Young cadet earns exchange

Dargaville Air Training Corp cadet Roseanne Crawford-Hunt has been chosen as one of only two New Zealand Air Training Corps cadets to travel to the United Kingdom for the international exchange I-Ace.

Ms Crawford-Hunt, 20, was 16 years old when she first joined the Dargaville ATC and has climbed quickly to the highest cadet rank of under officer.

At the completion of her four-week exchange Ms Crawford-Hunt plans to enter the air force and hopes to put her overseas experience to good work as a flight engineer.

She says it was amazing to have been chosen because only eight people are selected from New Zealand to go overseas.

Ms Crawford-Hunt says she has never been out of the country before.

"When your given this kind of opportunity it is really wonderful," she says.

"One of our senior officers, lieutenant Dave Cordery, encouraged me to apply for the exchange and to my surprise I was eligible."

The eight people selected are split into pairs and sent to four different countries: England, Australia, Canada and the United States.

Ms Crawford-Hunt was selected to travel to the UK and will be there from July 20 to August 4. While she is there she will fly from London to Ireland escorted by a NZ unit officer.

In the UK she will familiarise herself with the way the regular air force and cadet bases are run.

The cost of the trip is $4000. Half of that is paid for by the Air Training Corps and Ms Crawford-Hunt has raised the rest with the support of two Lions clubs, the Methodist Church and through doing local gardening and cleaning jobs.

Ms Crawford-Hunt has had many opportunities through the ATC.

"I've been on camps, tramps, studied bush crafts and done 15 hours flying with the aero club."

Ms Crawford-Hunt hopes to move from under officer to officer and says the ATC offers leadership courses, from junior to senior and advanced.

ATC unit commander Barbara Gillatt says the unit is very proud.

"It's not very often a small country town gets this recognition for one of its cadets."

"There were 23 candidates who applied for that programme, so we're all extremely proud of her."

Mrs Gillatt says they are basically ambassadors for their country while overseas, "like mini prime ministers".

"They'll get lots of opportunities to visit various defence bases and other units around the United Kingdom."

- © Fairfax NZ News