For siblings Elijah and Elizabeth Watson, delivering 800 papers every Wednesday is their norm.
The pair were nominated for their reliability in getting the Waimea Weekly into 800 letterboxes around Richmond every week for more than two years.
Originally starting in the Richmond Hills, Elizabeth, 12, now covers the area from George to Hill, including Queen St, While Elijah, 14, delivers from George St, to Salisbury Rd.
Mum Jo Watson helps out with the folding, so they are ready to go when they get home from school at Tasman Bay Christian School.
“It’s always a big push at this time of year because we run out of daylight hours,” Jo says.
And with the weather lately, it’s been even harder.
“Nobody likes a wet paper,” Jo adds.
The youngest of five siblings, both were delivering the papers using their bikes, but Elizabeth dislocated her knee in April, so now walks her route.
While it takes a lot longer, she says her knee just can’t handle the weight of the papers on the bike, yet. She says her friends have been great stepping in to help out. Maybe she might treat one of those friends to the movies with her double pass to State Cinema that she’s awarded for her Deliverer of the Month status along with Elijah.
Jo says the teens are learning valuable life-skills and she likes the freedom it gives them to choose what they spend their own money on.
“Where else do you learn how to work hard and earn, I think, pretty good pocket money, for this age.”
Elijah’s favourite thing about delivering is “having cash to spend”, while Elizabeth’s is the exercise she gets.
Elizabeth was in Okiwi Bay last week, so organised a friend to fill in for her.
This week, she’s be straight back to it, hopefully for more years to come.
