St John Prior and Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand will perform one of their final ceremonial duties with St John Youth cadets this Sunday.
Thirty-six young people from around St John Northern Region have been invited to Government House in Auckland to receive their Grand Prior’s certificates and badges.
Senior and executive members of St John will also be among the invited guests at the function on Sunday 10 April, acknowledging the cadets achievements and the esteem in which the Grand Prior’s award is held within St John.
The award is the highest a cadet can achieve and is the only Youth badge that may be worn on an adult St John uniform. Cadets must pass 12 proficiency subjects containing both practical and theoretical components.
Says St John Regional Youth Manager Christine Benson: “We offer a huge choice of badges within our Youth programme but First Aid, Health Care and Community Awareness must be among the 12 attained to qualify for a Grand Prior’s award. It is an outstanding achievement.”
Currently there are 60 St John Youth divisions in Northern Region, with 2,068 young people, from 6 to 18 years, enjoying a programme that focuses on positive youth development. Members are encouraged to develop leadership and decision-making skills through a programme of discovery, adventure and learning – while at the same time meeting new people and having fun!
St John is on the lookout for volunteer leaders to join their Youth programme. Says Ms Benson: “Our volunteer Youth leaders are vital to the success of the programme. With continued growth throughout the region we definitely need more leaders to assist us.”
Leaders are provided with resources and ongoing training and support to enable them to run the Youth programme. Members meet once a week for about an hour and a half – usually early in the evening – at their local St John Youth Division.
To find out about becoming a St John Youth leader visit www.stjohn.org.nz or phone 0800 ST JOHN (0800 785 646).
Cadets receiving their Grand Prior’s awards on Sunday are:
Fiona Allan, Annique Claridge, Charlotte Gleeson, Robyn Hammerton, Pepjin Hubner, Hayley Morris (all Whangarei Youth Division); Alice Hammerton (Kaikohe); Louisa Horton (Kerikeri); Nicole Court, Jennifer Liu, Beth Yeung (East Coast Bays); Michael Duxfield (North Shore); Priyanka Girish, Brendon Walsh (Takapuna); Corey McCallum, Stephanie Townend (Kumeu); Ann Wei (Kelston); Sam Stevenson, Eva Woodward (Point Chevalier); Janice Chong, Eileen Li, Martin Lo, Janet Wu, Nigel Yu (Newmarket); Katie Short, Sung-Lin Yang (Epsom); Whitney Bau (Cornwall Park); Milena Chodor, Gabe Everett, Peter Robinson, Stephen Robinson (Auckland); Karis Knight (Mangere Bridge); Amanda Ross (Onehunga); Jordyn Hicks, Jade Morris (Papatoetoe); Michael Telford (Takanini).