since there were not really any exceptions. Some of these people were members of staff, some were outsiders: one of the best features of this level of the Award is the way in which people are willing to help. It is good, often, to see the help being returned later.

The expeditions had their moments of spectacle and chaos; but eventually gave us two enjoyable weekends with a lot being learned about different—occasionally very different—areas of North Yorkshire, on foot or bicycles.

It is all very pleasing to look back on, and we are proud to record the following successes:

S. J. Andrews P. G. Fender W. N. B. Mortimer R. M. Barron S. J. Goodwin A. J. Powell C. Bean M. E. Hall G. N. Ray M. S. D. Blackburn P. M. Johnson T. J. Raylor S. M. Buckle D. Kay R. G. Sharp M. R. Buckley S. J. Megginson N. G. Townsend R. D. Burton A. J. B. Miller M. J. Tyson R. A. J. Dyson

D.J.H.

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