Gold

My favourite memory of the award is completing my 7-day Gold Voyage as it was my first time sailing, and my first time on a ship with strangers. The experience was life-changing as I met people from different backgrounds and so many memories were created. Some times were tough, like how we had to put teamwork first and constantly remind ourselves to be considerate of others, but it was an invaluable experience that I never regretted doing it.

18

Consistency was a sizeable obstacle when I was doing my award, as you are expected to complete every activity once per week, on top of the growing pressure on studies and ATAR preparation. However, I'm glad that I pushed through and showed up for the activities, as I've built persistence and determination that are extremely helpful as I continue my studies and live life.

Australia

Doing ceramics, volunteering at different thrift shops and hitting the gym are activities that I continue to participate in, as I see the values in these activities and I enjoy the feeling of giving back to the community through volunteering and service.

I took this film photo of my two Blue Watch teammates on our first night shift, 8 pm to 12 am, which was the first day of my 7-day Gold Voyage from Manly to Fraser Island. To the left is Grace and to the right is Jess, with whom we have become great friends over the sailing trip. It was our first anchor watch in Tangalooma, Moreton Island, and we were still trying to get familiarised with all the equipment on the ship and the various names of the parts of the ship. We bonded over tying different knots: figure of eight, reef knot, bowline and round turn and trying out skills like helming. Although it had been only a day, we have already become good friends and were thrilled to stay up late at night to complete the watch. It felt surreal as Day 1 passed just like that! The photo encaptures our friendship and how we grew from knowing absolute nothing about sailing to gaining so much knowledge about it.

Participant