Buckingham Palace: Guest Presenter DoE Awards 2018 & 19
A great honour to be invited to hand out this year’s DoE Gold Awards. Presented with the challenge this is what I had to say to the young and intrepid characters on the day:
A brief Quote (complete speech below… It’s a good one!!!):
‘Where others doubt, don’t be afraid to lead by example. Know that courage is your currency; bravery determination and vision are the things you have that money cannot buy. My advice as you look to the future is simple; let your passions drive all that you do and others will surely follow. If they don’t, you will have lived a life you loved and that is a reward in and of itself.’….
Transcript:
Good Afternoon everyone. Firstly thank you to HRH, the Royal Household and the Gold Awards Team for inviting me to share in the excitement of today.
I have been thinking about this moment for some time. A few days ago, I was in Indonesia on a deserted beach with three magnificent volcanoes off in the distance. As the sun rose across this beautiful scene, I thought of you and what I might say on such an important day. Pacing up and down surrounded by monkeys, I came up with a whole host of funny anecdotes and things to say, but sadly I’ve forgotten most of it…. So please bear with me as I fumble through the next 5 -10 minutes!
I’m excited to be here not just because of the regal backdrop. I’m excited because it’s not often you get the chance to meet with a collection of young men and women so clearly capable of great things. So first and foremost, congratulations.
Standing here today, recipients of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, you have all proven beyond a doubt that you are determined, driven and capable … the kind of characters that look to the horizon and wonder what’s beyond, the kind of people that when confronted with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, push ahead and say there must be away. These are admirable qualities…the stuff leaders are made of… So again, I am really pleased to be here with you
I’m often asked, Jus, how did you become an explorer! As a kid, my Mum gave me a book called Runaway Ralph! Ralph was a mouse who lived under the stairs and, like most mice, dreamed of cheese and not much else. Life changes for Ralph when he finds a toy battery-powered motorbike and heads off into the unknown. It must have been a powerful battery because Ralph had some amazing adventures.
For sure, Ralph’s spirit of adventure and longing to go elsewhere, see more, be more, informed the young me and as a consequence, I set off early in life, … that sounds like I was running away from home… I wasn’t, I promise!
So, inspired by Ralph, I catapulted myself off into the distance… It’s been an adventure that has lasted a lifetime… one not without its challenges.
I’d like to share with you a couple of insights from my journey. Observations in a sense from a life lead in pursuit of wonder… because, as it turns out, the rewards are more different than you might imagine.
It would be easy to reel off a bucket list of and derring-do adventures that I have been involved in. I could tell you all how I’ve been chased by a rhino, hung out with gangsters, pirates and tribal chiefs, I might tell you that I have climbed little known mountains, descended unknown rivers and discovered lost cities … all of which is true, but to spend more time than I have would be to waste time, miss the point and waste this opportunity.
Because, my intrepid young friends, the true and lasting value in all this… isn’t found in the adventure itself, that’s just colour, it’s in the opportunity it has afforded me to meet with extraordinary characters along the way, people whose actions have shown me the very best in what we can become, the very best in human potential.
‘Hero’ is a word often used but not always applicable… I was lucky enough to meet one recently. I had been sent to the Congo by National Geographic to explorer the forces affecting the now-famous Virunga National Park.
For those of you that don’t know of Virunga, it’s in a place others have called the heart of darkness. A Jurassic landscape of dense jungles and active volcanoes… The National Park is home to innumerable species but most importantly it’s home to the last of our world’s mountain gorillas … Sadly, it’s also home to 30 or so armed militia groups who fight for control of the area’s gold, timber and diamonds.
Essentially, it’s a war zone where gorillas and those that defend them are literally in the crosshairs…
In the middle of this battlefield and heading up the park’s protection stands Emmanuel De Marode... On his way to work one morning, as he powered his jeep along a jungle track, he was ambushed by a band of assassins armed with AK47’s… 7 bullets ripped through the car, 5 bullets ripped through him… one through his liver, one close to his spine. Now I don’t know about you but most people having survived one assassination and knowing there is a price on your head would be enough to say OK, I’m outta here… Not Emmanuel. I met him just one month after that horrific event. Exhibiting an unflinching almost unfathomable sense of duty and commitment, he was back at his post commanding his troops, defending the gorillas…. Emmanuel is a true conservation hero…
Now, Emmanuel is a shining example but there are many like him out there, and a lot that I have met seem to be involved in projects addressing the world’s woes.
With this in mind…, I’m often asked given that, if you listen to the media, apparently ‘the sky is falling the seas are rising and our days numbered’…’don’t you feel powerless Justin?… Feel like giving up?’
I don’t subscribe to that kind of thinking. And I don’t think you do either.
I’ve been lucky in doing what I do to have come alongside some astounding characters involved in projects set against the greatest of odds; whether dodging bullets to save lives, standing alone in defence of nature or tinkering with cells to find away … it turns out that having hope is by far the most important mindset. It is a defining quality that enables the best of us to push past the naysayers and fear of failure to prove by example. As history has so often proved, we are capable of much more than we might at times imagine … and that’s how I choose to see the future… And that’s how I urge you to view it also.
As you head out into the wider world, selecting your own journeys. I’d like to offer you some encouragement along the way.
As Explorers, Adventures, Scientist, Scholar, Field workers, whatever you choose to be, you will face challenges and at times wonder if you can make it… Don’t be disheartened by setbacks. Failure is not defeat, it is just an inevitable step on the path to success.
You might not always have the means or money to make your projects happen immediately.
…don’t worry… I’m here to tell you, courage is your currency…Bravery, Determination and Vision are the things you have that money can’t buy.
For all the words, and ways I thought I might end this talk, I realise standing here it’s simple. Today is the start of an extraordinary adventure, the rest of your lives and what you make of it. My advice is simple: aim high, shoot for the moon if you want. Others have and they made it!
Be sure to invest your heart in all you do, let passion drive you and it will help communicate your aims with the power and pathos you will need to rally others around you.
I am very proud to be here with you today… and on behalf of HRH, honour your efforts with your awards.
You can be very proud of what you have achieved. Congratulations, everyone.
Thank you.
REACTIONS FROM PALACE Below:
Dear Justin.
Thank you so much for joining us at St. James’s Palace last week, it was a pleasure to meet you and I hope that you enjoyed your afternoon with us. The young people were clearly very inspired to receive their Awards from you, with comments from them including:
“He was very interesting and captured the audience with his experiences whilst very complementary to what the group had achieved – a great inspirational speaker”
“I thought he was incredibly inspiring and I greatly enjoyed his talk.”
“Loved Justin Hall’s speech and seemed very down to earth; answered the Q&A session as well which was great.”
“Justin Hall was an inspirational speaker and a perfect choice for the awards presentation. The fact that he was only presenting certificates to one group made the experience more personal and special. His words were aimed perfectly to the group and he spoke with care and grace. I was very impressed.”
“He gave a wonderful speech which made me realise the value of my achievement and made me feel very inspired to aim high and pursue my dreams! He had some incredible stories and experiences of his own to share which were absolutely fascinating.”