Pride and Apprehension

Image right: Recruits from the 07/02 IOTC celebrate their graduation at Woodbourne. WB-07-0252-81-tn.jpg.

The parade is the culmination of the IOTC and a symbol of the values that the course aims to promote: Professionalism, teamwork and discipline. Like many in the audience, I care deeply about these values and hope that the parade is a success.

Looking around at the audience, I see my feelings mirrored on many other faces. These are the people who support the graduating junior officers, and who have a vested interest in their success.

The students’ performance, both here and in the workplace, reflects the professionalism of every person who has contributed to their development: recruiters, team officers, psychologists, instructors, training designers, parents, partners, friends and children, many of whom are in the audience alongside me, so it is understandable that there is heightened anticipation.

Before the parade I had a chance to speak with course members and they were generally aware of the amount of personal growth they had experienced.

OCDT Charnjit Singh reflected on his developing fitness,

‘My initial apprehension was regarding my physical ability to complete the course. The P.T. sessions which were hard initially helped me a lot to build up my physical endurance. The effect of that I realised during Exercise Aestimatio. Walking up and down the hills twice a day and most of the time you were running but still at the end of the day you had energy to do other things. I was really surprised with my physical abilities during the exercise and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.’

OCDT Juliet Urlich discovered how much she had developed while participating in the final exercise.

‘IOTC was a challenge and stretched me in areas in which I had little or no experience. The final leadership exercise, Aestimatio, was perhaps the most rewarding of all when I was able to consolidate the various skills learnt throughout the course.’

Image left: Air, Woodbourne, CRTS, CTF, Parade, Presentation, 07-2 IOTC Graduation. WB-07-0252-07-tn.jpg.

OCDT Jill Blackman who was returning to the structured RNZAF training environment found that there were aspects that were familiar but there were areas that were new and required personal development.

‘Exercise Aemulus was a huge reminder of Recruit course. Filled with securing Dip Flat and protecting the area from hostile farmers trying to invade, this exercise was a huge wake-up call and the sense of realisation of what was yet to come for the next fourteen weeks. The past weeks were an experience that was challenging but rewarding at the same time. As CFRs and DEs we have gained knowledge, experience and work relationships which we will be able to utilise throughout our careers in the RNZAF.’

The challenges are different for each individual, for some it is leadership, others the physical nature and yet others will struggle with the academic components. OCDT Scott Lea found the course challenged his previous socialisation.

‘One of the hardest things about IOTC was the constant requirement to be uniform with every other cadet in everything we did. Our rooms, dress and even written layout had to be exactly the same. Coming from civi-street where individuality is respected and encouraged required some determination and suppression of instinct at times.’

The instructors are aware of the unique developmental journeys each individual course member must make and how they can be assisted by instruction, coaching and mentoring. FLTLT Mat Raffils reflected on the 07/2 course,

‘While the syllabus and general structure remain the same for each IOTC, the characters that make up the course definitely make each one different, exciting and full of interesting challenges. This course has been no exception! It has been thoroughly enjoyable from an instructor perspective to see each student grow and develop over the past five months. I have definitely enjoyed it.’

Most training courses impart knowledge and produce trainees who know how to apply it. On such courses personal development is an occasional by-product, officer training however, requires self development, and trainees discover how to face challenges and how to embrace personal growth. Two essential transferable skills for the junior officer whose job description will usually include something along the lines of, “…and what ever else you are tasked with.” This seemingly straightforward directive doesn’t have a “how to” or “how well” corollary because the assumption is, that as a junior officer, you will assess the best way possible and aim to achieve the best standard possible and that IOTC has prepared you to do this. As WGCDR Darren Webb observed during his reviewing officer speech,

‘We are an Air Force that recognises the importance in setting aspirational goals that require us all to strive to be the best in all that we do.’

So much for this aspirational philosophical wandering; how did the parade go? Well, I enjoyed it, but then I struggle to remember if you turn left or right for an about turn. SGT Lucky Lennox on the other hand ‘knows his drill’ and he had this to say:

‘Families, friends and servicemen will tend to judge the course performance based on what they see on the graduation parade. They were treated to a good parade.’