Matthew’s Story
In 2024, Matthew, a dedicated volunteer with Graeme Dingle Foundation Marlborough, was honoured with the Volunteer Award at the Graeme Dingle Foundation National Excellence Awards. Having joined the Career Navigator programme six years ago as a mentor, Matthew has made a lasting impact on local students, helping them explore career options and build confidence. His passion for mentoring stems from his own experiences as a student, and seeing his daughter, Riley, secure a healthcare apprenticeship after graduating from the programme was one of his proudest moments.
Below, Matthew shares his reflections on the joy of volunteering and the personal growth he’s experienced along the way.
Matthew’s Speech: National Excellence Awards 2024
I think as a volunteer, it’s often hard to accept accolades and receive attention for something that already provides so much self-satisfaction and enjoyment.
A few years back I started to hear about the Career Navigator programme in Blenheim and how it was helping college students to explore and realise career options both within the region and beyond.
It immediately took my memory back to my own time at Marlborough Boys College. Hearing about some of my mates heading for University or Polytech or perhaps starting in trades, I was wondering what the next steps were going to be for me. It can be a very daunting time.
After a couple of meetings with Kelvin and Tania (the Programme Coordinator at the time), I signed up as a mentor.
Fast forward six years, and I honestly feel that I have gained more from the programme than I have actually provided for it. It’s great to get out in the community and learn about local industry, but to see the personal growth and confidence growth in the students is always the biggest highlight for me.
My daughter Riley graduated the Career Navigator programme a couple of years back and this helped her secure a healthcare apprenticeship straight out of school.
I would like to thank all the Graeme Dingle Foundation Marlborough team, but in particular Kelvin Watt and Aimee Pickles. So much work is done behind the scenes and a really strong foundation has been built by the team in Marlborough, and I look forward to seeing this develop even further into the future.
In a world where there’s often a lot of focus on bad news and bad media, I think it’s so satisfying and really rewarding to be able to take time out to try to help other people and to contribute in a positive way.
Lastly, a big thank you to my wife, Beck. She has always been very understanding and supportive of my time as a volunteer mentor and the 12 years I spent as a volunteer firefighter.
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