Cactus students tackle Longest Day challenge

It's the final big effort to get the fire tanker over the line.

Thirty one Dannevirke High School students completed the eight-week Cactus programme on Saturday when they tackled the gruelling Longest Day challenge.

Cactus is a military-style youth programme of physical and mental training designed to extend a young person's mind and physical capability.

It's for Year 9 to 13 students.

The programme was introduced to Dannevirke by Senior Constable Wayne Churchouse.

This is the sixth year the programme has been run.

The day began with students gathering at the Dannevirke High School wharekai for breakfast at 5.50am.

This was followed by a drill and a physical workout in the school gym and a leadership activity on the top field.

An exercise with the Fire and Emergency NZ and St John took place on the bottom field.

From there the group carried logs from the school gym to Cole St.

Pulling two utes together up Hospital St hill was a mammoth task for the group.

One of the toughest challenges then took place when the students towed two utes up Hospital St hill.

Cactus leader Senior Constable Wayne Churchouse encourages the group to complete their task.

A Search and Rescue exercise in the Mangatera Reserve was followed by a Medevac exercise.

From there the group ran to the Dannevirke Domain where they marched to the cenotaph to respect and remember the victims of war.

Students marched to the Dannevirke Domain cenotaph to pay respects to those who served and died in world wars.

The students then had to carry the logs from the domain to St John's Anglican Church before assembling on Swinburn St for what was the toughest task of the day, towing a Fire Service water truck to the fire station in Denmark St.

A group of students prepare to carry a log from the domain to St John's Anglican Church.

Plenty of encouragement and support by family and friends saw them successfully complete the task.

The students' utter exhaustion shows after towing a water tanker to the Dannevirke fire station.

After a short rest and plenty of hydration, the students then had to run back to the school gym, once again carrying the logs from the church.

They then paraded in the gym and were issued with their graduation tops.

Cactus students, graduate instructors and adult instructors are piped to the Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club for the graduation ceremony.

The students then had a two-hour break before marching from Gordon St to the Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club for their graduation ceremony.

A report on this event will be published on Thursday.