Camberley Sea Cadets Raise £744 for local Charity

Cadets and Staff of Camberley Sea Cadets recently raised £744 for the local charity, Christmopher’s Smile.

Christopher’s Smile is a local charity, set up in October 2008 by Karen and Kevin Capel following the tragic death of their only son Christopher from medulloblastoma, an aggressive childhood brain tumour. Christopher's Smile supports UK research centres such as the Institute of Cancer Research and aims to raise money to fund development of new drugs to treat medulloblastoma and other childhood cancers without devastating side effects. These drugs will provide an effective cure for all and save the lives of the 25% of children who currently do not survive their disease.

Waitrose collection

Thanks to everyone who helped collect at Waitrose. Fourteen cadets, staff and committee members helped customers with their bag packing and raised £589 for unit funds. Thank you to Waitrose and to all their customers for their generous donations.

Dartmouth success for PO Meades

PO Jodie Meades recently passed out from the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, winning the award for best Young Officer on her course. As a consequence of winning the award Jodie attended a lunch with HRH The Earl of Wessex. Officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College takes 2 months and includes drill, leadership, boatwork and strategic studies. Jodie has joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) who supplies the Royal Navy at sea and the Earl of Wessex is their Commodore-in-Chief.

Jodie will also continue as a Petty Officer at Camberley Sea Cadets.

Jodie is the first girl from the unit to pass out from the Naval College and, prior to joining the RFA, Jodie was the first person at Camberley Unit to be awarded a BTEC First Diploma in Public Services from the Cadet Vocational Qualification Organisation (CVQO). This qualification gave her the equivalent of a further 4 GCSEs at A*-C grade.

She has inspired younger cadets to follow in her success by signing up to a BTEC in Public Services. Jodie achieved a Distinction in her CVQO BTEC, this was a culmination of 8 years as a Sea Cadet, in which Jodie’s notable achievements include being awarded Cadet of the Year, Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet and achieving the rank of Petty Officer Cadet the highest rank possible as a cadet.

Jodie will go on to complete her 3 year training programme at Fleetwood College and at sea to become an Officer of the Watch. Whilst not at sea or studying, she will continue to help at the unit, where she teaches cadets leadership and boatwork. She hopes to be able to pass on her newly acquired skills in navigation by running chartwork courses. In addition she will be assisting S/Lt Tudor to help cadets studying for their CVQO BTEC in Public Services.

District football competition

Camberley entered the district five a side football competition with a juniors boys team. The boys played very well but were disadvantaged by only having four players. Despite this, they came a respectable third on the day. Well done boys!

Cadet 150 launch

Cadets and staff from the unit attended a photo shoot at Pirbright recently. The photos will be used to publicise Cadet150 events and activities throughout the country during 2010. Along with other sea cadets from Surrey and local army and air cadets, they had to climb up scramble netting and then smile!

Cadet150 is celebrating the cadet movements century and a half of support to young people with hundreds of events all over the country throughout 2010, all designed to promote the movement and encourage people of all ages to get involved. The year of celebration is entitled Cadet150 and Her Majesty The Queen is Patron.

With origins dating back to 1860, the cadet movement is one of the oldest and most successful voluntary youth organisations in the world. A force to be reckoned with, today it numbers 131,000 young people led by 25,000 adult volunteers in well over 3,000 sites across the country.

Cadet150 honours the role the Cadet Forces play in assisting young people towards responsible adulthood through learning new skills and developing self-confidence, and recognises the contribution the young people themselves make to their local communities.

Presentation Night 2009

The unit had its annual presentation night on 4 December. The evening started with divisions and the inspecting officer, Lt Col Henry Eagan, Commandant of the Cadet Training Centre Frimley Park, inspected the guard. After prayers and inspection of the juniors and cadets, the ship's company took part in two displays. The seniors had prepared a buoyage display and the juniors demonstrated their favourite activities, from first aid to comms.

Lt Col Eagan presented AC Matthews, OC Almajdoubi and OC Down with good conduct badges and then went on to present the annual awards. JCFC Shortland and JCFC won the junior endeavour and best junior awards respectively. AC Meades won the Searle Boatwork Cup, Cdt O'Neill won the ET shield, AC Shortland won the seamanship prize and LC Hands-Jordan won the drill trophy. Cdt Rose was presented with the senior endeavour cup and AC Matthews was voted the shipmate of the year by the other cadets. POC Adams won the cadet of the year award.

The CO thanked Lt Col Eagan for being the guest of honour, the parents and supporters for coming and the staff for all they have done during the year. Lt Col Eagan said how much he had enjoyed the evening and wished the unit well for the future.

Car boot sale success

An intrepid group of cadets and parents had a stall at the Sunday car boot sale in Farnborough recently. Despite getting very wet, they managed to raise £123 for unit funds, which we promptly spent on the minibus MOT! Thank you to all the people who donated their unwanted goods and well done to the cadets and parents who helped, especially Mrs Ware and Mrs Hedley-Fairly who organised it.

