Schull Community College

WEST CORK GARDA YOUTH AWARDS
Each year, through the West Cork Garda Youth Awards and sponsors Super-Valu, there is an opportunity to highlight and say a public thank you for the outstanding work many young people do in their community. Anyone can nominate a young person between the ages of 14 and 21 to be considered for a Youth Award. Now in its 13th year, application forms for this year's nominees are available in all Super -Valu branches throughout the West Cork region. Closing date for applications was October 31st and completed application forms to either James O'Mahony, Bandon Garda Station or Don Davis Bantry Garda Station. The presentation of the awards took place in the Westlodge Hotel, Bantry on
November 14 2008


This year,Caroline Donovan and Sean Duffy were presented with awards from the West Cork Garda Division for their efforts in fund raising for Lesotho. Congratulations to the both of them from the college!!


Previously at another ceremony of awards
Chief Superintendent Dwyer said that he believed the prestigious and hard earned awards augured well for society as a whole and for West Cork in particular. He said, “We are looking at the leaders of tomorrow and with wonderful people like these I do not think we have many worries about the future.”

Bishop John Buckley, Bishop of Cork & Ross, in the course of his address, praised the Gardai who had introduced the Garda Youth Awards in West Cork ten years ago.Bishop Buckley congratulated the recipients and said they had all made contributions which had enhanced the lives of the communities within which they lived and further afield. He said that happiness is the hunger to give and unhappiness is the hunger to receive. He reminisced about growing up in a community in West Cork where there was a lot of giving and encouraged the award winners to continue giving joy, love, meaning and significance to other people’s lives. He said, “We earn these things by giving them away.”

We had another winner in 2002.
Declan O'Donovan, of Kilbrown, Goleen, received his Special Achievement Award for his bravery. Declan had noticed smoke coming from the kitchen area of a house after midnight and had, with friends, investigated. He forced entry and alerted the occupants, a Miss Scully and her son Patrick who were asleep upstairs. Declan helped Miss Scully and Patrick leave the house and then he re-entered the building in an effort to call the fire services.Although Mother and son were unhurt, Declan, an asthma sufferer, inhaled fumes, needed on the spot medical attention from fire services personnel, and spent an overnight in Bantry Hospital.Declan who attends Schull Community School was highly commended by fire service personnel, the Garda Siochana and the local community for his bravery. He has also shown great commitment in Transition Year towards various elements of the TY programme, being involved in the mini-company and the outdoor pursuits’ events in particular