Youngster volunteers to earn his Springbok Scouts Award
He needs to complete several tasks to earn the award and he is well on his way.

A 17-year-old from 1st Fourways Scout Troop is doing everything in his power to earn the Springbok Scouts Award before he turns 18 years old. As part of his tasks, Kyle Hardie is volunteering at the Norscot Koppies Nature Reserve. He needs to complete 40 hours of community service and he knew right where to go.
“I have been visiting the Norscot Koppies from an early age when I needed community service hours. I knew I wanted to give back to a friendly space and I chose the Norscot Koppies.”
Since he began volunteering there, he noticed areas in need of help. “We have done river clean-ups but unfortunately it looks the same again. I have seen a lot of waste coming down the stormwater drain and wanted a solution that would catch the waste so it doesn’t end up in the river and would be easy to manage and empty.” Hardie said he looked for different options and he finally decided on a catch net. “I was very surprised to see how much waste it had caught in its first four days.”

He has also constructed a safety railing around the top of the spillway to make it safer for everyone walking through the reserve. “I have put in 100 new path demarcations so that people can see exactly where to walk. I often see people missing out on a lot of the reserve as they turn around too early, and they don’t enjoy the bottom part of the reserve. I also varnished other path demarcations and pulled out lots of nails that were sticking out of the previous path signs.”
He said his time at the Norscot Koppies always brings happiness to him because it helps people in his surroundings. “I would like to thank each scout and adult who gave up their time to help me with my community service project and to everyone who donated towards my project. Without the help and funding, it would never have been possible.”
“Thank you to everyone who has helped over the years to maintain the reserve and create a lovely sanctuary for everyone to enjoy.”
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