Setting sail: Heath French, Mooroopna’s Larissa Ballard, Lieutenant Commander Adam Farley, Stephanie Calderwood and Phoebe Church took part in a recent Young Endeavour Youth Scheme journey.
Four young CFA volunteers from Victoria’s north-east swapped the fire truck for a sailboat for an 11-day voyage across the Tasman Sea in late 2022.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The full group of 24 participants were picked for the challenge following a rigorous application process for the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme, which gave them the opportunity to build on their leadership skills.
Mooroopna community engagement officer Larissa Ballard, 23, Wangaratta firefighter Heath French, 17, Bonegilla firefighter Phoebe Church, 19, and Kilmore firefighter Stephanie Calderwood, 20, crewed the STS Young Endeavour for 24 hours a day in all types of conditions during their journey, which left Sydney for Melbourne on November 15 .
Larissa said the journey was the “trip of a lifetime” and helped her learn more about herself.
“The most exciting moment was setting the storm sail during sunrise, which was spectacular, and even though we were all tired we came together to achieve the task,” Larissa said.
Heath was grateful to have met and worked alongside new people during the voyage and while sea-sickness and prolonged storm conditions challenged Phoebe mentally and physically throughout the trip, she enjoyed pushing herself and bonding with new friends.
“I learned things can change very quickly and you need to be able to adapt,” she said.
Stephanie was recognised for her contribution and commitment to the pursuit of excellence during the voyage and received the Young Endeavour Voyage Award.
“I was elected with one other to be the navigator for 24 hours — it was the first time in my life when I really had everyone rely on me and my decisions,” she said.
“It really took me out of my comfort zone, and I had to work hard to overcome the initial stress and panic of the big role.”
The trip was made possible by Coles, which donated money to help enhance the leadership skills of young CFA volunteers following the 2019-20 summer fires.
Ready to go: The young fire volunteers get a pep talk before setting sail.
6°C