Canora squadron No. 566 of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets was selected to attend a summer camp this year, which is a first for the squadron, said Lt. Darren Paul, commanding officer, at the annual ceremonial review on May 18 at the Dugout.
It is common for a number of cadets to be selected for summer camps, but it is unusual for every cadet to be selected, he said.
F/Sgt. Mickyala O’Connor will be attending a staff cadet camp at Cold Lake.
Cpl. Sabrina Moshenko will be attending the military band camp at Quandra (Comox).
Cpl. Amber Lafontaine will be attending a basic aviation camp in Cold Lake.
LAC Gracie Paul, LAC Cruz Kapoor, Cpl. Hayley O’Connor and LAC Avery Hanson will be attending a general training camp at Cold Lake.
Camps provide an “awesome” experience and the cadets are encouraged to tell all their friends about it because camps are one of benefits of the cadet program that work as a recruiting tool, he said.
Awards
Cpl. Moshenko received the Esprit de Corps award, which is considered the most prestigious award because it is voted on by all the cadets. She also received the award for being the best third-year cadet.
LAC Paul received the award for being the best first-year cadet; Cpl. Lafontaine, secondyear award; and F/Sgt. O’Connor, senior-cadet award. O’Connor also received a graduating-cadet award.
LAC Kapoor received the most-improved cadet award.
Reviewing officer
“You are leaders , ” said the reviewing officer, Gina Rakochy, who is the president of the Canora branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and the mayor of Canora.
The cadet program instills that integrity and offers the discipline that makes leaders, she said. Rakochy took special notice that every cadet would be attending a summer camp.
“You may not notice it yourselves, but you grow,” she said. Camps have the effect that they build the individual and the spirit of cadets.
Speaking as the mayor, Rakochy said the community knows it can always count on the cadets, whether their assistance is needed by the Legion or when a colour guard is needed on special occasions.
She congratulated the squadron, saying “You may be small, but you’re mighty.”
The community expects a lot from the cadets and as you fulfil those expectations, “bigger and better things” are expected in the future, Rakochy said.
In introducing the reviewing officer, 2ndLt. Wade Stachura said she was a member of the Canora squadron when she grew up in Canora. She was a member of the squadron’s all-female competitive drill team.
A member of Canora town council since 2000, she has been mayor for the past two years. Last year, she became the president of the Canora branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Rakochy has been employed by Crossroads Credit Union for 23 years and is currently the risk and compliance officer.
Commanding officer
It has been a very successful year with cadets participating in many activities, said Lt. Paul, the commanding officer.
Cadets attended field exercises at Camp SaskCadet near Kelvington on two occasions during the year.
Cadets provided the colour party and participated in the Remembrance Day parade.
Squadron members attended an Air Skills Day in Kamsack where they learned about the basics of aviation.
The squadron’s team participated in the zone curling tournament in Preeceville.
A team was assembled for the range competition in Yorkton.
Cadets went on a ski trip to Duck Mountain and attended a volleyball tournament in Kamsack.
One of the fun activities this year was learning about rockets. Model rockets were built at the squadron’s home base at the Dugout and then the cadets went to the sportsgrounds to set them off.
Though the annual ceremonial review concludes the formal portion of the cadet training year, there are still a number of projects that will the cadets busy through the next month and then the cadets will be attending summer camps in July and August, said Lt. Paul.
Air Cadet League
Richard Petroski of Regina, the executive director of the Air Cadet League of Canada, Saskatchewan Command, said it was nice to get out to this part of the province to see what the cadets are doing. He was “filling in” for Milton Glaicar, who usually represents the Air Cadet League at Canora functions, but Glaicar was booked on the same day by several squadrons.
Speaking to the cadets, he told them it was their job to help recruit new cadets. Let friends know about all the great things that the cadets do and the opportunities that are available.
There is no cost to the cadet for participating. Everything is covered, from the uniform to attendance at camps.
