Mr McDermott, a self-described ''90-plus'' World War 2 navy veteran, said he volunteered to sell the poppies because ''lots of seamen are getting old now and need help''.
Rebekah (15), a sea cadet for nearly three years, said she hoped to join the navy when she left school.
Both will attend the dawn service at the Cenotaph next Saturday.
Dunedin RSA Welfare Trust welfare officer Niall Shepherd said sales went well.
''Generally speaking, the buzz is that everyone's pleased with what happened.''
It was ''too early to tell'' how many poppies had been sold, but he heard ''anecdotes of more paper money going in than gold money''.
Thirty-four stands were set up throughout the city, with dozens of volunteers staffing them in shifts, Mr Shepherd said.
