From Olympic medallists to an actor on popular Aussie television soap Home and Away, the list of talented Southlanders who have earned an ILT Youthmark Young Achievers Award makes for impressive reading.
The 2017 achievements of 50 students from secondary schools throughout the region, including Wakatipu High School and Blue Mountain College, were honoured at the annual awards presentation at the Ascot Park Hotel.
For photographer Shelley Clark, it’s a special milestone as she reflects on 25 years of capturing images which showcase the vast array of academic, cultural or sporting prowess.
“It’s been incredible to see how their careers have progressed over the years and what they have all gone on to achieve. I do feel proud of them,” she said.
“It feels like it won’t be long until I’m photographing the second generation of Youthmark recipients.”
Previous recipients have included dual international Jeff Wilson, Silver Fern Lesley Rumball, Olympians the calibre of Eddie Dawkins, Storm Uru and Nathan Cohen and actor George Mason, who is currently appearing in Home and Away.
Clark thrived on the diversity of the pursuits involved in the awards.
“Even after 25 years there’s still new sports or achievements coming through that I haven’t experienced before. For example, this year Emily Jagoutz from James Hargest was my first ever canoe polo rep,” she said.
“Sometimes I’m so in awe of their talents I probably make them repeat a few extra takes than is actually needed for the shot just to see them in action. We have some incredibly gifted students in our region and it’s great to see them being acknowledged.
“It’s so important for our young people to get the kudos they deserve – too often society focuses on the negative of our youth.”
“Southland, with the backing of the ILT, is the only province in New Zealand that showcases its students like this. The awards all hang with such pride at the respective schools and it’s such an honour for these students – often the first of many accolades.”
2017 ILT Youthmark Young Achiever Award recipients are:
- Emma Ronald (Aparima)
- Bronson Albert-Tawa (Aurora)
- Amy Tomsett (Blue Mountain)
- Connor Ballantyne, Stewart Catto, CJ Dungca, Adam Norman, Hamish Thomson (Central Southland)
- Dyani Shepherd-Oates (Fiordland)
- Morgan Craig
- Kaitlyn Robson
- Reuben Brown
- Max Dawson
- Liam Fairbairn
- Jane Fox
- Matthew Fraser
- Cameron Hartley
- Kate Harvey
- Emily Jagoutz
- Ben King
- Sam Loan
- Andrea McDowell
- Emma Ryan (James Hargest)
- Joseph Ferguson
- Campbell Heads (Menzies)
- Baylee Barrett (Northern Southland)
- Callum Holloway, Bradley Jackson, Mitchell Kempton, Jack Mockford (Southland Boys’)
- Imogen Brankin, Katelin Cotter, Elisapeta Kuresa, Tayla Lumsden, Laura Pope, Courtney Taylor (Southland Girls’)
- Keegan Irwin, April Perkins (St Peter’s)
- Chelsea Cosgrove, Aliyah Dunn, Alex Thurlow (Verdon)
- Elsie Anderson, Hamish Attenborough, Jessica Dicker, Danique Ehmann, Connor Kennedy, Beatrice Onions, Olivia Ray, Hugh Taylor (Wakatipu).