YESTERDAY (Thursday 1) a group of people gathered at the Royal Golf Club to witness an array of “uplifting” awards, according to the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove.
Sir Peter and Lady Cosgrove presented five Order of Australia Association ACT Student Citizenship Awards to groups and individuals for taking part in voluntary community services and showing good citizenship.
One of the individual awards went to Ben Jenkins, a year 12 student at St Mary MacKillop College who was nominated following a “Gap Medics” trip he went on to Morogoro, a regional city in Eastern Tanzania.
Ben volunteered for four weeks working in an orphanage, in the field of obstetrics, gynaecology, internal medicine surgery and pediatrics.
Ben said that he didn’t expect it but it was a great honour to meet Sir Peter and receive the award.
The principal of St Mary MacKillop College, Michael Lee, said: “We’re really thrilled for Ben and I think it’s a great example of his selflessness, which is typical of his age and in other young Canberrans.”
The other awards went to the ACT Primary Concert Choir, The Gold Angels from Merici College, the year 11 and 12 Youth Ministry Team from St Edmunds College and another individual award went to Aodhan Kirk, a year 12 student from St Francis Xavier College.
After presenting the awards Sir Peter said that the awards confirmed the strong faith everybody had in the younger generations.
He said: “There are so many other things for young people to do in his or her life. When reflecting back to our own lives I wonder whether we were as socially active?”
Photos by Danielle Nohra
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