Combined NZ Cadet Forces Junior Leadership Course

Cadet Under Officer, Claire Drinkwater, No 49 (Kapiti) ATC Squadron

NZ Cadet Forces Junior leadership Course – Image 1. WN-07-0036-87-tn.jpg.

Twelve cadets from Central Area travelled south recently to join sixteen cadets from Southern Area for a combined NZCF Junior Leaders Course held at Burnham Military Camp, which included students from the Sea Cadet Corps, the NZ Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps.

Combining these promotional courses is a rare event in NZCF and these cadets were given an exciting opportunity to travel to the South Island by ferry to attend this course, many visiting the South Island for the first time.

The Junior Leaders Course gives the cadets the knowledge to perform the duties required of a JNCO back at their individual cadet units. The week covered drill instruction, ceremonial drill, cadet force knowledge, classroom instructional technique and most importantly, leadership. Each cadet faced different personal challenges throughout the week, but by far the most common were rising before 6am; making bedpacks; getting the barracks ready for inspection; and learning how to instruct drill. For many, this was their first experience of a NZCF course.

NZ Cadet Forces Junior leadership Course – Image 4. WN-07-0036-86-tn.jpg.

LCPL Michael Crook (Upper Hutt Cadet Unit): ‘found the course really hard work but I’ve really improved my leadership and made heaps of new friends all over the South Island and in Wellington.’

However it wasn’t just the cadets that benefited from this combined course. Cadet Under Officer Claire Drinkwater (49 SQN ATC) noted that ‘the staff also enjoyed the opportunity of sharing ideas between areas.

‘I have learnt a lot from the Southern staff and really look forward to applying some of their teaching styles back at my own unit in Kapiti.’

NZ Cadet Forces Junior leadership Course – Image 5. WN-07-0036-89-tn.jpg.

This course also saw the introduction of three new awards recognising cadet achievement. Leading Air Cadet (LAC) Taylor Crouch (1 SQN ATC) was presented the Leadership Award, the Endeavour award went to CDT Steven Ithell (Invercargill Cadet Unit) and the Teamwork award went to LAC Joshua Allen-Sloper (1 SQN ATC).

Thanks go to the Burnham Camp staff for hosting this very successful course, which was an enjoyable week for both cadets and course staff alike. We are all looking forward to our next NZCF course on one of the NZDF establishments somewhere in New Zealand.