While most Australian school students were stuck at home doing remote learning during the pandemic, siblings Sam and Lily Welling decided to volunteer at the local drama theatre and train as army cadets.
The death of Prince Philip in 2021 did nothing to dampen the spirit of 55,000 young Australians who took part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award program in 2022.
A youth development program, it allows Australians aged 14 to 24 to pursue sport, music, an outdoors adventure journey and community service for international recognition.
Participants have represented their state in water polo, travelled overseas to perform on stage, and worked as sports journalists.
Leaping from pool to plane
Forde teenagers Sam and Lily began the program with community service at a local theatre school and by volunteering through an army cadets program.
It has been offered in Australia since the 1950s and remains popular despite the passage of time. A spokeswoman for the program said 250,000 people had registered to complete it since 2000.
Lily is completing the final stage with a three-month visit the UK to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Serving her local community by volunteering to teach drama and representing the ACT in water polo for Canberra Dolphins, Lily, 17, has learnt new skills for a life after school.
"The program gives you an opportunity to try new things and it brings a good sense of community as you get to meet new people and gain recognition for things you like," she said.
Her brother Sam, also a water polo player, was recognised for his service as a cadet.
The 16-year-old was on the fence about the participating in the Duke of Edinburgh's but changed his mind after realising he could get international recognition for his two passions.
"It's really empowering to know that what you are doing is being rewarded by not only yourself [but also] your peers," he said.
'The hardest things I've ever done in my life'
The program is also available to people in regional areas. Toby Gough from Bathurst in NSW completed the award with a six-day hike in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.
"It's something that changes your mindset and especially going through the adventurous journeys they were probably the hardest things I've ever done in my life," the 17-year-old said.
"Because of the conditions I came out of the situation as a much stronger person," Toby said.
He also got the chance to work at Fox Sports during the Bathurst 1000 car race in 2022.
This helped land him part time gigs at 2BS 95.1 on the NSW Central Tablelands and B-Rock FM music radio in Bathurst, setting him for a career in broadcast journalism.
Despite the COVID-19 restrictions on award participants during 2021 and 2022 they were still able to complete the program.
Duke of Edinburgh's Australia chief executive Peter Kaye said the award was accessible to all young people in the age bracket.
"It includes young people who might be in juvenile justice or hospital," he said. "We can create better access for young people that are struggling."
