Shayne Suchan, a former Estevanite, was one of 24 proud recipients of the Duke of Edinburgh gold pin and certificate that were presented by His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex in a ceremony held in the Centennial Building at RCMP Depot Division in Regina on Sept. 18.
Suchan, a former cadet officer with the Estevan Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadet Squadron, who is now employed as an electrician in potash mines near Esterhazy, completed the gold medal requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, as did Lampman's Danielle Fleury, the current commanding officer of that same air cadet squadron.
The award is sought by more than eight million participants from 140 countries, but only a few succeed in meeting the demanding requirements. The bronze, silver and gold level activities are currently being pursued by 1,250 registered participants in Saskatchewan.
Shayne's mother Wendy has been an official mentor and monitor of the program in Estevan for several years since all activities have to be officially recorded and verified.
The program is open to all young people between the ages of 14 and 24.
The gold level pin and certificate can only be awarded to the successful candidates by a direct member of the British Royal Family.
Also participating in the ceremony was Her Honour, Vaughn Solomon Schofield, lieutenant-governor of Saskatchewan who is also honourary chairwoman for the provincial branch of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Jim Kershaw, national president of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, also spoke during the ceremony and he said that over 80 per cent of the gold pin recipients continue on with ambitious volunteer assignments in their communities.
Prince Edward, a gold medal recipient himself, related his memories of going through the rigors of the adventure journey requirement and said that "half way through, you're wondering what you are doing, but it is great, or at least you feel great when you finish."
He noted that gold level recipients have gone above and beyond what other young people have done by completing all sections. "This is your achievement and you should feel a little bit proud and walk a little bit taller."
After the ceremony, Prince Edward spent some time with the recipients during a reception held for them and their families. Those who remained after that ceremony observed the prince during his inspection of RCMP troops in training at the Depot.
Suchan completed all five required levels to get to the gold standard. In skill development he built on his desire to create models and also painting, with the models having to achieve a certain high standard of excellence.
For the physical recreation requirement, Suchan engaged in water skiing, downhill skiing, tai chi, old time dancing and working out on an elliptical trainer. He completed more than 80 hours in those pursuits, well beyond basic requirements.
On the community service front, Suchan assisted with a homeowner's basement renovation, electrical wiring of a cabin and volunteer farm labour work for over 340 hours.
For an adventurous journey, Suchan not only had to be engaged in the trek, he also had to plan the routes, menus and complete preliminary training. He chose to trek to and from Grey Owl's cabin in northern Saskatchewan plus another wilderness hike while adhering to the wilderness code of ethics. He reported that the Grey Owl hiking experience was inundated by rain all five days with four of those spent camping in the woods where participants carried their tent, sleeping bag, food and other supplies. He described the experience as being very uncomfortable and treacherous but still rewarding.
For the residential project, Suchan chose air cadet leadership and coach's training with the objective of becoming an air cadet instructor. He completed a Level I theory in the national coaching certification program. This stage also required at least five consecutive days spent on progressive training within a 12-month period without your usual companions.
