Marsh girl Ronelia Joubert on track to keeping the army running

Nov 10 2009 By Dave Himelfield

Marsh girl on track to keeping the army running

TEENAGER Ronelia Joubert isn’t afraid of hard work and danger.

For 19-year-old Ronelia, of Marsh, has embarked on her second phase of training as an army mechanic.

And when fully qualified, Ronelia will be repairing heavy armed vehicles, such as tanks, in war zones.

Ronelia passed her first phase of training at Purbright Barracks in Surrey after joining the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers at the age of 17.

Phase one training includes orienteering, survival techniques and marksmanship.

Soon she will return to Bordon Barracks, Hampshire, for phase two of training where she will learn how to drive and repair heavy armed vehicles.

She is one of 40 women training in mechanical skills at Bordon – compared to 1,000 men.

Ronelia is a former pupil of Royds Hall High School, where she captained the tennis team. She was born in South Africa and came to Huddersfield with her mother four years ago.

Ronelia’s interest in motors developed when she helped her stepfather, Tony, rebuild a Yamaha Thundercat motorbike.