A childhood dream of saving the world comes true for Tarryn Johnston

Dressed in old clothes, gumboots, and rubber gloves, Tarryn Johnston, who dreamed of becoming a Miss World winner to save the world as a child, ended up doing the very same as an adult.

Instead of a ball gown, a crown, and a vow to change the world, Johnston was still helping others, as Miss Cleaning and Changing the World, one river clean-up at a time.

Johnston was born in Cape Town in 1976 and relocated with her family to Centurion when her dad was transferred in 1978 and bought a house in Irene, where they still live today.

After Johnston matriculated from the Lyttelton Manor High School, she completed several courses, including a secretarial course and graphic design.

“Nothing in line with what I do today. It also didn’t really grab me, but it was obviously not my calling,” she said looking back.

Johnston said she found her calling by surprise. “I started working with nature and plants as teachers and healers and looking to earth for support. When I was alone, I had my plants, the plants led me to the water,” she said.

The river clean-up started when Johnston’s daughter asked if they could do a river clean-up.

“I had no intention of cleaning the river, wanted a natural first aid tent at the clean-up and that was going to be my contribution,” she said.

Johnston said when she saw the state of the water, she realised there was no time to wait, she had to help.

She asked herself what she could do from her capacity.

“I was broke but I had hands and a voice and decide to use that to clean-up,” she said.

“If not me, then who, and if not now, then when?” Johnston said water taught her a lot.

“From the first day, I realised, my ego was saying eww, no, and love said to me, this is what you have to do,” she said.

Johnston explained cleaning the water was a spiritual and physical thing because it’s the processing of stuff of millions of people.

“It gives you a greater understanding of what people are going through, there is a lot of pain that reflects in that water and a massive disconnection and the reflection of ourselves,” she said.

Johnston said a spiritual healer from Mexico told her the thing holding her back was the debt she owed the ocean.

“And I feel since it found me, that I am repaying that debt,” she said.

When Johnston wasn’t getting her hands dirty in the river she was doing everything else possible to create awareness for the organisation, advertising and everything in between new clean-up events.

“The river is a demanding boss. I can’t help myself, there is always something to do and never a dull moment working with the river,” she said.

Johnston said the water has taught her a lot about people.

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“Seeing all the crazy stuff we find in the river, it changes your outlook as a consumer. When you go to the shop you are more conscious because you picked it out of the river. You become much more aware,” she said.

Johnston said she frequently finds weird and wonderful things while cleaning the river.

“But the funniest find was a dildo – a bright pink one,” she said.

Johnston said in the beginning, she hosted a clean-up where no one showed up.

“I cleaned the river by myself and carried on because this is where I live and I believe I deserve to live in a clean environment,” she said.

Johnston said leaving it to the government was an outdated notion. When she is not out cleaning rivers, Johnston is cleansing her soul by spending time in nature and doing spiritual cleansing practices and ceremonies.

“It helps me process the stuff I submerge myself in.

“Many things go through my head, looking at everything we find and layers upon layers of stuff.

“You can dig for days and still find stuff,” she said. Johnston said she will never stop being surprised what gets pulled out of the river.