In 2024, we had more boys completing their Silver and Gold Award Adventurous Journey in the Duke of Edinburgh Award via Boyle River, the Spirit of Adventure, Outward Bound or Peel Forest. Another option is achieving these levels via privately organised trips, including two mountain-biking trips this year. We have run two school holidays College Silver and Gold Adventurous Journeys this year at Boyle River, with 47 boys completing the Silver via that programme. With the Years 10 and 11 boys finishing this week and completing their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, they were able to complete their Gold levels of Community and Service and Discovery and Challenge and Character and Leadership for the College Diploma. Thank you to Boyle River staff for delivering the programme.
I am pleased with the progress as more boys challenge themselves in the outdoors. Duke of Edinburgh Award attainment is impressive. While the Bronze and Silver levels
have probably reached their peak, there is more to gain at the Gold level in the next two years. Thanks to the success of our pilot programme in 2020, all Year 9 Boys
were invited to join the Bronze Award in Term 4. They will be refunded their enrolment fee if they complete their Bronze Award. By beginning their Bronze Award in Year 9, they have plenty of chances to complete their Silver Award by the end of Year 11. This allows motivated boys to achieve their Silver or Gold sections of the Discovery and Challenge and Community and Service sections of the Diploma. Thanks to this initiative, more boys are completing their Silver Award in Year 11, meaning that they have two years to complete their Gold Award before they leave College. It was a record-breaking year for boys achieving their Gold Award. Previously, the record was nine boys in 1984 (40 years ago). This year, 13 boys completed their Gold Award. Four boys were in Year 12, which was another significant achievement and a
testimony to the impact of the College Diploma on the award’s success. Another achievement was the rise in Spirit of Adventure registrations. In 2024, 38 boys went on the 10-day trip. In 2023, there were nine. In the previous two years, there were six each year. Hopefully, we can keep this high number as the Spirit of Adventure has a significant impact on the development of teenagers. So far, 10 boys have registered for 2025. I hope even more boys will complete their Gold Award for the 175th anniversary celebration in 2025. The next challenge is to encourage those boys who have not completed their award before they leave College to do so soon. They have until age 24 to finish. So far, two boys have done so, and I am hopeful there will be more in the next few years.
The Christ’s College Venture Group continues to expand. It is in its sixth year as a sport for those boys who wish to learn tramping and mountaineering skills. This group is run by Dr Tom Hawkins. The Year 9 activity week and the Adventurous Journeys require a huge commitment from staff. Across all year groups, more than 300 boys were involved in a range of outdoor activities. During the year, more than 30 staff either were involved in day trips or multi-night camps. Some staff undertook up to four trips away. Thank you to all the staff and our providers for making these activities a success for our boys. Graeme Christey MiC Outdoor Education and Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award
DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S HILLARY AWARD
Gold (since left)
Total completed
Bronze Silver
Gold
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total
1
1
18 47 34 58
1
19 51 49 83
4
12 19 14 45 57
3 6 8 5
101 122 102 483
2
125 172 172 672
13 36
151
2
194
195
Christ’s College Canterbury
Register 2024 Culture
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