Four cadets who have achieved the rank of Sergeant in the Estevan Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadet Squadron now share one more thing in common, they are recipients of the bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Kelsey Jackiw, Hayden Sutter, Ethan Courteau and Parker McKelkie all completed the demanding requirements for the first level Duke of Edinburgh Award.
The four young leaders-in-training completed the required 30 hours of physical fitness training within 15 weeks and developed a new skill-set that had to be honed within six months and provide 15 hours of volunteer community service within that same six-month time span. The four were also required to complete an outdoor adventure of no less than two days with at least one night spent camping out and six hours of a daily planned activity during the event. The outdoor activity required them to hike a minimum of 25 kilometres inflicting only minimum damage to the environment.
The four cadets were monitored and mentored by Duke of Edinburgh program leader and promoter Wendy Suchan who was able to confirm their activities and ensured that their individual log books and activity planners were kept updated to meet the program's strict requirements.
On March 18, during a regular training night at Wylie-Mitchell Hall, Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig presented each of the young officers with a letter of recognition from the City and joined Suchan and Commanding Officer Lieut. Danielle Fleury in presenting them with their Duke of Edinburgh pins, which were added to their tunics.
Suchan, who has been providing leadership expertise for the program for 14 years, said she was very proud of the four young achievers who may now accept the next challenge to gain silver pin status in the program that is now in its 51st year.
Parker McKelkie, the son of Kathy and John McKelkie is a four-year member of the WM Squadron. He provided over 32 hours of volunteer work with the Salvation Army and also raked lawns, worked kitchen duties and served at Legion banquets. He developed his musical skills on the saxophone and achieved Level II in the air cadet musician program.
On the fitness side, Parker completed 74 hours of recorded physical activity and on the adventure journey he took with the other three candidates, he accepted the cooking duties for the team on their overnight camp and 25 km hike.
He plans to apply for advanced military summer band camp.
Ethan Courteau is the son of Wendy and Rob Courteau and he is a fourth-year cadet. He spent 16 hours assisting staff at the Estevan Humane Society's shelter where he cleaned cages and spent time walking and working with the animals. On the skill-building file, he collected and catalogued an extensive hockey card collection and for fitness he completed more than 30 hours of activity in the required time period even though he suffered a shoulder injury. His activity included Taekwondo, squash, drill work, physical training and moving boxes and furniture for a family move.
On the adventure side, Ethan provided his observational powers to identify wildlife and its habitat. He is now working on obtaining a pilot's licence and wants to become an aircraft electrical engineer.
Hayden Sutter is the son of Shari and Kevin Sutter and is another four-year veteran of the Wylie-Mitchell Squadron. On the service side of the program, Hayden did over 16 hours of community work including the Salvation Army's Christmas kettles, pool and park cleanup, preparation of library crafts, bouncy ball attendant and altar service.
For the skill building, Hayden collected and catalogued an extensive comic book collection of over 253 titles, which also fueled his passion for the comics. That included a visit to a comic book expo in Calgary where he met comic book legend Stan Lee.
On the fitness side, the young leader got active in broomball, horse riding, hiking, baling and drill plus the regular physical training sessions for the air cadets. He completed over 44 hours of monitored activity. On the outdoor trek he completed the hike portion while noting changes to the environment in which they were hiking.
Enjoying a rural lifestyle, Hayden states he will enroll at Minot State University where he intends to study video production as well as criminal justice.
Kelsey Jackiw is another four-year cadet who completed 22 hours of service work that included babysitting, the Salvation Army's Christmas kettle team and selling flowers for the Canadian Cancer Society. For skill building, she improved her archery talents, achieving an expert bowman level and advanced to the 18-metre level from the 10-metre range.
For fitness, Kelsey completed over 47 hours in recorded broomball play, drill and physical training at air cadets with the coaches noting her steady improvement during the required time period.
On the adventure journey, Kelsey noted that the hiking was the most challenging aspect and she learned early on that it was best "to only take with you what you really need."
Kelsey will continue a pursuit of science in her post high school years.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award began in 1956 by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh along with Dr. Kurt Hahn and Lord John Hunt. The program was introduced in Canada in 1963 and arrived in Saskatchewan in 1983. To date over eight million young people in 140 countries have enrolled in the challenges to achieve at least one of the three demanding levels. Each level has four increasingly difficult challenges.
The final gold level pin is presented only by a member of the Royal family or their immediate family designate.