Lord Lieutenant of Surrey Awards

The Lord Lieutenant of Surrey Mrs Sarah Goad presented Certificates and Medals to some very deserving members of Surrey SCC at a Ceremony at Farnham TA Centre recently.

The Lord Lieutenants Cadet Award was presented to POC James Browne from Camberley Unit who will serve until the end of October 2010. James who is currently studying at Wellbeck Defence College has been given special permission to be released when required to attend events with the Lord Lieutenant.

Lord Lt Certificates for Meritorious Service were presented to Lt (SCC) Ray Newman RNR and CI Jim Greenfield. Ray who is the Surrey District Staff Officer Ceremonial has been an adult member of the Sea Cadet Corps for nearly 50 years. Jim a Civilian Instructor at Caterham unit for the last 13 years has been a loyal servant of the Cadet Forces serving in the ACF and the SCC. He is currently the Bandmaster at Caterham. Captain Peter Agnew who is the OIC of Woking Unit was presented with the first bar to his Cadet Forces Medal along with a framed certificate. CPO Neil Smith and CPO Vic Gellett both from Reigate Unit were presented with their Cadet Forces Medals and framed certificate for long service to the SCC.

Along with the recipients and their families, numerous Mayors, local dignitaries and Senior Military Officers were in attendance to support their local reserves and cadet forces. The ceremony was also attended by the Southern Area Officer, Commander Andy Giles Royal Navy, who congratulated all of the award winners and thanked them for their long service to the corps.

Remembrance Day

27 cadets, juniors and staff took part in Camberley’s Remembrance Day Parade on Sunday 8th November. After attending a packed church service at St Michael’s in Yorktown, they joined with veterans, army and air cadets and other local organisations to march down the A30 to the War Memorial outside the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. AC Hands-Jordan laid a poppy wreath on behalf of the unit.

The previous day, eight cadets and three members of staff had been out poppy collecting at Frimley Park Hospital. The cadets hope to have raised lots of money for the Royal British Legion.

Well done to all those who took part in these events.

A spooky night for the cadets

On 30th October the cadets and juniors got into the Halloween spirit with an evening of spooky activities. The evening included pumpkin carving then the cadets had a go at apple bobbling (and seemed to get very wet) and face painting. There were prizes for the best fancy dress – Halloween chocolates!

The cadets said that it was nice to have a go at something different and they had enjoyed the evening.

Physical Training weekend

Four cadets recently attended an area physical training (PT) weekend in Portsmouth. Cadets Porter, McMullon, Dunbar and Welling arrived at HMS Bristol in Portsmouth on Friday evening for a briefing and to get settled in with the other cadets from the whale of southern England. On Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast, the cadets were transported to HMS Temeraire, the home of the Royal Navy’s PT branch. They learnt how to run team games at unit level and the importance of looking after themselves and their kit. They went back to HMS Bristol for their dinner and a well deserved rest, before more training on Sunday. When they arrived back at the unit on Sunday afternoon they were tired but fitter and are looking forward to going back on another weekend later in the year.

Four of the juniors also attended a Young Sports Leader Award day as part of the weekend. Junior cadets Shortland, Porter, Bessiron and Harrison had to complete a 2km run as part of the day and also took part in the team games with the older cadets. They recommended it to the other juniors on their return.

District BTEC Officer Appointed

S/Lt (SCC) Simon Tudor RNR from Camberley Unit has agreed to take over the role of District Staff Officer BTEC from Lt Allison Anderson RNR who has stood down as she is shortly going on maternity leave.

Simon has done a great job at Camberley with BTEC and has some excellent ideas to move this under utilised award forward in Surrey District. Simon will be sending out information very soon which will hopefully enable units to get their 16 year old cadets and above enrolled on this valuable award which is absolutely free and is equivalent to 4 GCSEs at Grades A-C. CVQO also offer awards for adults so please take a look at their website to see what is on offer. http://www.cvqo.org/dnn/

If there are any budding Engineers or Musicians they can take a BTEC in Music or Engineering as well. Anyone interested in doing BTEC should speak to S/Lt Tudor.

Area Swimming Competiton

Two cadets from the unit took part in the southern area swimming competition which was held on 4th October at the Royal Military Acadamy SANDHURST near Camberley - and both of them got on very well.
AC Matthews came 2nd in the relay while Jnr Porter came 2nd in Breaststroke and 2nd in Freestyle. Cadets had gathered from all over the south of England for this event.

The cadets were supported by staff and parents from the unit including Lt(SCC) V L Milligan RNR.

Cadets help at heritage days

Over 200 people visited the Frimley Park Manor House this weekend as part of the national Heritage Open Days. The Cadet Training Centre was ably assisted by sea cadets from the TS Diadem in making the day such a success. Local historian Ken Clarke, Gardens Expert Kathleen Burgess and Margaret Collings, a “friend of Surrey Heath Museum” helped provided the expertise to illuminate the history of this historic estate. As well as many local people, 3 of whom were born in the house during WWII, visitors came from as far away as Brighton and Burgess Hill in Sussex. Their enjoyment of the event was summed up in the comments left in the visitor’s book: “A wonderful treasure on our doorstep” “Never dreamt this wonder existed” and “Wonderful afternoon, what a great privilege to see the house and grounds”.

