Local air cadets celebrate 67 years; look forward to future

May 31, 2017 | 1:00 PM

Several parents, volunteers, and even a pipes and drums band from a Lloydminster unit came to be a part of the event to celebrate the 520 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron, which has been a part of the community for the last 67 years. The event took place at the Gateway School gymnasium on Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Tim Sartison from the Meadow Lake RCMP was the reviewing officer, and shared a few positive words with the cadets. He encouraged them to work hard and overcome their challenges. He said the cadet program helps youth learn great abilities like leadership and citizenship.

This event also signified a farewell for outgoing Commanding Officer, Capt. Tina Lavallee. She has been with the troupe for eight years, and will be moving away from the community in the next few months. She said she was happy with how the year went and proud of the hard work the cadets did to prepare.  

“I think the year went fantastic,” she said. “We started out with a few more, but the cadets here did exceptionally well with training. They went from not being able to march together to being in step.”

She said over the last several years, it has been great to see the progress the cadets have made. She said she hopes that interest and enrolment in the squadron will continue to grow, as the Air Cadet program provides great opportunities for summer camps, outdoor survival training, social development and networking.

“The last few years here – couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with,” she said. “It was great to watch them start from 12 years old, and to see where they are now. We really encourage people to join this wonderful family that we have; you can find friends for life here.”

Capt. Holly Matias of 186 Lloydminster Squadron will formally take over the local unit in the fall, but has been assisting for a number of months. She said she and the rest of her home squadron are looking forward to partnering and helping the Meadow Lake group grow. The enrollment number this year is at 10 cadets.

“Everyone is so excited to help our senior cadets and instructors. I think it’s going to be an awesome adventure come the fall,” she said. “We are hoping that people have people join us in Meadow Lake – both cadets and helpers. Our 70th anniversary is just around the corner and we want to make it an awesome experience and great celebration. As for today, we are so proud of this group. They worked so hard, and went from being individuals to a team.”

Jason Rowland is a fourth-year cadet, and the squadron commander. He said he is thankful for what the program has given him.

“You get to do stuff that you wouldn’t normally get to do,” he noted. “There’s some camps where you get to go to the Rockies, or the Yukon, like where I’ll be going this summer to take marksmanship. I will learn how to teach so I can bring my knowledge back to the squadron. I like being in cadets because of all the opportunities.”

 

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath