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rotary international in great britain
and ireland
humanity in motion
Rotary Club of
Godalming Woolsack
humanity in motion
rotary international in great britain
and ireland
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards 2004
Godalming Woolsack, in conjunction with their employer, John Dennis Coachbuilders
Limited of Guildford, sponsored two candidates -
They, together with Allan McClafferty, Chairman and Joint Managing Director of JDC, were invited to attend the Club's meeting on Monday 17 May, to talk about their experiences on the course, and to receive their certificates of attendance.
Allan McClafferty set the scene by giving some background to the history of the Dennis
business, out of which JDC had been formed. His company are leaders in the specialist
manufacture of fire engine bodies and cabs for a world-
He also talked about the three and a half year apprenticeship programme that he had introduced at JDC. Alan and Ross stood out amongst the original 20 applicants for the programme, and had been employed as apprentices on the electrical and electronics side of the business. He hoped that they would stay with the company and eventually rise to managerial positions.
Disappointingly, a subsequent year's advertisement for candidates for the programme had not attracted a single applicant, but Allan McClafferty's belief in it was such that the available position had gone to his own son. Alan considered that the lack of response was due partly to the expense of living in Surrey, unless the young people concerned still lived in the family home, but also to the emphasis placed by schools on the importance of pursuit of academic qualifications, rather than practical/technical competencies. Nevertheless, he ensured that JDC apprentices attended a day release course at Guilford College, with a view to attaining a relevant NVQ qualification.
Unfortunately, Ross Doughty was unable to attend the presentation due to illness, but Alan Hoggett gave an articulate and fascinating insight into the RYLA course. He had initially been reluctant to be put forward as a candidate because, at 21, he would be in the top age bracket of attendees.
In fact, his doubts proved to be groundless, and he described the week as "thoroughly
enjoyable" -
His most challenging activity was as a team leader of one of five groups for a walk which covered a distance of 14 miles in and around Amersham. He mentioned the responsibility of assigning tasks such as map reading and marshalling the group so that they stayed together. They were given a budget of £30 for lunch and dinner, which was wisely spent on bread, cheese, tomatoes and ingredients for a curry in the evening. His group had left the RYLA Centre fourth, but arrived back first, which gave them first choice of pitch on which to make a shelter from two lengths of rope and some polythene. The other groups had blown their budgets on processed food and sandwiches for lunch, and so were happy to share in some of the curry!
On the next and final morning of the course, the participants were informed that they had to compile from scratch and present an entertainment for 150 people that evening. This include arranging seating, car parking and food on a £200 budget. Alan was in charge of lighting, and Ross had looked after the parking. The evening had been a resounding success, despite the rigours of the previous day.
Alan thoroughly recommended RYLA, saying that he had picked up a lot of skills and generally gained in confidence. He had also learned to pay more attention and to listen to the opinions of others.
Chris Bedford, Chairman of Woolsack's Youth Services Committee, concluded by presenting the certificates for Alan and Ross. He believed that, once again, Woolsack's policy of seeking RYLA candidates from the world of work, rather than school, had been very much justified. He hoped that other District 1250 clubs might follow this lead in future years, so broadening the background of attendees to the benefit of all concerned.