Cadets make a Splash at District Swimming

The unit swimming team had a good result at the district swimming competition at Cranleigh. The team of seven cadets and juniors won eight medals and some of them will go on to represent the district at the area competition at RMA Sandhurst in October. The unit won the junior sea cadet girls trophy for 10-12s – well done to Jnr Porter – and came joint first with Crawley in the junior girls’ class for 12-15s.

Staff Taining

It has been a busy summer for the staff as well as the cadets with five instructors attending courses. PO (SCC) Meades gained RYA safety boat and RN level 2 first aid certificates. She also passed the tri-service week at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. Lt (SCC) Milligan RNR passed a St John’s first aid at work course. PPO Robinson and Lt Milligan spent two weeks sailing offshore in the sea cadet yachts in August – although due to the poor weather, they only went 60 miles!

PPO (SCC) Jacob, PPO (SCC) Robinson and PPO (SCC) Edge all passed the Sea Cadet Instructor Qualifying Course at SCTC Excellent and are now in the process of being promoted to Petty Officers – congratulations to them.

Its a Burgee

September divisions saw the unit gaining a burgee for 2009 – this is awarded to those Units which have achieved a “very good” standard or better and takes into account all the qualifications gained by cadets and staff during the inspection year, as well as courses and competitions attended, cadet promotions and recruitment and retention. Well done to everybody!

There have several promotions this month and Cdt Welling, AC Meades and POC Browne were awarded their new badges and AC Adams her second good conduct badge at September’s divisions.

Petty Officer Cadet Promotions

LC C Adams & LC J Browne were both promoted to PO Cdt after finishing off qualifications that they needed. PO Cdt Adams recently passed her power boating qualfiations. She spent the day being assessed at Hawley Lake by S/Lt (SCC) C Whitear RNR - CO GUILDFORD and passed. Also in the boat for the ride was the CO Lt (SCC)V L Milligan RNR and her dog Bertie complete with lifejacet!!

PO Cdt Browne has now started his 1st term at the MOD 6th form Welbeck - good luck.

Bertie checks out the power boating.

BUSY SUMMER

Sea Cadet James Browne spent an exciting summer; he attended a Cadet Leadership Course, passed an Admiralty Interview Board, visited Canada on an international exchange of Sea Cadets, took a Cadet Drill Instructors course in Scotland, spent a week sailing off the Welsh coast and was accepted as an A Level student at Welbeck College.

Sixteen year old James started his action packed summer by attending a Tri-service Cadet Leadership Course at Frimley Park Cadet Training Centre, where he learnt army skills and did exercises and drills with Cadets from all three services. He was on a night exercise and did patrols, watches and shooting. He was in command when the group did their only Sea Cadet oriented evolution – building a raft and crossing a river with it. James said that it was an excellent opportunity to develop skills and he recommends it to fellow Cadets.

Then James had an Admiralty Interview Board for a scholarship to Welbeck College; he was one of 5000 applicants this year and was one of the 175 young people given a conditional offer, so it all depended on his GCSE results. The Board tested his fitness, numeracy, abstract reasoning and gave him a leadership task to command – getting his team across a chasm – as well as an essay to write and an interview.

After two days at home, James went to Canada with six other British Sea Cadets, to stay with Cadets from Sweden, Holland, Australia and Canada, at a naval base in Vancouver for three weeks. James loved the sailing and canoeing and mountaineering they did, in what he said was very beautiful countryside but his favorite of the activities was mountain biking. On the last day they took part in a huge parade. James said he loved every minute of the trip, the activities and the new friends he made.

James was home for another two days and then went to Scotland for a Drill Course, a week of intensive drill with rifles, so that he is now a qualified Cadet Drill Instructor. He said that it rained most of the week but in spite of that all 18 Cadets on the course passed.
After another couple of days at home, James went to sea with other cadets and staff from Camberley on the Sea Cadet Corps yacht, T S Vigilant. They were supposed to spend a week sailing from Holyhead to Milford Haven but the tail end of a hurricane that had crossed the Atlantic hit Wales with a Force 8 gale and so they got no farther than Caeravon. James was in the same boat last summer and sailed along the south coast in some very wet and windy weather. His mother, Amanda, telephoned him on board with his GCSE results, confirming that he can start at Welbeck College for this term. James will be sponsored at Welbeck and at University, where he would like to read engineering, and he hopes to go to sea as a Marine Engineering Officer in the Royal Navy.

