3045 Army Cadet Corps held its annual fall Parent's Night
on the evening of October 14th. The
purpose of the event was to showcase what the cadets have learned since August,
and hand out awards for marksmanship, physical fitness, and Operation Hill Top 15. This year's program also included a
presentation on the European trip in May.
To prepare for the evening parade, the cadets cleaned
their uniforms, ironed their pants & shirts, and polished their parade
boots. (The officers did the same). The cadets arrived at Inuujaq School's gym an
hour early to set up chairs & tables.
Posters of the European trip - maps of France, brochures, donors - were
taped on the back wall. The flags of
Canada & the cadet movement were brought down from the cadet office and
placed on opposite sides of the Dias.
The parade began at 6:30pm. Most of the chairs in the audience were
filled by excited parents, children, and community members. The cadets were commanded by cadet corporal
Colin Tilley. The guest reviewing
officer (GRO) was Levi Barnabas, a local resident who works for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. He inspected every
cadet on parade and asked several of them what it was like being a cadet. Following the inspection, the cadets did a
March Past for the GRO and the audience.
Mr. Barnabas spoke to the cadets & attending parents
about how he was impressed by the turnout and the importance of the cadet
program. The local program keeps Inuit
children active and teaches them leadership, discipline, citizenship, and
marksmanship. Personally, I think the
cadet program also teaches youth how to adapt & follow certain routines. This is important because life revolves
around routines that need to be followed.
The marksmanship and physical fitness badges were handed
out by civilian instructor Andrew Reid and myself. Reid is a former cadet who recently aged out
over the summer. The cadets who were
called out marched up to the Dias to receive their badges &
certificates. Many photographs were
taken by excited parents.
The commanding officer of 3045, Lt. May, made an
excellent suggestion to give out certificates of completion to the first &
second year cadets who participated in the fall field training exercise
(FTX). I had the honour of handing out
the certificates. The four second year
cadets who walked 8km instead of 7km were called out separately from the rest
to be congratulated for going "beyond the call of duty". I could see from the grins on their faces
that they were proud of their accomplishment and happy by the extended
applause.
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| Lt. May & D. Kigutikakjuk |
October 14th happened to be the last parade night for
cadet master warrant officer Donathan Kigutikakjuk. He was turning 19 and when that happens, you
age out of cadets. (This is the nice way
of saying you are "too old to be a cadet"). I too aged out as a master warrant officer
when I was a cadet, but that was many, many years ago.
Lt. May gave a short speech about Kigutikakjuk's time as
a cadet, noting that he joined when he was 12 years old and stayed all the way
until the end. He also listed the
qualifications he achieved and the expeditions & camps he attended down
south. Lt. May handed Kigutikakjuk his
cadet file to make it official that he was now "aged out".
A surprise birthday cake was brought out by
Kigutikakjuk's father. Everyone sang
Happy Birthday and Kigutikakjuk blew out the candles in one breath.
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| Audience |
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| Geela Arnauyumayuq and the European trip cadets. |
The parade concluded with an Advance in Review Order and
a General Salute. The cadets were
dismissed and instructed to sit in the audience. The five cadets who attended the European
Trip in May were asked to remain standing.
They planned a short presentation about their exciting trip to the
Netherlands & France. Civilian
Instructor Andrew Reid was still a cadet at the time. Each cadet shared one thing they liked about
the trip. (Six cadets from our corps flew
to France to participate in celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the
end of World War 2). Local Arctic Bay
resident Geela Arnauyumayuq provided the Inuktitut translations. Photos from the trip were displayed on a wall
via a laptop & projector. The photo collage
was prepared by the cadets. Ryan,
Inuujaq School's media teacher, provided assistance.
The presentation was well received by the audience. Everyone was interested in the stories that
were shared and the photos that were displayed.
All in all, it was a trip well-spent.
There are already rumours that a large Canada-wide cadet trip is being
planned for 2017: the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. If the rumours are true, I hope I get
selected to go as an escort officer.
A lot of fundraising was done to get the six cadets to
Europe. There were also many people and
organizations that donated money for the trip.
To show the corps's appreciation for the generosity, Lt. May handed out thank
you cards, small gifts, and plaques to the donors. I received a thank you card and a t-shirt.
The cadets cleaned the gym after the reception. The place looked cleaner than before.
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