VIU student to receive award from Prince Edward

Christopher Perrier-Evely will be among 100 young British Columbians to


receive the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award from Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex,


in Vancouver Friday (March 19).

Perrier-Evely


said it was exciting to find out last fall that rumours were true and a member


of the Royal Family would be coming to British Columbia to hand out the top


awards in the program that recognizes participants between 14 and 25 who reach


personal goals in areas such as community service, skills, physical recreation


and adventurous journey.

Prince


Edward, who is attending Paralympics events in Vancouver and Whistler with his wife, Sophie


Helen Rhys-Jones,


will take part in Friday’s ceremony at Point Grey Secondary School in


Vancouver.

Perrier-Evely,


19, from Campbell River, is in his second year of studies at VIU as he pursues


Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education degrees.

With a


background of eight years in Scouting, Perrier-Evely has achieved all three


levels of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards — bronze, silver and now gold.

He earned


the first level hiking and camping on Quadra Island. The second level was


achieved by completing a 47-kilometre paddling and portaging adventure on the


Sayward forest canoe route near Campbell River. He earned gold on a five-day


trek in central Newfoundland as he retraced the trap-line once maintained by


his grandfather.

He credits


his parents Geri and Glen with helping him to achieve his goals. “My dad did


all three trips with me. My mother was the one who said, ‘keep going, keep


going.’”

He had some


added inspiration on the wilderness adventure in Newfoundland. “My grandfather


did the fur-line with us. He’s 80 and still walks five miles a day. He still


remembered the fur-lines like he was doing it 30 years before. It was really


cool. He was getting us to go faster.”

Perrier-Evely


is still making up his mind about his teaching goals. “It will be elementary or


high school. I still have three years to figure it out. I want to go and teach


abroad.”

He had


been tempted to go travelling after high school but took his mother’s advice to


get a university education first and then be able to work in foreign countries


and stay longer.

More than


36,000 young people in Canada are involved in the program under the patronage


of the Governor-General. The Duke of


Edinburgh’s Award was founded in 1956 by His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip,


Duke of Edinburgh.  The Award came to Canada in 1963 and runs in 126


countries around the world.  To date almost 6 million young people have


challenged themselves by participating in The Award.

“That’s


half the fun, when you get challenged,” Perrier-Evely said.

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For more information, contact:  www.dukeofed.org