Warrnambool East Primary School grade five student Lochlan Brown was surprised his nomination of his youth mentor James Chapman won a Bethany Superhero Award.
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Lochlan, 11, submitted a video of Mr Chapman explaining how his mentor had helped him over the past two years.
"I chose you because you make sure I'm happy and you have been there for me since year three," Lochlan said in the video.
"I feel like I can talk to you and tell you things that I would not talk to anyone else about.
"I'm also more than happy that you are my mentor. You are the biggest role model I've ever had."
Lochlan was thrilled to learn he had taken out the Teachers, Coach and Community Superhero Award and won a $100 Bendigo Bank Piggy account and a family pass to Geelong's Adventure Park.
"I was a bit nervous before I won because I had some of my family over to watch the awards ceremony with me," he said.
"The video took me about 30 minutes to make and I had help from my teacher who got some photos for me.
"He's just nice to me and makes sure I'm OK at school and at home."
Mr Chapman is a youth mentor at Warrnambool East Primary School and was humbled to receive the award.
"I felt very special," he said.
"It's the sort of job you put a lot of yourself into and working with kids you don't immediately see your impact.
"For a kid of 11 to put into words what I meant to him, I was amazingly humbled.
"Lochlan is one of those kids who takes what I say to him onboard and he's shown a high level of maturity. I told him how proud I was of him for his growth."
Lochlan's mother Jade Muller was proud of her son for showing people his video of Mr Chapman.
"The school and Mr Chapman have supported Lochlan with a lot," she said.
"I think the video will help boys and men when speaking up.
"It's very brave to show others the video and for Lochlan to speak out. We're very supportive of him."
The judges for the category decided Lochlan's winning submission showcased what a positive relationship looked like for young children.
"Lochlan refers to James as a 'role model' in which he has a trusting relationship," the judges said.
"His submission tells a story of a respectful, positive relationship that has developed over many years."
Bethany Group chief executive Grant Boyd said the awards provided children with a platform to reflect on their positive relationships.
"Children have shown remarkable resilience in the face of COVID-19 restrictions and are looking forward to getting back to normal," he said.
"The competition encouraged children to reflect on positive aspects of their lives which included the meaningful relationships they have with family members, teachers, coaches and broader community members."
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