CAMBERLEY CADETS TRAIN IN PLYMOUTH

Five Cadets from Camberley’s T S Diadem spent a week on TS Raleigh in Plymouth, together with Cadets from all over the South East of England. They started the week on the Assault course and Ordinary Cadet Rory Meades enjoyed the theory of Orienteering they did to prepare for it. Cadet Chynna Ware was shocked to find that Breakfast was at 6. 30 but said that it was very tasty. They all enjoyed their visit to a warship and to a submarine school, where they tasted the submariners’ ration packs.
Cadet Ieuan Rose enjoyed the Sea Survival Exercise they took part in, which included damage control, blocking holes in the ship and fighting a fire, during which they all got very wet. Cadets Emma Leigh-Down and Charlotte Hyde liked the Harbour Tour, and the Museums they visited. They had free time when they could watch films in the tv room or play table tennis or table football in the games room. The Camberley Cadets are all 12 or 13 years old.

They all made new friends and tried new activities, and Rory Meades said that he had a great time and he rated the Course ten out of ten. All the Camberley Cadets passed the Course and got certificates for Fire Fighting and First Aid and Ieuan Rose received the award for the Best Cadet on the Course.

ADO(T) Visits Unit

The ADO(T)Lt (SCC) K Milligan RNR Visited the unit to see what training was happening in the unit and was treated to a great night. PO Jacob was in the galley with the 3rd Class Cook/Steward course who all each had to make a dish using fruit or cream as its main content, Lt Milligan was given the first chance to taste. Also on the night cadets trained in seamanship and new entry classes.

It was a good night for Lt Milligan who is no stranger to the unit having been the commanding officer of the unit from 1997/2007; he said that it was great to be back at the unit and see that so much was going on.

Also during the visit Lt Milligan presented PPO(SCC) C Robinson with her Badges of rate, having recently being promoted from Traniee Insrtuctor. PO Robinson first joined the unit as a junior when Lt Milligan was the CO at Camberley and so it was a particular pleasure for him to be able to promote her.

Cadets Give Support at Royal Marines Band Concert

Staff and cadets supported the Royal Star and Garter Homes at a fundraising concert by the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines COLLINGWOOD. The cadets, led by Lt (SCC) V Milligan RNR and PO(SCC) J Jacob, helped to give out programmes and carried out a collection for the Royal Star and Garter Homes at the end of the night which raised £711.

Sereveral members of the band under the direction of Major J Burcham Royal Marines had recently returned from service in Afghnistan with 3 commando Brigade in their miliatry role as medical suport and NBCD teams.

All of the cadets enjoyed the night.

Cadet Leads The Way

Leading Cadet J Browne spent the week (5-11 July) on a very tough course, the tri service Cadet Leadership Course. He did not have to travel far as the course is held next door to the unit at the Cadet Training Centre FRIMLEY PARK.

The course had cadets from all three cadet forces and also cadets from Pakistan and involved cadets carrying out many leadership tasks and living under cover in bivvies and tents. The instructors for the week were officers from the regular services. At the end of the week there was a night excercise and the cadets put into practice all that they had learnt over the week. LC Browne said he had enjoyed the course and learnt lots that would help him in his future. The future starts next week when LC Browne attends the Admiralty Interview Board to secure his place at Welbeck Defence 6th Form College and then goes to Canada as part of the International Exchange.

National Staff Training

PPO (SCC) J Meades has spent a week (28 June - 3rd July)at the Sea Cadet Training Centre INSKIP near Preston, training to become a Meteorology instructor. The course included learning about cloud formations, winds and pressure systems. At the end of the week the students had to make a working barometer. PPO Meads passed the course and enjoyed her week away. She said she was looking forward to using her qualification in the unit and also on district training courses.

Lt (SCC) V Milligan RNR & PPO (SCC) J Meads spent 3 days at the Sea Cadet Training Centre CALEDONIA at HMS CALEDONIA near Edinburgh on their Pulling Instructors course. They both had a few very wet days out in the harbour but passed the assessments and are now looking forward to getting back on the water over the summer.

Camberley Junior Goes Outward Bound

One cadet from the junior section spent the weekend carrying out expedition training at the southern area training center Middle Hill, near Crawley. The weekend was spent in tents, with cadets learning about the country code and living in the country. On Sunday The CO visited the camp and took along with her Bertie her dog who is known to all the cadets!!!

SC Johnson Family Fun Day

For the 10th year in a row Camberley Sea Cadets has supported this local company's fun day, carrying out genral duties including setting the event up. Lt Milligan and PO Jacob took a team of 12 cadets to the event. The cadets also get the chance to have a fun day themselves tryining out all the funfair rides and face painting.

Thanks to SC Johnsons for their donation of £250.

Yet More Sailing!!

Camberley unit was all at sea again this week when the CO, Lt (SCC) V L Milligan RNR, spent the week as mate of the sea cadet yacht TS VIGILANT, which sailed from Newcastle to Edinburgh. During the week Lt Milligan carried out her final assessment for her RYA Day Skipper qualification (which she passed). On route to Edinburgh the yachts stopped off in differant ports each night. On Monday they put into the island of Lindisfarne, and spent the night at anchor.

At the end of the week the crew arrived at Edinburgh, and there was a chance to renew a family aquantance with a very special yacht, The Royal Yacht. Lt Milligan's husband, also Lt Milligan who is at Woking unit, served in Britannia in the 1990's as Royal Steward. The Yacht opened up the Royal Stewards Mess so that Lt Milligan could see where her husband had lived and even tried his bunk out!!

