STAFF WRITERS
LOCAL student Kaja Tierney was a guest speaker at Morwell Rotary recently to talk about her on-going endeavours to achieve the bronze, silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Kaja spoke about how her voyage of self-discovery started in 2018 as a participant in the Rotary Junior Community Awards Program where her story began. Kaja claimed that participating in the rotary awards at such an early age gave her an understanding of community and culture, and admitted that whether or not she was old enough to appreciate the importance of her award she didn’t know. But she believed it was the stepping stone for where she is today. Introducing the evening’s program, rotary chairperson Gloria Auchterlonie explained that all it takes for the Rotary Junior Community Awards Program to succeed is a special teacher, a special student with supportive parents, and a special school. Rotary had all these in Maria Harkins, Kaja and her parents; Michelle and Darren Tierney, and St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, Traralgon. Kaja thanked members of Morwell Rotary for their continued interest in her journey, and for the opportunity to speak about her experiences in the hope her story may inspire others to become more involved in their own surrounds and communities. Kaja explained how the Duke of Edinburgh Awards are designed to empower youth through engaging with organisations and volunteers in order to develop and learn new skills, gain confidence and overcome obstacles. Students are offered a number of activities, such as physical recreation, skills, community service and adventurous journeys. All the activities are designed to challenge individuals in the way they see themselves in the world. Kaja’s teacher Mrs Harkins was unable to attend to hear her presentation, but sent a letter of congratulations and paid tribute in describing Kaja as “a powerful young person with such great gifts and kindness of heart, and even as a Grade 6 student, had leadership potential with a quiet achiever approach.” The evening closed with Ms Auchterlonie and Morwell Rotary president Colin Matthies extending the club’s thanks and congratulations to Kaja and her parents, and best wishes in her future studies and interest in medicine.
