The most recent group of Cactus graduates finished their grueling eight-week programme last weekend.

The course is run by the police and volunteers from schools and the community. It culminated in the Longest Day where participants had to do a range of physically exerting activities, including hauling a fire engine through Nelson streets.

There were a number of Naylanders involved this time round, including Alexis Marshall, Maria Jaquiery, Donte Henry, Cruz Chisnall, Odin Graham,  Ngahere Whareherehere, and three-time graduate year 13 student Ella Holmes.  At the end of the course, she was awarded the Spirit of Cactus Award.

Participants had to be ready and lined up to start at 6.45 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the full eight weeks.  Ella says the physical training changed from session to session and participants never knew what to expect.  

"There's no such thing as typical. We were always changing it up and stuff.  We'd start with having to line up in military formation (...).  If anyone was late we'd have to do exercise punishments for them.  It makes you feel bad if everyone's having to work for your mistake (...)."

"We had one session where we had to do relays out in the mud.  That was quite hard.  Someone lost their shoe and we never found it (...).  We've done stuff on the frozen grass at Victory Square, that was definitely the one I didn't like the most.  We did army crawling, burpies, push-ups, sprints.  One of them even made us stand there with our hands on the frozen grass for one minute straight."

Ella's not sure what's kept pulling her back.  "One thing that's great is that you get to meet a whole bunch of different people who you wouldn't usually.  There's all sorts of people there from the likes of those who are doing well in school and taking leadership positions and they're wanting this to improve themselves (...).  Then there might be people that have to be there, maybe they've been told by the police or something (...).  You get people who have really poor fitness at the start and sporty people as well."

Nayland deputy principal Trevor Olley has been involved in Cactus 14 times.  He says he'll keep going, as it's "an amazing experience."