Good Sorts - Regan Beazley
Being able to volunteer in the community for Waimate volunteer Regan Beazley (18), is a “great way” of being able to give back to a community that has helped him to get to where he is today.
Regan was born in Timaru, but has grown up in Waimate, attending Waimate Centennial School and Waimate High School, Year 7-9.
He continued his schooling from Year 10 at Roncalli College in Timaru, and is currently in Year 13.
When Regan was three, he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
He said having ASD has not stopped him from volunteering or from participating in what the community and life has offered to him.
In 2015, at the age of 8, Regan was invited to join the 1st Waimate Boy's Brigade Company by one of his friends.
The Boy’s Brigade (BB) is an international Christian youth organisation, whose main purpose is to help develop boys and young men into confident leaders, with Christian values and a commitment to serving others.
Regan worked his way through Team Section and Company Section, earning many awards and badges along the way.
Through earning them he was able to learn and experience things he didn't think he was capable of.
Regan said it was through BB that he learnt about what volunteering was and why helping others is important.
He said he learnt that it was not just important to go out and volunteer in the community, but to also incorporate it into our daily lives, as it was about growing up to be a good person.
“BB is about personal growth”, he said.
Some of the different forms of volunteering Regan was involved in through BB were, cleaning up areas around the Waimate community of rubbish, and helping other community groups, like planting trees at Bushtown.
As well as doing things like building pest traps with other members to donate to Friends of Studholme Bush (FOSB) Scenic Reserve, which they also monitored for a period of time.
At the end of 2023, both Regan and Micah Roberts, a good friend and fellow Waimate BB member, travelled to Government House in Wellington to be presented with The Boy’s Brigade, King’s Badge Award (Kings Award), the highest award a BB member can accomplish.
They were hosted at Government House, and presented their awards by His Excellency, Dr Richard Davies, the husband of New Zealand Governor-General, Her Excellency, The Right Honorable Dame Cindy Kiro.
The King’s Award is about community, responsibility, goal setting, and building self-confidence through a sense of achievement.
Regan said part of achieving the King’s Award was to go into the community and find volunteer work.
He said he chose to volunteer at Lister Home, by socialising with the residents and helping them with different activities.
“I would do puzzles, sing with them and sometimes I would help them on trips out. One day we went to a Wildlife Park.
“What I really enjoyed about the experience was hearing their life stories,” he said.
As part of gaining his King’s Award, Regan also attended the BB National Leadership Development Course (NLDC) in Blenheim, where he participated in activities like team building exercises and a three day tramp, building bivouacs to sleep in and cooking meals on gas cookers.
“It was a great experience and it helped me to be more resilient and patient, because it wasn't easy for me.
“It taught me about determination and how we should push through, even if we think it’s impossible.
“Sometimes it’s hard for people to push through their struggles when everything seems bleak, but we have to learn to move forward,” he said.
One aspect that Regan said he learnt through BB about volunteering, was that it can be incorporated into our daily lives and we can make it part of who we are.
He said he now realises he first learnt about volunteering at home from his parents, who have always encouraged him to be kind and help others.
“We learn from our parents, they have taught me a lot.
“I always try to help others by being respectful and by doing things like opening doors and offering to hold something, if I see someone carrying too much.”
Unfortunately, before Regan received his King’s Badge, The 1st Waimate BB Company folded, due to a lack of leaders and volunteers, which meant Regan was unable to start his leadership training with them.
He said it was sad their Captain (Lorraine Cousins) became unwell and BB finished in Waimate, because it had given him opportunities to experience and achieve things that he necessarily wouldn’t have, if he hadn’t been a member.
“BB made me realise I could do things I never thought possible, it helped make me be a more confident person.
“I’d have liked to have become a leader to help keep Waimate Boy’s Brigade going, but there is nowhere close enough for me to train,” he said.
When speaking of the confidence that being a member of BB gave him, Regan also spoke of how the volunteering he did through them was a major part of building his confidence as well.
He said volunteering in the community helped him become more confident in socialising and working with others, as this wasn’t easy for him having ASD.
“Socialising for me is like trying to operate a car with little knowledge.
“Volunteering has helped me, by encouraging me to talk to people, to reach out to others and to expand my connections in the community, which has helped to make me more confident,” he said.
In November 2024, Regan was given the opportunity to speak at Whakanuia Awards, an awards setup to celebrate the personal achievements of children with disabilities.
He spoke of having ASD and how he wished people with disabilities were treated with more equality.
“It was a really good experience that pushed me, and gave me confidence in myself, just like BB and volunteering has done,” Regan said.
He received a standing ovation for his public address.
Awards at the ceremony were presented by Timaru District mayor, Nigel Bowen and the event made the front page of the Timaru Courier.
Regan said volunteering is a great way to meet other good people and for friends to hangout, all while being able to give back to a town and people who have helped him get to where he is.
He said Waimate is a great place to grow up and live in.
“It’s just so nice to be able to give back to a community of such lovely people.
“I enjoy just doing something good, because it is nice to give a helping hand, just like it feels nice when others help you.
“I have realised that everyone of us is capable of doing things that can help 100’s and 1000’s of people in need, because being kind has a chain effect,” he said.
The 1st Waimate BB Company leaders and parent volunteers, who were there to work with, support and encourage both Regan and Micah in achieving The King’s Badge were, Lorraine Cousins (captain), Paul Roberts (leader) and Simon Keenan (parent volunteer)
By Amelia King