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A Lumsden woman has been acknowledged for a decade of supporting young people.
Balfour Scout Group group leader Noortje Hamers, of Lumsden, received the Gore Rotary Club volunteer of the month award last week.
Mrs Hamers, a passionate supporter of the scouting movement, said she had been a driving force in the Balfour Scouts for the past decade, but was surprised to get the award last Monday.
Over the past 10 years she had supported over 100 young people in the Balfour area aged 6-13 to gain skills and confidence through activities such as rock climbing and cooking.
Joining the Balfour Scouts helped her to settle in to a new community, Mrs Hamers said.
"The reason why I joined is to get to know the culture and the language . . . [with Scouts] you tend to do things that are a bit outside of your normal comfort zone," she said.
Mrs Hamers grew up in the Netherlands and her parents got her into scouting at the age of 4.
She continued until she turned 16, then moved into leadership roles in the organisation.
in 2002, Mrs Hamers moved to Southland to take up dairy farming.
The Balfour Scouts also supported local charities such as the Gore and Clutha Whānau Refuge.
Scouts Aotearoa has five programmes for people aged 5-26.