KIM GERHART RECEIVED DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S GOLD AWARD FROM PRINCE

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

HUNTSVILLE “Prince Phillip was always a big part of our lives,” says Kim Gerhart, who grew up in Brighton, England.

The 68-year-old retired Huntsville CCAC worker is a distinguished Duke of Edinburgh’s Award recipient and who was presented to the prince as a teen after she completed the three levels of service at the end of her training to be a British bobby.

“With his award being so popular with individuals, schools and organizations, it was something to be proud of, to partake in,” she said this weekend in the wake of Philip’s death.

“It was such a pleasure to have my turn up in front of the Prince, to have him shake my hand, congratulate me — and say ‘well done.’

“It helped make me the person I am today,” she told MuskokaTODAY.com.

“First, I’d like to say it was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Prince Phillip, a wonderful man who inspired such a huge youth program in 1956, which has expanded to about 144 countries.

“He will be sadly missed. A lovely man with a lovely sense of humour as well.”

The Duke of Edinburgh congratulates police cadet Kimberley Wilch Nov. 10, 1971, after she received her Gold Award at Buckingham Palace in this newspaper clipping, a prized possession in her personal scrapbook.

Gerhart grew up a Kimberley Wilch, before the “adventurous” young lass immigrated to Canada and Burlington to be with cousins and friends, where she met her Canadian “Mountie” — and husband-to-be — Gerry Gerhart, a multi-talented Mississauga musician and now retired Canada Post worker.

“At age 12, I realized I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps, by joining the police force. He died at age 26 when I was four,” leaving a single mother and two siblings, a boy and girls aged 2 and 18 months. “Not too unusual” in 1953, Gerhart said today.

“So I never really knew him. But while growing up I was constantly told what a wonderful man he was.

“So you can imagine my absolute joy when I was accepted into the Sussex Constabulary Police Cadets.

“I graduated high school at age 16, and that same fall is when I joined the cadets.

“I actually joined the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme in my last year of high school. It was offered as an incentive there as well (Bronze, Silver and Gold — three separate achievements).

“My police cadet training was at headquarters in Lewes, and as an actual police officer I was stationed in Bognor Regis, another seaside town for a year.

The cadet program lasted three years, “during which time we all completed our Bronze, then Silver and Gold Awards.

This golden booklet is where Kimberley Wilch’s Gold level achievements were signed off and recorded.

“In each of these categories, there were many worthwhile challenges to choose from and it was up to us to decide which to give pleasure — and increase knowledge of the world and of oneself.

“It was all great character-building stuff.

“I did many camping expeditions that had to be done in wild country. So Dartmoor was what we chose for the Gold experience,” she said.

“We all had to learn orienteering, using map and compass alone, over four days, 50 miles in total to specified campsites. Through rain, sleet and snow — rubbing salt on our blistered feet — we cleaned our porridge pots in freezing cold, while going over bogs hoping we’d not sink in.

“I also took a sea coastal rescue course in Wales, using a reel and line rescue technique from shore.

“We also learned how to rescue a drowning person from a kayak. And we did a fair amount of sea kayak surfing after our drills for fun,” she adds with a laugh.

“The first time I strapped on the rope — to head into nine-foot high crashing waves, swim under them and surface to ‘rescue’ a drowning ‘volunteer’ from our group — I was terrified!

“Being attached you could be hauled back in of course and that was a form of security. But honestly, like most things it’s do or die.

“But we all did it.”

The invitation and details to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme ceremony were all spelled out in this letter from the Palace.

Gerhart said “there is a community service part of the award, which I spent volunteering in a children’s home and also in a nursing home, learning how to dress bed sores, hoisting residents onto toilets and into baths.

“Many times were my eyes opened and my feelings challenged.”

She says “looking back, what strikes me most is what we actually experienced at such a young age. So many skills learned and mastered. Learning to work as a team, knowing honour, compassion, leadership, coping skills, mentoring, comradeship, creativity and learning to think and act for ones self unselfishly.

