Scout shock

Nathan Sevior - here with Casey councillors Wayne Smith, Mick Morland and Damien Rosario - was recognised last week by council for receiving a Queen's Scout award.

By LACHLAN MOORHEAD

LEANNE Sevior couldn’t believe her son had achieved it.
Despite close to three years of almost endless hard work, Nathan Sevior received a Queen’s Scout award last year, just before his 18th birthday.
Even when Nathan was formally recognised by the City of Casey last week for claiming the high honour as part of his Narre Warren South Scout and Venturer group, his mum still couldn’t quite believe it.
“To be honest, I never thought he would do it because there was so much work involved – honestly, I think maturity kicked in,” Leanne said.
“He’s gone way beyond what I expected.”
To claim the Queen’s Scout award Nathan – now at Venturer level in his Scout group – was tasked with completing a plethora of activities and assignments over more than two and a half years, accumulating more than 300 hours of work.
Nathan’s tasks included vocational work, expeditions, a three-day hike, mock interviews, researching job opportunities and an array of other activities over several years.
Each task he completed saw Nathan attain a new badge, for which he needed to acquire all of them to be awarded with the Queen’s honour.
Leanne said Nathan, who also received a special Endeavour Award, had not always been passionate about collecting the Scout badges, but she saw her son’s enthusiasm quickly grow.
“He’s been in the movement as a Cub since he was 8, and then a Scout, but he wasn’t really overly interested in badges,” Leanne said.
“But then something just clicked and he was encouraged to have a go at it by the leaders.”
Despite the Queen’s award seeming an almost impossible task, Leanne said. Nathan was perhaps always destined to be an avid participant in Scouts.
“He was always an active little boy, and although he didn’t show an interest in any particular sport.
“He always enjoyed joining my husband when he went four-wheel driving and camping,” she said.