The Yacht sailed all week in company with TS CITY LIVERYMAN, which was under the command of Lt (SCC) C Dixie RNR from Reigate also in Surrey District.

Rest Time

Lt (SCC) V L Milligan RNR gets to try out her husband's, Lt (SCC) K S Milligan RNR, bunk onboard HM Yacht Britannia.

Camberley Trio Set Sail

Three members of Camberley unit set sail in one of the sea cadet yachts (TS CITY LIVERYMAN) which make up the offshore flotilla. The three, TI C Robinson, PO Cdt J Meades and OC S Headley Fairley joined other cadets(2 others from Surrey District)at Ramsgate and spent the week sailing on the North Sea and ending up in Lowestoft, OC Headley farley on her first trip gained the RYA Start Yachting and Offshore Sailing grade 1 qualifications and is looking forward to going back, and on that note TI Robinson like the week so much that when asked if she would like to stay on she had no hesitation in saying yes please

The Surrey Heath Show

11 cadets and juniors and 3 members of staff had a stall at the Surrey Heath Show in Frimley Lodge Park on Saturday 2 May.

Kings College in Camberley kindly loaned the unit two rowing machines and members of the public were invited to either race a cadet or a friend over a distance of 100m. Lots of people of all ages took part, including army cadets and the firemen from other stalls, a professional rower and parents. There were some fast times of between 18 and 20 seconds but the winners were from the fire brigade - with a superfast time of 14.8 seconds.

The unit sold key rings, bracelets and rings made by CI Doran

the cadets also had a recruiting stall showing photos of recent activities and giving information about joining the unit. The Cadets were joined by the CO's dog Bertie, who spent the day attracting people to the stall by barking !!

Unit Floods

It was all hands to the pumps when a pipe burst in the female heads and water flooded all over the unit. About an inch of water covered the deck. A unit supporter came in to the unit on Sunday to find the damage and raised the alarm getting a team together to mop up the water.

The unit is getting back to normal now. Thanks to all those staff, UMC members, cadets and supporters who helped in the clean up operation.

Waitrose Collection

The cadets spent a very busy Easter Saturday doing a bag packing day in the Frimley Waitrose. Thanks to the management at Waitrose, the cadets were able to spend the whole day in the store and through their efforts collected a massive £1,101.14 which will go towards the unit funds and equipment for the new unit. Thanks to Lt Milligan, Lt Mitchell, S/Lt Tudor, Mrs Browne, Mr Meades and Mrs Heathcote and all the cadets who attended the day and to the Chairman for setting the event up.

CO Goes Sailing

The CO joined members of the District Team recently joined other staff from the Area for four days to take the two Sea Cadet Tradewind yachts from Gosport to Weymouth. Onboard TS Vigilant were Lt Kevin Milligan, Major Andy Henderson & Peter Ursher. TS City Liveryman was crewed by Lt.Cdr Derek Login MBE (SSO), Lt Vicky Milligan, Lt.Cdr Ray Mitchell and Lt Gary Bassett (Winchester). The weather was very good with bright sunshine and fair winds. Everyone had a great time as well as building upon their sailing skills & knowledge. Vigilant sailed from Gosport to Lymington and then Poole before the final section to Weymouth. City Liveryman sailed from Gosport to the Hamble to collect the District Officer and then overnight to Poole. On passage to Weymouth the yachts were passed by HMS EDINBURGH which was taking part in live firing exercises, fortunately they missed us. At the end of the cruise Lt Kevin Milligan was presented with his RYA Competent Crew Certificate by the MSSC Skipper.

Area Officer Visits Camberley

Commander Andy Giles, Royal Navy paid his first visit to the unit on 24th March, it was a relaxed visit and a chance for him to meet the staff & cadets and find out what they get upto on a normal cadet night.

During the visit Cdr Giles toured the unit speaking to all the cadets and staff and was treated to a seamanship evolution in the boatshed and PLT's(Practical Leadership Tasks) on the main deck.

Cadets & Staff Join in "Red Nose Day"

Everyone at the unit joined together to raise funds for the Red Nose Appeal. Staff and cadets all donated money and wore pyjamas, also they made cakes. While this was going on the Unit Management Committee held a meeting and they all wore red noses for the event. Unit PR Officer Mary Heathcote did however say that it was hard to understand some of the meeting!!

At the end of the night the unit had raised £50 for the appeal. The cadets all had fun and are now planning a similar event for BBC Children in Need.

Unit Management Committee Meeting

District Colour Party Competition

Camberley unit took part in the recent Surrey district colour party competition which was held at Farnham Sea Cadet unit. The cadets which have been training hard for the last couple of months under the direction of, Lt (SCC) B Mitchell RNR, looked really smart on the day and while they did not manage to win, they put up stiff competition.

Browne Wins Brown Award

Leading Cadet James Browne, from Camberley Sea Cadets has won a national award, the Commander Brown Shield, and a sum of money. The award is given annually to a Cadet who has been actively involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, has been a leader in Unit adventure or sail training activities and is keen to make a career at sea.

