Waiouru teenager beats hurdles for US stay

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 546, 26 July 1994, Page 13

Waiouru teenager beats hurdles for US stay

By

Michele

Monaghan

Waiouru s lenna Abbott leavesforIowa,Umted States, on 8 August for a 12 month Youth For Understanding exchange. The Waiouru RSA and darts club has helped Terina with her fund-raising and recently presented her with two cheques totalling nearly $1200. Terina said apart from the RSA, Turners Bookshop and Waiouru Motors, she has had no community support. "The army turned me down flat," she said. "I tried everybody." Terina' s mother Lynn Abbott said she was not impressed. "Considering she's the daughter of an ex-soldier who lives in an army community.. .and especially when a 12-year-old who's not even from here, someone from Palmerston North, can get support." Terina said that when the Waiouru information and drop-in centre heard of this lack of support, it was decided a fashion parade will be held to help with her fund raising. When the Bulletin last interviewed Terina she had no idea where in the States she would be living. Now she

knows she'll be staying in Iowa, in a small town roughly in the north mid-west of the United States, near Minnesota. Terina' s new family comes with an older son and a 16-year-old daughter who goes to the same high school Terina will attend. Terina had a real run-around trying to get her passport. She applied for it in February and only received it a week and a half ago, she said. The first passport application was lost. "It vanished from the face of the earth," said Mrs Abbott. Because of this Terina had to apply for a new birth certificate to go with a new passport application. The second application also went astray but luckily was found. Then internal affairs posted the passport to the army who retumed it to internal affairs. Mrs Abbott said it was lucky that a person who new the family saw the passport, picked it up and delivered it personally. At the chegue presentation last Thursday night, Terina thanked the RSA for their moral and financial support saying it was hard to raise money in Waiouru. Vice President of the RSA, Larry Riwaka, said the RSA

had been happy to help Terina with her expenses as a way to promote community help and show the ongoing support the RSA has for the youth of the community. Mr Riwaka presented a cheque for $725 (of which Terina worked for $225 cleaning), as well as two RSA pennants and a monogrammedshirt. Chairman of the RSA darts club, Grant Pope, presented the club's contribution Of $467.05 (saying he didn't know where the 05 came in!) which was raised over three raffle nights.