Dannevirke: Perseverance pays off for Duke duo

Meredith Wootherspoon on Panakeri Bluff, above Lake Waikaremoana in 2012. The tramp was a practice for her gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Meredith's final, qualifying tramp was four days in the Whirinaki Forest in 2013. Photo / Supplied

Perseverance has been key as two former Dannevirke High School students worked to gain their gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The pair, Rebekah Menzies and Meredith Wootherspoon, had completed their bronze and silver awards while at the high school, but gained their gold awards across their school years and into their working life, Pam Menzies, the teacher-in-charge of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award at the high school, said.

"Rebekah left high school in 2007 and studied at Otago University, earning a Bachelor of Arts with honours, before moving to Victoria University in Wellington to complete her Masters," Mrs Menzies said. "Rebekah is currently [working] for the Government in Wellington as a policy analyst."

Rebekah carried out the majority of her gold badge work while at high school, including tramping and the service component. Later she completed her physical recreation component and skill component.

"The final part of the award for Rebekah was the residential component, where young people have to go away for a week and stay with people they don't know and undertake some meaningful activity," Mrs Menzies said. "Rebekah went to Auckland to spend a week at Cue Haven [a park north-west of Auckland], planting trees, maintaining tracks and building footpaths."

For Meredith much of her work had a dance focus. Her skill was learning to be a dance teacher while her physical recreation was also dance.

"Meredith left high school in 2010 and became a beautician, studying in Palmerston North, before working in Taradale for two years as a beautician," Mrs Menzies said. "While in Taradale she completed her gold award." Meredith now works as a beautician on a cruise ship.

"She is having a wonderful life," Mrs Menzies said. "She pops up on Facebook in Venice one week and in the south of France the next.

"It's great these two girls have finished their awards, but they now realise this type of thing is best done while at school." Once out of school there was less time for award activities, she said.