‘Ripper’ prince hands out Duke of Ed awards to disadvantaged youth

For three young men from a minimum-security correctional facility near the Snowy Mountains, travelling to Sydney to meet Prince Edward was the last thing they expected when they started serving their sentences.

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and patron of the eponymous awards, was visiting the Woolloomooloo PCYC (Police Citizens Youth Club) on Tuesday to meet award winners.

Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward with boxer Marlon Sevehon at the PCYC in Woolloomooloo.Credit: Kate Geraghty

His three-day trip to Sydney coincides with an expansion of the Duke of Edinburgh program to young people outside schools, including those in out-of-home care and in custody.

For the trio of inmates who had travelled from Mannus Correctional Complex in southern NSW, where they had been the first in Australia to undertake a bronze Duke of Ed in prison, it was a day they could never have imagined.

Steve King, a pseudonym because his name can’t be released, said the program had been a good experience. The duke was a “ripper bloke” who talked to them about the comparative performances of the Australian and English cricket teams.

“We had a few changes [to the program] because we are in custody,” he said. They did their “adventurous journey” by camping on the correctional facilities’ bush property, completing a 25-kilometre hike and 40-kilometre bike ride over three days.

Prince Edward talks with people at the PCYC in Woolloomooloo. Credit: Kate Geraghty

King was incarcerated as a result of “a split-decision thing. It took five seconds and it happened.”

The Duke of Ed taught him to “take a moment, sit back and take in what you are doing. Don’t just go at it like a bull at a gate.”

Patrick Nalty was the first person living in out-of-home care to complete a gold Duke of Ed. The 25-year-old left home at 12, and was shaking with excitement and nerves when the prince handed him his certificate of completion.

Nalty was surprised to find he was the first. “It was like, wait on, I am the first? Wow, I left a mark.”

He completed the gold with the assistance of Stepping Stone House, which helps young adults and children at risk of homelessness.

Patrick Nalty completed his gold Duke of Ed, making him the first person in the world to do so while in out-of-home care.Credit: Louise Kennerley

Started in 1956 by Edward’s father, the late Prince Philip, the now co-ed Duke of Ed was initially designed to help young men negotiate the often-difficult years between adolescence and adulthood.

Personalised to suit each participant’s needs, the program encourages youth from 14 to 24 to develop skills, participate in community service and undertake outdoor physical challenges and adventures that boost self-confidence, endurance and employability.

Nalty improved his reading and literacy. He spent a year learning to swim so he could sail on the Young Endeavour, his grand adventure. And he volunteered to help people with a disability try surfing. “Just for a day, they get to feel what it is like to surf,” said Nalty, from Mortlake.

Before he did the program, Nalty said, “I was just in the deep end”.

At the PCYC, the duke was also introduced to young boxers, including aspiring Olympian Marlon Sevehon, 21.

Holding a punching bag for the young fighter, the prince joked the blows were falling softer than he had anticipated. “Great stuff – I’m going to let go now,” he said.

Peter Kaye, the chief executive of the award in Australia, said it had been growing in popularity, even during COVID.

As artificial intelligence grew in use, there was increased interest from employers and universities in young people with core life skills. “AI will make knowledge-based education less important,” he said.

with AAP

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