Fifteen year old James joined Camberley Sea Cadets when he was 10 and was their Cadet of the Year in 2006 and 2008. He has attained his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver awards, but is not able to take Gold until he is 16, later this year. He has attended numerous courses with the Sea Cadets including adventure training at the Surrey District Expedition Training Centre at Middle hill, and got his Unit’s Expedition Training Cup for 2008. He was a member of the team at the area Expedition Training competitions in 2007 and 2008.

James is a keen canoeist and is working towards his white water three star award. He has represented his Sea Cadet Unit, T S Diadem, at a number of competitions for canoeing, swimming, 5-a-side football, power-boating and piping.

James has sailed on the Corps three masted brigantine, T S Royalist and on T S Vigilant, a 35ft Bermudan Cutter, and says that he wants to go on both of them again this summer. He has gained his offshore seaman qualification and RYA qualifications. He went on Royalist last year with five other Cadets from the Unit and he ensured that they arrived safely, including getting across London on public transport. During his week sailing, he looked after the younger cadets – for some of whom it was their first week at sea- and kept them motivated in spite of the bad weather conditions.

The shield was given in memory of Commander C P F Brown DSC*, RN, who died as a result of a road traffic accident, by his sister.

The award was made by Captain J Fry Royal Navy - Captain Sea Cadet Corps, The citation that came with the cheque and Shield said that it was awarded for “outstanding achievement”.

Lt (SCC) Vicky Milligan RNR, James’ Commanding Officer, said that James is active in the Unit, often teaching the younger cadets and they see him as a role model.

Its Pancackes For Everyone

The cadets have took a night off their normal training to make pancakes, everyone from the juniors to the training officer had a go with some good and not so good results !!

The Cadets Mess Dinner

As a reward for all thier hard work over the year the cadets were treated to a Mess Dinner, and the staff prepared and served them. The Mess President (PO Cdt J Meades) invited special guests for the night to join her on the top table, Lt (SCC)Alan Cumper RNR - ADO(T) Surrey and Mrs Cumper and Lt (SCC) J Tucker RNR - Unit Boats Officer and Mrs Tucker.

The cadets were treated to a fine meal prepared by Lt (SCC) B Mitchell RNR - First Lt and his team and the Commanding Officer and Chairman aswell with others served the meal.

Once the meals was over the decanters were placed on the tables and the cadets gave the Loyal Toast to HM the Queen with a drink suitable for the evening "Ribena"

Annual Presentation Night

Camberley Sea Cadets celebrated a year of achievement at their prize-giving at the end of November. After Colours and prayers, Lt Cdr (SCC) Malcolm Cruse RNR, the former district officer for Surrey, inspected the Cadets and Juniors. POC Jodie Meades then explained to the audience of parents and supporters that three teams of Cadets were going to compete against each other to demonstrate some of the activities they did on drill nights. First they were shown how to fold a napkin into a Bishop’s Mitre and a volunteer from each team copied it, and then they used a bosun’s call to pipe the order “carry on”. Three Cadets then competed against the clock to put on an anti flash suit and the adult volunteers then used semaphore to signal the word Banana. The Chairman of the Management Committee, Peter Stapleton, who is a former Sea Cadet, got 9 ½ out of 10 for this.

Lt (SCC) Vicky Milligan, RNR, the Commanding Officer of TS Diadem, said that the Unit had had a busy year with lots of activities, such as off-shore sailing, district camps, events and competitions, as well as a bonfire night party, a Mess Night Dinner and a Halloween party. She said that all the Cadets had done well and gained qualifications and experience regardless of whether they won a prize or not.

The first prize was the Junior Endeavour Cup, won by LJC Porter. The cup for the Best Junior went to NE Hyde. The Drill Prize was awarded to OC Adams. The Searle Boatwork Trophy went to TI Cressida Robinson, who had been a Cadet but had now joined the staff. AC Matthews won the Seamanship Trophy; the shield for the most improved female cadet went to AC Woodcock and the Expedition Training Cup was awarded to LC Browne. The Endeavour Trophy went to AC Hands. The Cup for the Best Cadet of the Year went to LC Browne.

Lt Cdr Cruse said that he had not been to Diadem for a few years, but had pleasant memories of it and had enjoyed the evening

The Chairman, Peter Stapleton, presented a bouquet of flowers to Brenda Kegel, an ex WREN, who had been on the committee for 9 years, but had recently resigned.

Remembrance Day Parade 2008

It was a cold Sunday that saw the cadets and staff parade in support of the town to remember those that have died in two world wars and conflicts since aswell as the vetrens that served in them. The unit led by Lieutenant (SCC) Barry Mitchell RNR - First Lieutenant, attended the Rembrance service in St Micheal's church before marching doen the London road for a open air service outside the Royal Military Acadamy Sandhurst, inwhich PO Cdt Meades carried the Standard of the Camberley Branch Royal Naval Association.

Camberley Cadets take to the High Seas

Four Cadets from Camberley Unit and their Commanding Officer went sailing on a pair of 35 foot Yachts during the summer.

