Looking back at 2014, all I can think about is how lucky I have been. I feel so inspired by the generosity that was shown to me by so many amazing people and that took me on the journey of a lifetime. I have developed a great love for remembrance and history and have thoroughly enjoyed participating in French culture, language, and history. The Young Ambassadors tour really made me connect authentically with the spirit of those who served a century ago. Being there, where they were. Where they...

Wow! it is really strange to think that it is already 2015 and that this time last year we were all finding out about being accepted into the young ambassadors and that we would be going to France. This opportunity was the absolute highlight of my 2014 and has given me some incredible memories and friends. Before we left I was nervous that the trip would be difficult with clashing personalities and being in each others company 24/7. I really needn't have worried, this trip and the programme has...

2014 marks the 150th birthday of New Zealand's oldest Army regiment, Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifle.

To mark this milestone, the regiment which is based at Linton, paraded around The Square in Palmerston North on Saturday. 

Soldiers, riflemen on horseback and small tanks were all part of this spectacle which attracted many people from around the Manawatu, even on a day which was very drizzly and breezy! Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae inspected the horses.

The QAMR served in both World...

Fresh crêpes, cobbled streets, photo booths and Parisiens smoking with cool refinement. Polished marble floors with a glassy sheen, wrought-iron lattices and metro stations flashing by in lights of dull grey. These are the things I remember about Paris. As soon as the Young Ambassadors touched down on French soil, we entered a place where history and modernity walk alive in the streets.

Our first week of the tour was a whirlwind of tourist attractions and grand military parades along with...

Bonjour a tous!

This is going to be a short little blog just to cover some of the more recent exciting events. As I write this there are only 4 more days until we all jet off to France which is beyond exciting. I cannot believe how quickly it has crept up!

Meeting everyone for the day in Wellington seems like eons ago but it was great to put names to faces and get to know everyone. I can’t wait to be spending a full two weeks with everyone; particularly due to the wonderful opportunities we...

Bonjour tout le monde!

Malheureusement Mai était un mois très occupe pour moi. J’ai eu beaucoup des activités de mon école et à cause de ça j’ai été très retard aven mon blog. Pardon à tous, et j’espère je suis plus de organise pour Juin !

Je veux un moment pour remercier le gentil peuple de ma communauté pour le support et la encouragement ils ont offert. En particulièrement je voudrais remercier La Cloche ; un café français  de Wellington pour leur patronage. Ils ont été très généraux...

4th June

This evening I met a man named John MacNamara. His uncle Private Donald Wallace MacNamara, was killed in the Battle of the Somme, only 6 days before my great-great-grandfather James Livingston. Pte MacNamara has a burial at the Caterpillar a Valley Cemetary, where Livingston has his memorial. John read in the Manawatu Standard article about the Young Ambassadors Tour, that we will be visiting the Caterpillar Valley Cemetery during the trip. He contacted me through my school, and...

Columba College was lucky enough to have a visit from Pascale in our Assembly. 

Pascale gave a presentation to the school on the Shared Histories project, and gave us information on how we can get involved from even the smallest level (such as downloading a badge to show our support on social platforms). It was great to have her come in and enthuse some more people to get involved, and to give a better description of what the project is actually about to everyone at school.

On Friday, we had...

Bonjour!

Who is this man?  The dusty kaki coloured shirt framing a tanned face and the blanched periwinkle blue of the sky in behind the camel brown tent all suggest a war. But, which one? Perhaps it doesn’t matter as much as we might think...

This man is novelist, Tim O’Brien, during his service in Vietnam, lasting from 1969-70. I am currently in the midst of reading his most critically acclaimed novel, “The Things They Carried,” which, like this photograph, presents an aspect of...

Salut à tous!

I would like to start off by thanking the Awapuni Rotary and Milson Rotary Clubs from Palmerston North for their very generous donations towards the cost of the Young Ambassadors trip. It is much appreciated, and I look forward to speaking to them about the trip and my project outcomes.

On the 18th of March, the Manawatu Standard published an article about the Young Ambassadors Tour. I have included a picture of the article above. There is an important correction I would like to...