Hal Canute
Award Level:
Gold
Favourite memory of the Award:
Lying awake at night with my head sticking out of the tent and watching a meteor shower shimmer across a crystal clear night sky. It was truly one of the most special moments of my life.
Age:
17
Biggest challenge from doing the Award:
We were hiking through the Buddawang national park, which was heavily affected by bushfires in 2020. This caused the forest floor to be ultra-dense with new growth and regeneration and ultimately resulted in us getting lost... for 3 hours. We had to bush bash our way through head-high vines and shrubs while it was bucketing down. There were plants with thorns on them, and we all came away with scratches and hacked-up legs. We eventually emerged onto the wrong path and had to turn back to our original campsite.
Country:
Australia
Have you continued any of your Award activities? If so, what:
I have continued hiking - Duke of Ed has given me a deep passion for this activity. I have also maintained constant service and engagement with my local community after my awards.
Tell us the story behind your photo:
This photo was taken about 300m from the peak of Mount Kosciusko with a 35mm film camera. We encountered this enormous snow drift and had spent the last hour digging out a little path with a snow shovel. We had to spread apart evenly so that the path would not get destroyed. As I was navigating this snow drift, my eyes were fixated on my feet, making sure I did not put a single step wrong. I paused for a moment and looked up to see all white. The snow had become the sky, and the sky had become the snow. It was one of the most astounding views I had ever seen. I quickly reached for my camera and was able to take this shot. We all managed to cross the snow drift safely.
Award Role:
Participant
