Kialla's Ben Okely earns Queen's Scout Award

It required Ben, 17, to achieve 17 badges from more than 310 hours of community service, leadership, development and organisational skills.

He started when he became a Venturer at 14 and has worked hard for three years to achieve the Queen's Scout Award.

He was also doing his best to achieve everything before he starts Year 12 this year.

It included a two-day hike — with no adult support — he worked with the local Cub pack, mock interviews and helped out the GV Christian Fellowship by serving meals on a Tuesday night.

“I learnt a lot there (volunteering) about people from different backgrounds and ethnicities,” he said.

“Some of those people had done Scouting and knew what it was so it was great to hear their stories, while I could share my stories.”

As part of his time in Venturers he's travelled to Queensland and New Zealand making life-long friends along the way.

Ben said the most fulfilling part was learning and developing his new skills.

“At the start it was a more difficult because I'd just come out of Scouts and I hadn't quite grasped the idea of organisation,” he said.

“In Scouts your parents help a lot more, once you reached Venturers you're pushed out of the nest more.

“In the last six to 12 months I've contributed to renaming our unit and organisation of utility bills because we've changed halls. This section is very youth led.”

As part of achieving the Queen's Scout Award, Ben took up photography as part of the ‘expressions’ badges.

“It was one I didn't really want to do at the start because I'm not an arty or crafty type of person,” he said.

“The criteria said it had to be some form of art, photography or dance. I'm neither so I was default left with photography.

“At the start it was kind of ‘oh I have to do this to get my Queen's Scout’ but by the end it was something interesting to learn."

Ben said the hard work has paid off. He said there were times he questioned whether the Queen's Scout was too much but eventually stuck to his guns.

“There were points along the way I thought if it was worth the effort,” he said.

“When you get to that stage you break it down further to see what you can do in different stages.

“It was nice to work through everything. I don't think some of the skills I would've learnt in school.”

Ben is part of the Goulburn River Venturer Unit. The next stage is to go onto Rover Scouts.