Governor-General leads St John cadet ceremony

St John Prior and Governor-General of New Zealand, His Excellency Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae performed his first ceremonial youth awards ceremony for St John Northern Youth cadets in Auckland yesterday.

Thirty-seven young people from around St John Northern Region were invited to Government House in Auckland to receive their Grand Prior’s certificates and badges.
 
Senior and executive members of St John were among the invited guests at the function on Sunday 22 April, acknowledging the cadets achievements and the esteem in which the Grand Prior’s award is held within St John.
 
The award is the highest a cadet can achieve and is the only Youth badge that may be worn on an adult St John uniform. Cadets must pass 12 proficiency subjects containing both practical and theoretical components.
 
Says Regional Youth Manager Shaun Greaves, “We offer a huge choice of badges within our Youth programme but First Aid, Health Care and Community Awareness must be among the 12 attained to qualify for a Grand Prior’s award. It is an outstanding achievement.”
 
Currently there are 61 St John Youth divisions in the Northern Region, with 2600 young people, from 6 to 18 years, enjoying a programme that focuses on positive youth development. Members are encouraged to develop leadership and decision-making skills through a programme of discovery, adventure and learning – while at the same time meeting new people and having fun!
 
St John is on the lookout for volunteer leaders to join their Youth programme. Says Mr Greaves, “Our volunteer Youth leaders are vital to the success of the programme. With continued growth throughout the region we definitely need more leaders to assist us.”
 
Leaders are provided with resources and ongoing training and support to enable them to run the Youth programme. Members meet once a week for about an hour and a half – usually early in the evening – at their local St John Youth Division.
 
To find out about becoming a St John Youth leader visit www.stjohn.org.nz or phone 0800 ST JOHN (0800 785 646).
 
Cadets who received their Grand Prior awards on Sunday were:
 
Robert Ashdown - Kaikohe Youth
Jason Barfoote - Otara East Tamaki
Chris Boys - Kawakawa Youth
Naivdu Bulathsinhala - Epsom Youth
Sara Collis-Hanlon - Waihi Youth
Kwade Cooke - Mt Wellington
Seth Cooper  - Doubtless Bay Youth
Suraya Day - East Coast Bays
Te Kahupapura Edmonds - Kaikohe Youth
Margaret Fowlie - Mt Wellington Homeschool
Rachel  Hamilton - Whangarei Youth
Callum Hammond - Thames Youth
Glen Harding - Pt Chevalier
Indigo Harding - Pt Chevalier
Ene Heremaia - Kawakawa Youth
Danielle Jump - Henderson Youth
Hugo Lau - Howick/Pakuranga Yth
Elaine Lee - Kelston Youth
Vivian Liu - Kelston Youth
Romana Lomano - Otara East Tamaki
Josh McInnes - Ellerslie Youth
Samantha McMillin - Manurewa Youth
Bailey Morris - Papatoetoe Youth
Eunice Ng - Kelston Youth
Michaela Powell - Whangamata Youth
Laura Rastrick - Otahuhu Youth
Bathiya Ratnayake - Epsom Youth
Kalana Ratnayake - Epsom Youth
MacKenzie Reid - Epsom Youth
Cushla Robertson - Wellsford Youth
Georgia Robinson - Papakura Central Youth
Michael Rush - Kelston Youth
Ama Wijewardene - Epsom Youth
Hoori Wilcox - Kawakawa Youth
Garling Wu - Manurewa Youth
Jennifer Yeh - Epsom Youth
Sabrina Yeh - Epsom Youth