27 Sep 2016
Darcy Turner, Year 12, was awarded the Order of Australia (NSW Branch) John Lincoln Youth Community Service Award at the recent Year 12 Farewell Assembly. Mr Peter Falk OAM traveled up from Sydney to present Darcy with the award. The award was fitting acknowledgement for Darcy's commitment to the school and the wider Coffs Harbour community over many years. Congratulations, Darcy!
The citation that Mr Peter Falk OAM read out to the assembly is included here:
In January of this year Darcy was chosen as one of eight students from across NS W to represent school students at Premier Baird's celebration luncheon for Australia Day. Darcy was a reading buddy for primary students at Narranga Primary School in the Smith Family's reading program called student2student. This involved Darcy reading over the phone with a primary school student with poor reading skills to help build confidence, fluency and self-esteem. Darcy has been an active elected member of the Coffs Harbour Student Representative Council since starting at the school in Year 7. In this role he has participated in fund-raising for the Cancer Council, Legacy and the Coffs Harbour RSL sub Branch. At the end of Year 8, Darcy travelled to Vietnam and Cambodia where he spent two weeks volunteering. At a school level Darcy has always been a very strong voice for harmony and tolerance - learning side by side with refugee students in drumming workshops, touring to Sydney and performing with Aboriginal students as they presented the school musical Garlambirla which recounts the Aboriginal history of the area and speaking up on assembly about the importance of inclusiveness at school, community and national level. Within the local community Darcy has been volunteering for Disabled Surfers Association (DSA) in Coffs Harbour for seven years and has been a team leader for the last four summers. Darcy is a modest young man with a long find deep commitment to the well-being of others. Darcy Turner is a worthy recipient of the John Lincoln Youth Community Service A ward from the Order of Australia Association.