2012 Feb - Lions Australia

Learning new ropes
at Camp Duckadang
When the Queensland floods came
Camp Duckadang, a recreational
campsite owned and operated by
Lions at Linville, north-west of
Brisbane, was hit hard.
Since then it has been all about
recovery.
A significant step in the process was
the official opening of the camp’s new
sequenced low challenges rope course.
An extensive and exciting low rope
course has now been installed on site.
The rope course has over 18 elements
from a swinging log, two-line bridge,
Heebie Jeebie ropes (the name says it
all!) through to swinging tyres and
bosun’s chairs.
Funding was gained by the Lions Club
of Narangba from the Gambling
Community Benefit Fund and the course
was opened by state member for
Morayfield Mark Ryan.
“Seeing the recovery and the new
facilities being offered shows how hard
the Lions club and Camp Duckadang
team have worked to get back to
normal,” he said.
He added that Camp Duckadang plays
an important part in the development of
young and disadvantaged youth and the
new Low Ropes Course plays a
significant part in strengthening the
bonds between individuals. He
highlighted his close association with a
February - March 2012
Mark Ryan MP with Brian Stringer Camp
Duckadang’s Chairman officially open the
low ropes course.
disadvantaged group who use Camp
Duckadang on a regular basis.
Mr Ryan acknowledged the high level
of support of the Camp’s local State
Member, Dorothy Pratt in assisting the
Board of the Camp during the flood
crisis.
Anne Erskine, Camp Duckadang’s Site
Manager, along with her husband Bill, is
thrilled to see the new low ropes course
installed. “After such a destructive
experience and being unable to
accommodate our many regular visitors
during that time, it is wonderful to see
the site back to its original state but with
even more facilities to offer. We are very
excited to see camp visitors using the
new low ropes course for their team
building and social needs”.
Camp Duckadang has also launched a
new website which showcases the site’s
many facilities and services and provides
visitors with the opportunity to view
availability and book their camp
experience online.
Visit www.campduckadang.com.au for
further information and to subscribe to
Camp Duckadang’s newsletter to hear
Camp Duckadang’s latest news and
offerings.
YOUTH OF THE YEAR
Judges, choose carefully – and
treat them well
Judges, like umpires or referees, are a necessity in any
competitive situation – and Youth of the Year is no exception. It
is most important to choose your judges carefully, because they
have the most contact with your contestants and will influence
the experience that these young people will take away with
them.
At Club level, three judges are permitted. Make sure you have a
gender balance – do not have three female or three male judges. Invite
people who work with, or have regular contact with young people. Have
a wide range of professional or work experience. Do not invite people
from the same professional or work background. Refer to the Club
Chairman manual as there are many suggestions for judges there.
Once you have your judges in place, make sure they are well briefed.
Spend at least an hour with them going through the Entry Form and the
Guide to Judges form. These documents have most of the detail you will
need. You must also explain the time commitment required.
During your discussions the judges must decide the following: Four
General Knowledge questions for the interview and two impromptu
questions for the Public Speaking sections.
As a starting point in your discussion with the judges – and to help
them to choose good questions – ask them to consider the following
areas: One question of local interest (careful with state/territory
borders), one at state level (careful with state/territory borders), one of
national importance and one of international significance.
Don’t forget that questions cannot be ambiguous or require two
separate answers – and keep them BRIEF and to the point.
It is important to remember that at club level, only the winner will
have a second opportunity to hone their skills. Therefore it is vital that all
participants leave the quest with a feeling of achievement. So please try
to keep questions at a level that all contestants will feel comfortable
with.
This criteria is especially important with the impromptu questions.
Long complicated questions only confuse young people. Make the
impromptu questions short and precise and consider only topics that the
contestants at this level can talk about for two minutes!
WINNERS ADVISORY FORMS: Remember, when the Club, Zone,
Region and District Final have been run, you MUST complete the
Winners Advisory Form and attach the original application form of your
winning contestant plus his/her winners advisory forms from the
previous levels. These documents must be forwarded to the next level.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW: After you have run your final and completed
your forms, what do you do now?
Have you asked your contestant to come to a club meeting with their
parents to practice their speech and answer a couple of impromptu
questions? Some clubs do and this helps their contestant to gain
confidence before the next level.
It also lets the parents know that we care about their young person
and are willing to put in the time to develop their skills.
You could also let the person know about Youth Exchange and Leos
as these are programs they may encounter when they attend university
or take a gap year after finishing year 12.
You could also ask parents to consider joining Lions. At national level
we have a number of parents of contestants who have joined. These
parents would have walked away from Lions if somebody had not asked
them to join.
If you want to learn more about Youth of the Year, please visit out
website at http://www.lionsclubs.org.au/yoty
Youth of the Year – “You just can’t lose”
Bryan Coggle, Chairman Lions Youth of the Year
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