Sea Cadets at HMCS Quadra recently had the honour of having the Honourable Steven L. Point, Lieutenant-Governor of B.C., aboard the training centre at Goose Spit.
Point, an air cadet in his youth, was the reviewing officer for the general training course graduation parade and third ceremonial divisions at the training centre. This was his first visit to HMCS Quadra.
Sea Cadets of Quadra’s boats department brought His Honour to Quadra’s floats in the ceremonial blue boat, where he was met by a guard of honour and piped board by the ship’s seamanship instructors.
Once aboard, cadets undergoing drill and ceremonial training fired a 15-gun salute with Quadra's naval saluting guns and His Honour’s flag was raised to the top of the ship’s mast.
This parade marked the end of two weeks of introductory summer camp training for the 12- and 13-year-old cadets, many of whom have never been away from home before.
This is the second of three two week intakes throughout the summer. Cadets spent two weeks taking part in cadet training activities which included air rifle marksmanship, damage control training, sailing in cutters, whalers and dinghies, seamanship, running the confidence course, ceremonial drill, radio communication, as well as basic music theory and skills.
“The aim of the general training course is to introduce new cadets to summer training," Lieut. (N) Nicole Totten, general training course officer, said in a news release. "For many, this was their first time being away from home.
"The course promotes the ideal that general training cadets need to try everything once — whether jumping off the jetty, conquering the obstacle course or firing an air rifle — look after each other; and take back what they have learned to their home communities.”
The graduating cadets were reviewed by the Lieutenant-Governor, with the remainder of the ship’s company being inspected by the commander of 19 Wing, the mayors of Comox, Courtenay and Cumberland, and the commanding officer of the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Pacific).
After the parade, the cadets departed Comox, returning to communities across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.
The HMCS Quadra Sea Cadet Summer Training Centre is home to over 500 cadets undergoing training on two-, three-, six- and eight-week training courses in Comox.
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is a national youth program jointly sponsored by the Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces, and the Navy League of Canada and is open to youth aged 12 to 18.
For more information about HMCS QUADRA and sea cadets, visit www.cadets.ca/cstc/quadra.
— HMCS Quadra Sea Cadet Summer Training Centre