SENIOR SCHOOL
Cadets
At the beginning of 2014, twenty Year
10 and two Year 11 students rose to the
challenge offered by the Guildford Grammar
School Cadet Unit, and enrolled as recruits.
The Australian Army Cadets are a voluntary
uniformed youth organisation aimed at
fostering leadership and resilience, teaching
new skills and offering an insight into service
in the ADF. During the induction day on
the first Sunday of Term 1, the recruits,
together with returning senior Cadets in
Years 11 and 12, took part in an initiative
and team building exercise facilitated by Mr
Peter Ashby, the new Director of Outdoor
Education.
The first Cadet bivouac at Stronghills fell
early in Term 1 this year. The rowers in the
unit faced an additional challenge, returning
to School early on the Saturday morning
to compete in an interschool regatta, an
indication of the degree of commitment
many individuals make to cadets. A
productive weekend’s training was carried
out, with canoeing on the dam, frequent
dips to counter the hot conditions, training
in basic field skills, a night exercise and clay
pigeon shooting amongst the highlights.
One of the most important principles
underlying the Cadet Unit is that much of
the instruction and day to day organisation
falls to the senior Cadets, who in turn
gain invaluable leadership experience. This
relies on the willingness of these senior
Cadets to attend and complete challenging
promotional courses which are held during
school holidays. The level of commitment
of these individuals is exemplary, and they
fulfil a considerable service to the Unit and
in turn to the wider School community. The
following individuals have been promoted
during 2014:
• Harrison Baildham-Parr (12Sc)
Cadet Under Officer – Unit Adjutant
• Justin Barwick (12He)
Warrant Officer Class 2 – Company
Sergeant Major
• Fraser Pensini (12He)
Sergeant
• Gavin Pensini (12He)
Sergeant
• Aaron Hug (12He)
Corporal - Quartermaster
• Samuel Imperial (11Wb)
Corporal
• Jason Schenk (11Ha)
Corporal
• Declan White (11SG)
Corporal
• James Holberton (11He)
Lance Corporal
• Rory Young (11Fr)
Lance Corporal
Another important aspect of Cadet
service which remains unseen by many
at the School is the Unit’s participation
in commemorative events, such as the
ANZAC Day parade at the Midland Railway
Workshops and at Kings Park, and the
Vietnam Veterans Day parade, again at
Kings Park. In addition to the challenge of
performing rifle drill in the public eye on
the day itself, many hours of practice go
into each parade, and the senior Cadets
who take part should again be commended
on their dedication. Despite the small size
of the Unit, it has gained a considerable
reputation for ceremonial drill, as shown by
the regular invitations to take part in these
parades, and this is due in no small part to
the commitment of the senior Cadets and
the quality of the instruction from Captain
Hyde and Captain Langsford.
Guildford Grammar School Cadet Unit has a
proud history as the oldest unit in continuous
existence in Western Australia since 1905.
As well as offering the chance to learn new
skills and try out new activities, it also offers
the opportunity to offer service to the School
and to the wider community, and in doing so
to contribute to the ongoing history of the
unit. Students in Year 9 have the opportunity
to form the next generation of Guildford
cadets when they make their co-curricular
choices later this year.
Mr Martin Dell
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