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Close Encounter of the Dukes Kind

Reflections by Vu Long Tran, recent Gold Awardee, October 2011 Vu_Vong_Small


‘...We battled sickness, night watches, manning of sails including climbing up the mast in the tough conditions of the sea...’


They often say there's more to life than meets the eye, and I'd say that is true as I seek to explore the many challenges and to discover my own meaning in life.


While my journey did start a while ago, when I heard about The Duke of Edinburgh program I knew that it was great program to recognise and encourage people to discover the other great things in life - as it has for me. It hasn't been always a simple journey for me, in fact, there had been challenges along the way however I've been privileged to have many people assist and guide me along the way.


They say that you can often find kindness in the face of adversity, and on my residential project as we sailed the seas off NSW and Victoria I saw that kindness, as we battled sickness, night watches, manning of sails including climbing up the mast in the tough conditions of the sea.


My adventurous journey was similar as we banded together to battle the steep terrains, high waters (just knee high), heavy backpacks and discovered how simple life can be without the technology that we'd come to feel that we need every day.


As my journey nears its end now, it looks like the next chapter of my life is starting, as I move from Australia to Singapore next month. It looks like my final journey with Duke of Ed will be through my Award ceremony which looks like it'll be hosted in Singapore, with the respective National Youth Achievement Award.


To fellow journeymen and women out there, try to explore The Duke of Edinburgh beyond the program itself. Try discover your own meaning of the program and how it fits in with your life and your ambitions. You will find that you'll have much to learn about yourself and you'll make many great new friends along the way, and through the challenges and obstacles remember that through every challenge there is an opportunity, and most important of all - always remember to have fun!

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