Five Hills Scouts Receive Prestigious Scouts Awards
Five Scouts from The Hills are among the first King’s Scouts in 73 years, following the renaming of the Queen’s Scout Award in September 2024 (backdated to May).
The prestigious peak award for Venturer Scouts aged 14-17 was renamed after His Majesty King Charles III confirmed his patronage of the Scout Association of Australia.
Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW and Chief Scout of NSW, presented awards to 21 King’s Scouts, 11 Queen’s Scouts, and four Baden-Powell Scout Awards (for Rover Scouts, aged 18-25) at the Government House in Sydney recently.
This included Scott Romanis of 2nd/3rd Pennant Hills Scout Group; Ryan Deng, 18, Glenwood, 1st Castle Hill Scout Group, KSA; Matilda Glanville, 18, Northmead, 2nd Baulkham Hills Scout Group, KSA; Khyati Lingerker,18, Schofields, 2nd Baulkham Hills Scout Group, KSA; and Jack Miller, 18, Ebenezer, 1st Oakville Scout Group, KSA.
Scott or ScoRo as he is popularly known has been a busy reporter for Scouts NSW. “I got to interview Chandler Powell (Bindi Irwin’s husband) at Australia Zoo as part of the recent Australian Jamboree in Maryborough, Queensland,” he said. “He was a really cool guy to chat to beforehand. I was amazed because I’ve never interviewed someone who was media trained.”
The goal of the King’s Scout Award is to widen the interests and knowledge of Venturer Scouts by encouraging them to push their personal limits. It is the peak award for this age group, taking three to four years to complete, and a wider range of activities.
“For our Scouts, a peak award is representative of so much more than just earning a uniform badge and a special certificate – they are a reflection of countless hours of personal development and contributions to the community,” Scouts NSW Deputy Chief Commissioner Niamh Hitchman said.
King’s Scout Award recipients work to achieve personal development and contribute positively to their communities. Recipients qualify for additional Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) adjustment factor points via some universities.
“Balancing the work required to achieve these awards with the competing demands of everyday life – whether that be taking the HSC, starting apprenticeships, or maintaining fulltime working and family commitments – is an undertaking that cannot be understated,” Ms Hitchman said. “My sincere congratulations to the recipients on their awards, and my thanks to those families, friends and Scouting members, who helped support them along the way.”
