By Jena Carr
Saint Ignatius College Geelong’s Meg Swinton has been awarded the Guy Wettenhall Award for her efforts on the Kokoda Trek.
The 2024 Year 12 student and MacKillop House Captain received the award on Friday, December 8, during the Geelong Youth Program Annual Breakfast at The Pier in Geelong.
Meg said she was surprised to receive the award and that it took her some time to grasp what happened entirely.
“When I got up on the stage to receive the award, I was almost in tears. My voice was wobbly, and I couldn’t even really let it sink in,” she said.
“I was very proud of myself, but it could have gone to any of the beautiful people on that trek, and it would have been so well deserved.
“The group of people that I worked with, they’re all strong, amazing and brilliant people and I’m so grateful to have them in my life.”
The Guy Wettenhall Award recognises Meg’s commitment to excellence and upholding the Kokoda values of courage, endurance, mateship, and sacrifice on the trek.
“It (the trek) was literally out of this world. This is something that I know I’ll carry with me forever,” she said.
“It will stay with me for the rest of my life, but being in that moment and environment with the people and the culture was insane.
“Each experience is different and the fact that you could all come together and experience it in such unique ways, it was perfect and out of this world.”
Meg said she would take what she learned from the trek into her last year of high school and was excited to see where life would take her.
