Leadership, determination and community support are key values of the Australian Navy Cadets, giving young Australians the chance to develop these qualities while undertaking Marine activities. So it was no surprise that Loretta Coste, a young navy cadet, chose to also undertake The Duke of Ed challenge, recently completing her Gold Award and becoming a mentor for other young Awardees. .jpg)
Loretta began her Bronze Award at 14 through the Australian Navy cadets, using it as an opportunity to experience new things, be rewarded for her efforts and develop her leadership skills, and now at the age of 26 has finished her Gold Award.
“Doing the Duke of Ed gave me the opportunity to move up from being just in the team to being an organiser and mentor...Being a mentor is one of the greatest things I have ever experienced,” she said.
Mentoring other young Awardees on their own journeys has been a significant part of her Award experience, and something that Loretta takes pride in, as she believes in the value The Duke of Ed holds for young Territorians in developing important life skills. One of her proudest moments of leadership was organising an outdoor training expedition for 40 young Awardees as their team leader.
“Being able to guide people to do The Duke of Ed is rewarding...The Duke of Ed enables young Territorians to not only think for themselves but to push themselves...it pushes you above and beyond your normal activities and you put work into something you normally wouldn’t,” said Loretta.
She has experienced incredible opportunities throughout her Awards, such as meeting HRH Prince Edward, the international patron of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and participating in a royal salute. It was this realisation that The Duke of Ed is an international organisation with phenomenal opportunities which inspired her to continue on to Gold and explore what else she was capable of.
“It was such an honour to meet a member of the royal family...meeting Prince Edward was a unique experience which motivated me to explore The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award further and discover which other opportunities it could give me,” she said.
Loretta is still a staff member of the Australian Navy cadets and continues to offer support and guidance for other young Duke of Ed Awardees in the Territory, giving them the chance to take away experiences of a lifetime like she did.
