Tom Atchison Volunteer of the Year 2022

Vivienne began her journey with RDA as a volunteer for weekly sessions in 2017. She is the sort of volunteer that is like gold for RDA. She is an experienced horsewoman, who has a background in education.

Nearly 4 years on, Vivienne still generously gifts huge amounts of her time. She fills multiple roles including committee chair, volunteer coordinator, and RDA manager. Come to Te Aroha RDA and you are just as likely to see Vivienne up a ladder, painting a wall, or fixing a water leak as well as fulfilling her many other roles.

As a volunteer she is hands on with the horses, picking out feet, saddling up horses, and leading. Her exceptional ability to relate to people means that the riders and whānau look forwards to seeing Vivienne on her volunteer day.

It is Vivienne’s drive and innovation that is behind the group’s ability to progress.

Vivienne was recently awarded the NZRDA Tom Atchison Volunteer of the Year 2022 Award at the NZRDA Annual Awards Dinner.