Stratford District Youth Citizen Awards 2024: Ellie Brady spends hundreds of hours volunteering

Article from NZ Herald | By Ilona Hanne | 27 July 2024

Ellie Brady has probably seen more movies in the past two years than the average teen has in their lifetime.

That’s not because she’s a movie buff particularly, but because she’s a volunteer usher at Stratford’s Kings Theatre.

In the past 12 months, Brady, who is one of two Stratford District Youth Citizen Award recipients for 2024, has clocked up an incredible 350 hours volunteering there and that number is going up weekly.

“I like movies, and the theatre needs volunteers to run. It’s a really great place, I love it here.”

Her impressive number of volunteer hours has earned her a silver service award from the national Student Volunteer Army organisation.

As an usher, Brady arrives at the theatre early, setting it up, before collecting tickets from patrons and then, once the movie is over, picking up rubbish, vacuuming and cleaning the theatre and toilets before the next movie begins.

That means she’s seen a lot of movies.

“I saw the Barbie movie seven times, I think in the end.”

While she has watched a lot of actors over her time as a volunteer usher, Brady has also taken to the stage herself, playing a role in Stratford High School’s production of Madhouse last year, earning her a Blues Award for performing arts at the school.

While she’s adamant she can neither sing nor dance, she obviously has plenty of acting skills as she played one of the lead roles in the play.

“It’s just a hobby,” said Brady, who prefers sports to acting generally.

Brady attended St Joseph’s School in Stratford for her primary years, and is now a Year 13 at Stratford High where she is sports captain and head of Tyrer House.

Her skill in athletics, especially track events, has led to her being awarded the Champion Challenge Cup Senior Girls Track in both 2023 and 2024 at Stratford High School, as well as the Jim Boon Challenge Cup for Intermediate Girls Track Champion in 2022.

A member of the Stratford Athletics club for years, Brady has also been a regular competitor in rogaine, Taranaki Athletics and Taranaki Schools Cross Country events over the years.

“I love running. It’s something I have always enjoyed.”

Brady has also been part of the school’s Relay for Life team for three years and is a keen hockey player, now playing for Stratford High School.

When not playing sports, Brady is often seen on the sidelines, supporting her school teams and teams her friends are in.

Brady is also kept busy serving as a peer mediator at school.

“A group of us do it, we help out supporting the wellbeing of students, settling disputes without needing staff to get involved and making sure students feel happy and safe at school. It’s very rewarding.”

It’s also “very rewarding” being a member of the Stratford District Youth Council, another group Brady is an active member of. This year she is a school liaison officer, meaning she makes sure schools are aware of what the youth council is doing, and reporting back to the council on school events.

“I got involved because I saw all the different things the youth council was doing like the On The Bus event, and the free movie sessions at the Kings Theatre, and wanted to be part of that, and to encourage others to try the events out as well.”

Despite the amount of time Brady gives back to her school, the theatre and the community, she keeps up with her schoolwork, achieving an overall excellence endorsement in NCEA Level 1, and merit in Level 2.

She also received the school’s Marion Davis Rosebowl for best all-round senior student in home economics at the end of Year 12.

This year, she is studying chemistry, statistics, English, commerce and home economics, with plans to study accountancy at university next year.

“Mrs Lightoller [Raewyn Lightoller] encouraged me, she was a great teacher and she made me think that accountancy would be something I’d enjoy.”

Brady is, said her nominator for the Citizen Award, a classic unsung hero who turns up, sees what needs to be done, and gets on and does it.