By Bonny Burrows
A Pakenham teenager has been presented with the highest youth award achievable in Scouting.
After years of hard work and training, Sally Jensen, of the 1st Kooweerup Scout Group, has been honoured with a Queen’s Scout award in recognition for her efforts in Scouting and dedication to the local community.
Sally started her Scouting journey at eight years of age, after some encouragement from a cousin.
“I was tossing up between dancing and Scouting … but a cousin brought me toa ‘bring a friend night’, and from that moment I was hooked,” Sally said.
It took Sally between 200 and 300 hours of work to achieve the accolade, which requires Scouts to first reach a Venturer Award stand in 13 different activities.
Then she had to complete strict requirements in leadership development, outdoor activities, personal growth and community involvement.
“I started with the Venturer Award, made a list and then crossed it off as I went. It was really overwhelming; jam-packed with so much time and effort required,” Sally said.
Sally’s hard work paid off on 21 October when she was officially awarded the honour.
Friends, family, the mayor and her Scouting support group were all in attendance at the celebration.
“It was so satisfying after all that time, a real weight off my shoulders,” Sally said.
Sally has now moved up a Scouting level to Rovers, but will take a break to focus on her first year of university studies.
However, she said Scouting would be something she would continue for years to come.
Sally thanked her mum for her support over the years.
