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Cadets hold annual Ceremonial Review
By S.L. Furedi
It was a proud night for family and friends on hand to watch cadets from across the Elk Valley parade at their Annual Ceremonial Review, June 2, in Sparwood.
More than 20 cadets from both the Elk Valley Air Cadets 279 Squadron and Fernie Army Cadets 2757 Corps put on a show for invited guests, members of the reviewing party and family.
All cadet units must host an ACR, and are graded on their performance in drill, deportment and dress.
Reviewing Officer Andrew Muir, Commander of the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Pacific), said the combined units did a very good job and he was impressed with the event.
Captain Sherri Shaw, who took over as 279 Squadron’s Commanding Officer this year, said she was very happy with how the cadets did.
“I know how hard they’ve worked in the last few months to pull this off, and they were so good. I try not to show my nerves beforehand, because I don’t want them to be more nervous, but they really made me proud,” she said. “This year, for the first time in a while, we were a large enough group to have a full flight, with a flag party and drum. We’ve come a long way in the last few years, and that makes it all worthwhile.”
Six of the cadets also performed a rifle drill exhibition to the delight of the crowd.
“They did that all on their own,” Shaw said. “I asked them to put together a drill demonstration for ACR, but they went above and beyond my expectations. I expect by next ACR, they’ll have it perfected.”
Lt. Deneen Ganter, an officer with 2757 Fernie, said the Army Cadets were very grateful to be included in the joint event, and were made to feel “incredibly welcome. It was really like being included in a large family. We thank 279 Squadron for letting us be a part of it.”
Roger Fairhurst, chair of the 279 Squadron Sponsoring Committee, said putting on an ACR is a lot of work, not only for the cadets and officers, but also for the volunteers.
“We begin preparing for this event months in advance; from the guest list, to the final clean-up, it really is a large undertaking. But to see those young people do what they do, it’s amazing. Last year, our squadron was one of only two in B.C. to earn a Gold rating for their ACR and I sincerely hope we do as well this year.”
AWARDS
Along with the drill and exhibits, the night includes the annual presentation of awards to cadets who have earned those honours.
279 Squadron awards were presented to: Best First Year Cadet to Cpl. Brayden Sorensen; Best Junior Cadet Award was a tie this year and was presented to Cpl. Kelton Kinch and F/Cpl. William Doratty; Most Improved Cadet Award was given to F/Cpl Griffin Windsor; Sgt. Braydon Furedi received the Training Officer’s Award for Outstanding Dedication and Commitment; Best Senior Cadet was awarded to WO1 Joel O’Sullivan; and the CO’s Award for Dress and Deportment, as well as the Lord Strathcona Medal, went to WO2 James Fairhurst. The Lord Strathcona Medal is the highest award which can be bestowed upon a cadet in recognition of exemplary performance in physical and military training.
The cadets are almost finished their training year, says Shaw, but have a few more public services duties yet, including the Coal Miner Days and Elkford Wildcat Days parades, as well as supplying a flag party for the Elk Valley Relay for Life in Elkford. After that, a number of the cadets have received camp placements across Canada for the summer, and will be gone two to six weeks, depending on their camps, which include band, survival, physical fitness and drill.
“We also have one cadet, Joel O’Sullivan, who will be going to Seoul, South Korea for the summer through the International Air Cadet Exchange Program. We can’t wait until he returns to speak to our squadron about his adventures.”
For more information about the cadet program, contact either Lt. Deneen Ganter at (250) 425-3606 or Captain Sherri Shaw at (250) 423-6224. The training year begins in September, but teens age 12-18 may join at any point during the training year.
Lead image: Commander Andrew Muir, Reviewing Officer for the Annual Ceremonial Review, speaks to each cadet during the inspection. (Photo S.L. Furedi)
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