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The Citizen, 2006-11-09, Page 7ONTARIO " 11,11)1 1V3070 NO110 MIAS( I gp, scholarship to her remaining in the industry. She is the executive director of Ontario's Finest Inns and Spas. Youths get Duke's award By Shawn Loughlin Citizen staff This past Saturday, two young men from Londesborough were honoured at Queens Park in Toronto with the Duke of Edinborough's award. Daniel and Nick Packer of Londesborough took home the awards last Saturday as part of a group of 83 young people. This award has been in existence since 1963 and since then, over 350,000 Canadians have accepted the Duke of Edinborough's Award Young Canadians Challenge. The challenge has four parts: community service, a new skill learned, physical recreation and an adventurous journey all in the spirit of self- betterment and responsibility. Fifteen-year-old Dan Packer took on dog sledding in Algonquin Park as his adventurous journey for his Silver award and says he enjoyed the experience, but did note that it was a little chilly. "That was pretty cool. There were 10 or 12 of us and we each had six dogs. It was over three nights and we camped in tents. They were warm tents though, they had stoves in them," Packer said. When asked if he would do it again, Packer said that he would want to try something else for his gold (the highest) award, but doesn't rule it out on-his own time. "I might do it again. It was pretty cool." For his bronze award, Packer went with his father and his brother to the Spanish River, where they canoed and portaged. For his new learned skill, Packer has learned how to play a musical instrument for both his bronze and silver challenges, first with the guitar, then with the piano. He said he is not likely to try a third. Packer is already looking toward his gold challenge, which he will be eligible for in a few weeks, once he turns 16. He says he isn't quite sure what he wants to undertake as his adventurous journey, but is really looking forward to it. The president of the Duke of Edinborough award and the Lieutenant Governor General were on hand on Nov. 4 to distribute the awards to the participants. Nick Packer is currently attending school is -Waterloo and was awarded for his adventurous journey which he attended with his family, canoeing and portaging in the Spanish River, he learned to play guitar for his new skill and he taught Sunday School at his local church. Recipient Justine King, left, accepts the Brian Kirkwood College Entrance Scholarship from Peter Kirkwood and his mother. Brian Kirkwood was the owner and president of the Kirkwood Group. King, who is in the culinary arts program at Fanshawe received the award at a gala for the Canadian Hospitality Foundation Awards on Oct. 14. 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Brussels girl gets college entrance scholarship Justine King attended the Toronto. Canadian Hospitality It was a real honour for her Foundation Awards to be chosen to receive this Ceremony and Gala Ball on scholarship. Oct. 14 at the Sheraton Centre The foundation hosts a Gala in Toronto. She was awarded Ball every year and sells the Scholarship of $2,000. tickets to a list of individuals Justine is attending and businesses in the Fanshawe College in the hospitality industry. They use culinary arts program and that money to first pay for living in residence at the expenses and the balance is college. Two of her teachers for scholarships. This year, from the college were also they added some 20 more present and sat with her at the scholarships. dinner. Kathy Nichol, for whom There were 120 Justine works, also received a scholarships awarded across scholarship from The Canada- but only about 20 Canadian Hospitality students were present at the Foundation when she was in ceremony — those closest to university and credits that Politics not all that bad Council meetings, municipal elections and all-candidates meetings. Ideal ways to spend my free nights my friends say it must be. "Actually, they're not bad," I've been saying back to them. That is, now that I know what's going on. A 24-year-old music fanatic from Toronto, back at home, I registered to vote because my dad made the. Now I don't see how I couldn't be involved in this thing called municipal • Through covering these events for The Citizen, I was forced into these situations at first. However, now I look forward to council meetings and meet-the-candidates nights and finally the election every week like a predoniinantly male, plaid-clad, rural version of Melrose Place. Once I learned the ropes and got to know the players (and familiarized myself with the area) I found the subject matter and the people to be quite interesting, not the three-and-a-half- hour chance to improve my doodling-that I thought it might be. I'm sorry if that offends, but I'm pretty sure that I would share this preliminary view with most young people, and a lot of people of all ages from my hometown, people who don't know names of MPPs and councillors and even mayors. Back home, if people do care about politics (which most don't seem to), they go big or go home. They only seem to care about the PM and what promises he's breaking (of which there always seems to be many). Here, it's refreshing to see people care about their community so passionately. To be honest, I've found that you can't swing a cat without hitting someone talking about the goings-on of their local government. My views have been changed irreversibly and I happen to think that I'll have an interest in politics wherever I go now. All I have to do is dig deeper, because slightly below the surface lacks the intrigue that we all desire. Before I left home just over a month ago, at my previous job at Rogers Video (another man people out here don't tend to like too much, in addition to people from Toronto, who is Ted Rogers), a local politician (who shall remain nameless) would come in all the time and chat with me, over time we became friends. His parting advice to a young, aspiring, hot-shot journalist, was, "Don't always take what politicians say to you at face value. Politicians are dirty, but they need you, so they're nice to you. Look closer." I think things are a little different where I'm from and where I am now, but I think I've found out what he was talking about. After a closer look, you see the power struggles, you see the issues and you see the lives that are affected. You see people taking a step up, you see people taking a step down, you see people striving for excellence and you see people comfortable with complacency and it becomes less about issues and more about people. The bylaws and motions and deputations become the plot that twists from week to week, but it fades to the background. You watch for the cast because you can't help but wonder what's going to happen next. With the invention of American Idol and Survivor, people have become fascinated with watching real people on television. However, real drama sits in your backyard waiting to be discovered. People have marvelled and it is said that in the United States more people voted for their American Idol than they did for their President. This speaks volumes and I just hope that one day young people realize the intensity waiting for them within their political system instead of watching people singing poorly. So on Nov. 13. we'll all vote and then stay tuned for the results to see how we did.