Paul (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} fremantlebiz) wrote,@ 2007-11-24 07:57:00 |
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An Army Cadet Unit Anniversary Dinner
My wife and I and three of our Army Cadet orientated children attended the 25th Anniversary Dinner of 56 Army Cadet Unit last night. It was hosted at the Air Force Association Club at Bull Creek, where there is also a pretty significant air museum.
There could have been 70 guests to what was a thirty five dollar a ticket sit-down event styled on the traditional formality of an officers' mess dinner, except that the drinks were soft and the after dinner toasts were done with non-alcoholic Ribina fruit juice rather than port. About half the guests were current Cadets.
The guest of honour was Major Michael Jenkin (AAC) who founded the unit in 1982. In his congratulatory speech last night he told us of its humble beginnings at the Fremantle Town Hall. A considerable amount of money had been spent on promotion of the idea and hiring the hall, however on the night only one potential Cadet and his parents turned up. Undaunted, the intrepid leader then orchestrated a leaflet blitz in Fremantle where no car which was parked for longer than ten minutes was safe from attention. This did the trick and enough recruits were eventually attracted to start up the unit; but not the kid who had originally turned up at the Town Hall. It was theorised that he joined the Navy instead.
The 56 ACU Cadet unit operated from several locations around Fremantle over the years before arriving at the Leeuwin Army Barracks, where it now is.
A lawyer in civilian life, Major Jenkin said that he thought the organisation of Army Cadets had increasingly become more bureacratic and this was stifling the original intention to provide young people with an adventurous military-style experience. He cited the incident where a Cadet had died in the eastern states last year as a result of an allergic reaction to peanut exposure in an Army ration pack. In a kneejerk reaction by the Canberra heirachy, all Australian Army Cadets were now banned from using Army ration packs. Common sense over dealing with the issue had taken a backseat.
In recent years Major Jenkin has been involved with organising exchange visits between groups of Western Australian Cadets and those from other countries. In 2006 our eldest daughter was in a group which went to England and France with him for three weeks. The Major said that in Britain there was a more realistic attitude towards exposing Cadets to adventurous military activities, and that this hadn't compomised their safety, nor turned them into brutal child soldiers.
Furthermore, he believed that in Australia there had been a general drift away from including Cadets in unit management processes, as had happened in the past. This was detrimental to cohesion.
From my own experience as a Cadet officer last year, I'm certainly aware that there is cumbersome military bureaucracy in Australia, and its many arguably over-protective demands are something that has placed enormous strain on officers of Cadet units trying to organise adventure activities. Most Cadet officers at the ground level whom I've met will cautiously complain about this in private. However many resign in frustration. They are good people, but in the end they realise they are at the beck and call of the arse-covering elite within the HQ chain of command, which leads its tedious way right up to the high ranking Canberra drones.
In comparison, Scouts, an organisation which our family has also had a long involvement with, seems to offer adventure activities more regularly and with minimal paperwork. The Scouting movement is by no means a spent force in Australia.
Earlier this year the Prime Minister Mr Howard and his defence minister publicly said that the Government was going to provide a substantial boost to the funding of Army Cadets, but as far as I can gather this was a lot of hot air. Nothing obvious to assist the small Cadet units around Australia has resulted from his promise, and as a result many are now stuggling.
I had the pleasure last of sitting opposite my train-driving friend and respected author Wes Olsen. We spent most of the evening in conversation about this and that. Wes is very knowledgeable about military history and has had two highly successful books published by University of Western Australia Press: Bitter victory : the death of HMAS Sydney and Gallipoli: The Western Australian Story. He hoping for a well earned royalty cheque before Christmas.
Wes is a paid up member of the Labor Party and will be handing out leaflets at a polling booth today. I noticed last night that when his car left it had a clip-on flag on one of the windows emblazoned with the 2007 Labor election slogan, "Kevin 07."
© MMVII Paul R. Weaver.
About the writer
Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write a couple of million words.
My wife and I and three of our Army Cadet orientated children attended the 25th Anniversary Dinner of 56 Army Cadet Unit last night. It was hosted at the Air Force Association Club at Bull Creek, where there is also a pretty significant air museum.
There could have been 70 guests to what was a thirty five dollar a ticket sit-down event styled on the traditional formality of an officers' mess dinner, except that the drinks were soft and the after dinner toasts were done with non-alcoholic Ribina fruit juice rather than port. About half the guests were current Cadets.
The guest of honour was Major Michael Jenkin (AAC) who founded the unit in 1982. In his congratulatory speech last night he told us of its humble beginnings at the Fremantle Town Hall. A considerable amount of money had been spent on promotion of the idea and hiring the hall, however on the night only one potential Cadet and his parents turned up. Undaunted, the intrepid leader then orchestrated a leaflet blitz in Fremantle where no car which was parked for longer than ten minutes was safe from attention. This did the trick and enough recruits were eventually attracted to start up the unit; but not the kid who had originally turned up at the Town Hall. It was theorised that he joined the Navy instead.
The 56 ACU Cadet unit operated from several locations around Fremantle over the years before arriving at the Leeuwin Army Barracks, where it now is.
A lawyer in civilian life, Major Jenkin said that he thought the organisation of Army Cadets had increasingly become more bureacratic and this was stifling the original intention to provide young people with an adventurous military-style experience. He cited the incident where a Cadet had died in the eastern states last year as a result of an allergic reaction to peanut exposure in an Army ration pack. In a kneejerk reaction by the Canberra heirachy, all Australian Army Cadets were now banned from using Army ration packs. Common sense over dealing with the issue had taken a backseat.
In recent years Major Jenkin has been involved with organising exchange visits between groups of Western Australian Cadets and those from other countries. In 2006 our eldest daughter was in a group which went to England and France with him for three weeks. The Major said that in Britain there was a more realistic attitude towards exposing Cadets to adventurous military activities, and that this hadn't compomised their safety, nor turned them into brutal child soldiers.
Furthermore, he believed that in Australia there had been a general drift away from including Cadets in unit management processes, as had happened in the past. This was detrimental to cohesion.
From my own experience as a Cadet officer last year, I'm certainly aware that there is cumbersome military bureaucracy in Australia, and its many arguably over-protective demands are something that has placed enormous strain on officers of Cadet units trying to organise adventure activities. Most Cadet officers at the ground level whom I've met will cautiously complain about this in private. However many resign in frustration. They are good people, but in the end they realise they are at the beck and call of the arse-covering elite within the HQ chain of command, which leads its tedious way right up to the high ranking Canberra drones.
In comparison, Scouts, an organisation which our family has also had a long involvement with, seems to offer adventure activities more regularly and with minimal paperwork. The Scouting movement is by no means a spent force in Australia.
Earlier this year the Prime Minister Mr Howard and his defence minister publicly said that the Government was going to provide a substantial boost to the funding of Army Cadets, but as far as I can gather this was a lot of hot air. Nothing obvious to assist the small Cadet units around Australia has resulted from his promise, and as a result many are now stuggling.
I had the pleasure last of sitting opposite my train-driving friend and respected author Wes Olsen. We spent most of the evening in conversation about this and that. Wes is very knowledgeable about military history and has had two highly successful books published by University of Western Australia Press: Bitter victory : the death of HMAS Sydney and Gallipoli: The Western Australian Story. He hoping for a well earned royalty cheque before Christmas.
Wes is a paid up member of the Labor Party and will be handing out leaflets at a polling booth today. I noticed last night that when his car left it had a clip-on flag on one of the windows emblazoned with the 2007 Labor election slogan, "Kevin 07."
© MMVII Paul R. Weaver.
About the writer
Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write a couple of million words.
