After eight weeks of hard work, 38 Feilding High School students celebrated their collective success – graduating with flying colours from the CACTUS programme.
The Combined Adolescent Challenge Training Unit Support (CACTUS) programme is led by Feilding Police and supported by many organisations and local businesses. It’s been running for several years, which is a testament to its success.
The programme is open to young people aged 14-17 and aims to inspire, build leadership skills, and help grow their confidence, self-esteem and respect for others.
OC Feilding Sergeant Luke Shannon says the programme is firmly embedded in the community and has seen hundreds of students proudly graduate and go on to do great things.
"It's initiatives like these that bring us together as a community and build our future leaders,” says Luke.
“We are so proud of all the students who gave their 110 per cent and equally they should be proud of what they have achieved.
“Also, without the support and time our volunteers and community give to CACTUS we wouldn’t be able to run it, so I want to acknowledge their significant contributions.”
Programme partners include Mayor Helen Worboys and the Manawatū District Council; Royal New Zealand Air Force Warrant Officer Gavin Hey; Ben Lockton and the Feilding Fire and Emergency Team; and Nathan Stewart and Paul Frost at Feilding High, among many other community volunteers.
Over the eight weeks, sessions were run three mornings a week beginning at 6am with an hour-long PT session followed by breakfast, motivational speakers, public speaking practice, challenges and team building exercises.
The PT sessions were run by RNZAF personnel Corporal Naomi James and Wing Commander Stu Pearce, as well as Feilding officers Luke and Constables Char Lucas and Georgia Dyer.
“We had some fantastic speakers this year that included TEDx speaker and veteran Dr Ellen Joan Ford, nutritionist Bailey Brown, Andrew Smith from Think Hauora, Manawatū Inspector Ashley Gurney and representatives from Fulton Hogan and Manchester House to name a few,” says Luke.
“Students were also treated to cooked breakfasts supported by volunteers, the Salvation Army and Woolworths Feilding.”
The programme culminated with the Longest Day, on Sunday 22 June in Feilding. This day was a mixture of challenges designed to test the students' endurance and mindset, which had been developed over the eight-week programme.
“We began at 6am at the high school and finished with a RNZAF fire truck pull at 12pm through the centre of Feilding,” says Luke.
“The pull finished at the police station where students and supporters enjoyed a well-earned sausage sizzle cooked by the Feilding Community Patrol."
This was followed by an official graduation ceremony at the Feilding Civic Centre, with the students wearing their school blazers and completing a formal drill to enter the centre.
The students received a guard of honour from Police, Fire and RNZAF staff as they entered the Civic Centre in front of their families. Graduation certificates and gift bags were presented to the students who graduated, with seven students taking home top awards from the course.
"Congratulations to all of the students and, again, thank you to all of those in support," says Luke.