Lt (SCC) Vicky Milligan RNR took five Cadets to Gosport where they spent a week on two yachts belonging to the Sea Cadet Corps. Each boat held five passengers and two crew, one of whom was Skipper. They were divided up into a girls’ boat, consisting of Lt Milligan, PO Cadet Jodie Meades and three Cadets from Wales, and the four Camberley boys were in the boys’ boat. The winds on the south coast were Force 8 gale, so they spent their first day in Portsmouth, swimming and exploring Gunwarf Quay and the Submarine Museum and shopping for the food that they cooked themselves on board. The girls devised menus for a week and wrote a shopping list and the boys followed them around the supermarket taking exactly the same foods off the shelves! On the next day both boats sailed for ten hours to Poole Harbour and then had a crab catching contest that evening. The next day was too windy to sail so they went to Splashdown pool in the morning and in the afternoon went to the RNLI College and watched trainees doing a survival exercise, getting into a raft and then being winched to safety. OC Jarryd McKenna said he had never sailed before and liked doing so many different jobs on the boat; cooking was alright but steering the boat was best. On their last full day they sailed to Weymouth in lovely sunny weather, with just the right amount of breeze.

James Browne said that the Skipper did not take the wheel at all during their week, and the Mate only did so once and the rest of the time the Cadets steered. POC Jodie Meades has sailed several times in TS Royalist but said that this was even better as she felt more a part of the team and got to know the crew better, and there was more variety in the jobs they did – perhaps in the stern one day and the bows the next.

They all agreed that they would like to go again and Lt Milligan told them that she had booked for May half term and a week in August next year.

PO Cdt Meades takes the helm on a windy day.

Camberley Cadets Attend Air Training Corps National Camp

Five Cadets from Camberley went on two different weeks to a Combined Cadet Summer Camp at RAF Cottesmore. It was the first time that the camp had been open to Sea Cadets as previously it was for Air Training Corps and combined Cadet Forces only.

The activities at RAF Cottesmore varied from aerobatic flying to fitness tests and drill competitions. All the Cadets visited the fire section at the Station and used the Carmichael fire engine and went on various day trips to centres such as Laser Quest and the Space Centre. They slept in tents and ate in the Mess; they all said that it was “really good food”. There were 22 Tri Service Cadets on each course. Two Camberley girls went on the first week; they are LC Corrine Adams and AC Kate Matthews. Kate enjoyed the controlled aerobatics where one cadet flew with the pilot, even though she felt sick. They went shooting on the range and set up mock situations involving fires and then fought them. Corrine went to observe two pilots for work experience and sat in their Harrier Jump Jet and went on a Vulcan Bomber. She won the best Naval Cadet of the week.

Three boys went on the same course at the end of the summer holidays. LC James Browne enjoyed the night exercise, when they crossed an imaginary bottomless chasm using only a high and low rope. He said that this encouraged the cadets to rely on their partner and helped with team building. AC Oliver Burley liked sailing in the local lagoon and OC Aubyn Shortland said that they would all like to go again, and Kate spoke for everyone when she said “it was an amazing week”.

Royal Naval Parade 2008

Camberley Unit was inspected by Major A Henderson, Royal Marines, Deputy Area Officer (South) on 11th July in the presence of many parents supporters and visitors including the units President, Rear Admiral Sir Peter Anson Bt CB DL and his wife, Dame Elizabeth Anson DL and the Deputy Mayor of Surrey Heath.

Divisions were held and Major Henderson inspected the Cadets and asked them about their Sea Cadet activities. The Cadets then did two evolutions (demonstrations) for their inspection. The first display involved two teams competing to cross a “minefield” of balloons, with the person crossing blindfolded and guided only by calls on a whistle. Volunteers from the audience of parents and supporters were included in the teams and were enthusiastically supported by the audience. The second evolution involved a party of Cadets supposedly on an adventure- training weekend, who find a casualty who has fallen down a cliff. They summon medical help and then help to move the casualty by boat, and when she is safe they return to their camp, where they brew a cup of tea, which they gave to Major Henderson.

After Stand easy, the Cadets and Staff held Evening Colours with Prayers led by the Rev Barry Burbidge and then Major Henderson congratulated the cadets on their evolutions and said that they had done well and had shown team work and communication skills. The Royal Navy standard was for every Unit to average 3 qualifications a year and Diadem had averaged 3.75 during the last year. He thanked the CO, Lt (SCC) Vicky Milligan RNR, and all the staff and the Management Committee as well as the Cadets for all their hard work.

Afterward there was a buffet on the main deck and the Inspecting Team met the parents and Cadets. Units that pass the Inspection receive a Pennant (a small flag) and the top twenty-five percent of Units get a Burgee; Camberley Unit has got a Burgee for the last seven years, and when they received their results in August were very pleased to get another one for 2008.

Petty Officer Cadet Meades who was made Lord Lieutenant's Cadet in 2007 talks to Rear Admiral Sir Peter Anson Bt CB DL the unit's President and Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Surrey.

