Youth advocate awarded King’s honour

“Good on ya, Gazza,” was just one of the many congratulatory phone calls retiring Springboard founder Gary Diprose received when he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit the King’s Birthday honours this month.

Gary received the award for services to youth, particularly vulnerable young people in the Warkworth area.

“There have been some amazing people behind the Springboard story – I feel the award honours every one of them as well,” he said. “It was very humbling to be nominated and I accepted the award with an enormous sense of pride.”

Springboard started with an alternative education programme for young people who had been excluded from mainstream school due to behavioural issues and has grown into a multi-layered education and support organisation, now based at Sheepworld. It employs around 40 fulltime staff and a fleet of vehicles supporting around 450 young people.

While still involved with alternative education, Springboard also provides a youth offenders programme, driver training, social worker support, mentoring and work placement programmes, and a programme working with young people who have left school and are not engaged in further education or work.

“We’ve been through tough times and disappointing times on this journey, but when I look back on the last nearly 25 years, I’m very proud of where we have landed. The award seems like a really nice way to round it all off for me personally.”

Gary hands over the management of Springboard to chief executive Dan Gray and chief operations manager Stephanie Lane on September 30.