The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Royal Canadian 2382 Army Cadet Corps held their annual inspection last week. Generally, trophies and certificates are handed out to the cadets as they move onto the next level and accomplish required courses. This year, due to a lack of resources available, the cadets did not receive any trophies. The cadets were able to move onto the next level with the understanding that they will complete the required fields at a later date. "There is a full curriculum they have to meet, the same as school," said Commanding Officer Bill McLean. "So, if they don't parade every week then they miss portions of the (education) and therefore they can't pass." McLean made note that if the cadets miss more than 10 per cent of the parades, they are unable to pass. "So, as such, they would have failed, but it wasn't a failure based on them," he said. "So, seeing as it wasn't them and they actually tried to parade, we would grant that and then we would have to pick up training and bring it up to standard." The army cadets were formerly housed at the school division building on Timber Lane, but that space has now been put to use for a UCN course. That left the corps looking for a suitable location for their program. They were briefly located in the old Creighton Bingo Palace but later moved to the Royal Canadian Legion. With the lack of space and lack of training available, the cadets were unable to meet the normal standards. Commanding Officer Darryl Wilkinson says looking back at the year, he is pleased with today's numbers. "We're actually surprised that we're still alive this year," he said. "I'm amazed that we have 29 kids still on the roster." The challenges were tough for the corps, but he says "we came through it a lot better than we thought we would." For last week's annual inspection, Wilkinson said they couldn't hand out the awards and trophies. "We couldn't give the proper credit to the kids because we couldn't assess what they were doing," he said. Cadets who attended the inspection were given their level courses, but that was all. "It wouldn't have been a credit to the kids because they couldn't have properly earned it," Wilkinson said. Secondly, for "the people that donated (the) trophies, it would have been a discredit to them by just giving the trophy without people actually earning it," he said. "It would have been a detriment to the people who earned it previously and achieved the goals," added McLean. Currently, calling the Legion home when possible, the corps will be tentatively moving into the Flin Flon Community Hall over the course of the summer. "Our program is going to develop and we should be able to meet all of the aims," said Wilkinson. As well, the corps hopes to "create an interesting and challenging program for the kids to help them and to attract new kids," he said. "I think, in the long run, if we...get out planning together and everything falls into place, we should have a strong and viable program for the youth of Flin Flon, Creighton and Pelican Narrows." With newfound support from the City of Flin Flon and the community, McLean says the corps is now a "community cadet program." The corps will be finishing their training year at the Legion before starting to move into the Community Hall. "Come September, we should be parading out of the Community Hall full time," said McLean. Sgt. Major Erin Harper says the struggles of the past year have been a test for the program. "I think it showed the strength of our corps and the commitment of the kids that wanted to be in it, even (with) all of the changes," she said. "The kids that are still in it, obviously love it." "If we can just recruit once we have our building and just (get) going strong," Harper says the program will be back at the strength it was previously. Harper has excelled in the cadet program as she was the top army cadet in Manitoba last year, earning a $1,000 bursary. As well, Harper completed her NSCE (National Star Certification Exam) and then went to camp and trained a platoon of 30. As for the 2328 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, Harper says, "I think it's a very good program for the community to keep going. It's good for young kids to stay out of trouble." More than just staying out of trouble, Harper says the program "taught me so many morals and values and defined who I am as a person." She noted that when she started out, she, like many youth, didn't know who she was. She credits the cadet program for teaching her what she wants to do in life and who she wants to be. Harper has decided to spend her bursary at the University of Manitoba, though she has not decided on a field of interest just yet.
