Meet Georgie, our 2013 Spirit of NZ Trust Scholarship winner
From left: Brad O'Leary (Assistant Principal NCG), scholarship winner Georgie Holdaway (year 12) & Chris Bowater (CEO Bowater Hyundai).
The opportunity to sponsor a student into any positive endeavour is always a real bonus. The Bowater Motor Group has always been driven by supporting the community for generations, so when Hyundai came on board as a major sponsor nationally of the Spirit of Adventure Trust we were excited as it meant we would also be helping students out locally to get involved with the programme through Bowater Hyundai.
Recently we met our latest new scholarship winner, Georgie Holdaway.
She is a Year 12 (6th form for the older ones of us that still know school by those standards) student at Nelson College for Girls. She is a lovely girl with bright ambition, and is very much looking forward to her spot on the Spirit of New Zealand. She has provided us with a bio so we all here at the Bowater Motor Group, and everyone else interested, can get to know her a little better.
She took quite a pro active approach to raising her share of the $900 needed to meet her $1800 target for funding for her place on the ship. She entered a funding submission into the Nelson City Council and got it! Bowater Hyundai sponsored her the other $900.
Georgie's Bio:
My name is Georgie Holdaway and I am a Year 12 student at Nelson College for Girls. I am an active member of my school and community and extremely grateful for the support of Bowater Hyundai who have sponsored me to participate in a sailing of the spirit of New Zealand. By going on the spirit I want to meet new people push myself and learn more leadership skills.
Within College I am involved in many groups. I am a member of the schools premiere choir (Stella Nova) and remain involved In Bel Canto (the open choir),in which I am a choir leader, which is a role of which duties include organising the junior members, running the warm up and leading extra rehearsals for students that are struggling. I’ve had an amazing year in Stella Nova which highlights include singing for the governor general and placing in the big sing (the national choir completion).I am also hoping to become Stella Nova leader next year.
Through the school I participate in the Duke of Edinbrough award program which I am on track to achieve my silver of by the end of the year, and my time on the spirit of New Zealand will count as my residential project for the gold award.
I am a senior member of the NCG sailing team which I am hoping to become the Captain of. The NCG sailing team is a group of 6-20 girls who compete in teams racing in 420’s. We are self-managed, train three times a week throughout the summer, and compete against teams from across the region every Sunday, making it a big commitment. This year the team is rather weak so my goal as Captain is to look towards future seasons by recruiting lots of new members and training lots of new skippers. I also hope to transfer some of the large boat sailing skills I would learn on the Spirit of New Zealand into my small boat sailing.
Outside of College I am heavily involved on the Scouting movement. I am the Unit Executive of the Iron Duke Sea Venturer unit, which I helped to form late last year. As Executive, I (along with the chairperson) plan the term, and activities such as camps and tramps. In Scouts, I achieved my Chief Scout (the highest award in the scout section). Through Venturers, I am hoping to achieve my Queen Scout award, which I am on track to achieve next year. I am also an Assistant Scout Leader at Iron Duke and the groups Sailing Coach, running sailing camps and race coaching. To help with coaching skills, I recently attended a learn to sail instructors course with Yachting New Zealand, and am now a qualified assistant learn to sail coach and am soon qualifying as race coach. To back up these skills I also have my Day Skippers and Boat Masters certificates, outdoor first aid and Sea Scout Charge certificates (both sail and power). I am the only female Venturer in the Nelson region and as a result I am the only female Venturer role model to scouts, which is a role I take very seriously as I am passionate about female involvement in the scouting movement.
I am extremely grateful to Bowater Hyundai for the opportunity they have given to me by funding half of my berth on the Spirit of New Zealand.