“I know that this — plus the actual police cadet training — is what made me the person I am today.”

Gerhart says “I am so grateful to Prince Phillip for having sponsored and mentored this wonderful youth program.”

But then to get to meet him at Selfridges, on Nov. 10, 1971, with less than 100 fellow Gold Award recipients was priceless.

“Back then, the excitement to get an actual invitation to the Palace no less. Wow!”

“And to know you were going to meet ‘him’ and many others like us that day, I felt so very proud of my achievements.

“That is also what had I hoped for. That young people will come out of all this with a sense of pride and purpose, with all that knowledge to carry us forward into the world, as hopefully more insightful, better people and ready to make a difference.

“It was such a pleasure to have my turn up in front of the Prince, to have him shake my hand and congratulate me …. I know all of us felt the same as we talked about it for so long afterwards.”

She still has among her prized possessions the invitation, admittance card and great newspaper clippings — including one of her shaking hands with the Duke.

But she doesn’t remember being handed an actual certificate, saying each level of accomplishment was noted in a ledger for what was known as part of the Award Scheme.

In the years since, Gerhart did see or watch Philip and Queen a couple of times just in passing, waving to them along parade routes like everyone else.

But nothing like that one Princely presentation.

“The monarchs were so much more accessible back then.”

Gerhart said “I must admit I was pleasantly surprised when Gerry showed me your text and asking about me.

“How often do we get to talk of ourselves, especially when honouring someone else?

“I am so honoured to talk about it.

“The Prince did so much for the youth and still does.”

The Brighton and Hove Gazette printed this story about cadet Kim’s gold award presentation at Buckingham Palace in 1971.

Gerhart did get accepted in to the Peel police when she arrived in Canada, “but in truth,” she decided not to accept the job because it meant carrying — and maybe even using a gun — something foreign to a British copper (constable on part).
She said she’d been trained to shoot, but preferred not to.

“I did a lot of soul searching” before turning down the offer.

Asked further why she moved to Canada, Gerhart said: “What partly drew me was I read ‘The Whiteoaks of Jalna,’ by Mazo de le Roche. Pioneers sailing over to Canada and building a home on a hill overlooking a lake.

“It was not until I met Gerry at the post office in Clarkson, where I picked up mail for my office, that I told him about the book.

“He me that the old Jalna House was just up the road from his place in Clarkson, and that he went to Whiteoaks Public School. And that there was a nearby road named Mazo de la Roche Crescent.

“The lake of course was Lake Ontario. I truly got goosebumps.”

Kim later worked administratively in home care before moving north with her husband.

The Gerharts had family at a north Muskoka lodge, and Gerry eventually got a transfer Huntsville. She worked at the hospital and with the Community Care Access Centre for 25 years, before retiring in 2015.

While she’s watched bits of the coverage from back home this weekend, she has been kept up-to-date by her 90-year-old mum, Edith, who lives in the city of Wells, Wiltshire, and who “loves it all.”

And to whom she spoke to this morning receiving an update on Philip’s funeral plans for early this Saturday.

“I have had a great life,” said Gerhart. “I lasted a good year as a police woman, but Canada called my heart and I came here by myself at age 21 and have never looked back.

“We all have our memories that travel with us.”

And this is a great one Gerhart is now happy to share.

In the meantime, Kim and Gerry will be helping their son set up Tristan’s Tasty Eatz food truck at nearby Tally Ho, where he expects to reopen again next month after the winter off.

Last summer his parents helped with the daily morning prep for what turned out to be a very busy season, he said.

As for watching the funeral, Gerhart says “I expect so.

“Let’s just say it’s in the books.”

She said she’s watched all the other Royal weddings and funerals, “including getting up at 3 a.m. to watch Diana’s.”

If the Gerharts do rise five hours early, she says they’ll raise a glass of G&T in the Duke of Edinburgh’s memory.

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