The unit gathers with the Deputy Mayor and Major Henderson at the end of the Inspection night.

'Easter' activities!

Last week was a busy week for Camberley cadets - 6 cadets joined TS Royalist in London and were lucky enough to visit Oostend in Belgium and Dunkirk in France before returning to Ramsgate. A great time was had by all - 2 cadets obtained their Off Shore Hand 2 awards, while the other 4 all came away with Off Shore Hand 1.

At the same time, 2 cadets were on the Surrey District Easter Camp which was hastily re-arranged to take place at Farnham Unit due to problems on HMS Bristol. It was a very successful week for the cadets who both obtained their 2nd Class Cook Steward qualification - despite only having signed up for the 3rd Class Award!

The cadets also visited Lord Nelson's Flagship HMS VICTORY in Porstmouth

District Piping Competition

Camberley had another success at the District Piping Competition with Able Cadet James Browne coming second in the Individual Competition.

District Drill Competition

The Colour Party came 4th at the District Drill competition on Sunday 9 March. The standard was very high, and Camberley were the best dressed Colour Party.

For more photos, see the Picture Gallery

Victory for Surrey District

On 2 February, Lieutenant Milligan accepted the Victory Trophy on behalf of Surrey District. It is awarded to the district in Southern Area with the best performance in competitions. Surrey fought off fierce competition and won by just two points. The close result underlines how important every cadet’s contribution was.


The award, as well as many others, was made at the Southern Area Conference, an event where all the COs, First Lieutenants, Training Officers and Chairmen in Southern Area gather to discuss the future of the Sea Cadets. This year it was hosted at HMS COLLINGWOOD in Fareham, near Portsmouth.

Visit to RFA Fort George

When Third Officer and sea cadet instructor Simon Tudor’s ship anchored in Liverpool in February, Simon invited Cadets from the Unit to visit his ship, so 10 Cadets and three members of staff left Camberley early on Saturday and spent two days on board. They went round the engineering department and the control room; they saw the four duel-purpose rigs that are fitted amidships and enable the RFA Fort George to replenish up to four warships at the same time. They enjoyed visiting the Bridge and they were given a briefing on the communication section and they saw the flight deck, hangar and maintenance facilities for five Merlin helicopters.

In the evening, Simon, the Cadets and their staff went bowling and competed in three teams: boys, girls and adults. The staff were Lt (SCC) Vicky Milligan RNR, the Commanding Officer of TS Diadem, S/Lt (SCC) Colin Leverett RNR and TI Justine Jacob-Woodcock.

The Cadets enjoyed sleeping on the ship and liked their three berth cabins. On Sunday morning they did another tour of the ship and saw the operating theatre and then put on fire fighting gear and went to the flight deck, to see what would happen if there were a helicopter crash, but instead of fighting a fire they found that the hoses were turned on them and they got very wet. James Browne said that this was the best part of the visit, though he had found it all great fun.

When they were dry again, they all went to visit the new Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool. All the Cadets said they had enjoyed the weekend’s visit, and they thanked Simon Tudor very much for asking them. They looked forward to seeing him back at TS Diadem when his deployment was finished and he was on leave.

Children in Need

The cadets and staff raised £90 for Children in Need by holding a Pyjama Night.

There were some 'interesting' choices of pyjamas on display!

Success at District Swimming!

Congratulations to all the cadets that took part in the District Swimming competition on Saturday 15th.

Camberley was well represented and came away with an impressive haul of medals for both the seniors and the juniors.

Well done everyone!

Polo shirts now in stock!

We now have a stock of very attractive polo shirts bearing the Unit's crest.

They're a bargain at £10 each and selling fast!

If you're interested, please see Mr Meades

Congratulations!

Congratulations to PO Leverett on his promotion to Sub Lieutenant!

(How long is that going to take us to get used to saying!)

Parents join in the fun!

The Unit's AGM was held on 18 July at Hawley Lake when the parents got the chance to join in with the fun on the lake...

Change of Command

After 10 years in command Lt(SCC)Kevin Milligan RNR has handed over command of the unit to his wife Lt(SCC)Victoria Milligan RNR. In a parade to mark the event on 31st March, which was supported by many cadets, parents and supporters from over the years including 5 former commanding officers, Lt Milligan said that he had enjoyed his time in Camberley and that it had been an honour to lead the unit which had attained burgee standard (top 25%)for the last 7 years. Leaving the unit to take command of another unit, he will not be going far, about 6 miles to Farnham (TS SWIFTSURE). These two units already work closely and this will continue. The new OiC, Lt V Milligan said she was looking forward to coming back to the unit where she was a cadet and that she knows has a first class record. The parade was also supported by the Deputy Area Officer, Major Andy Henderson RM.

Bronze Medals for Camberley at Area competition

Camberley unit's piping team was awarded Bronze medals by Commodore Laurie Brokenshire CBE,RN - Commodore Sea Cadet Corps - at the southern area drill and piping competition which was held at HMS EXCELLENT ON 18th March. There were nine teams from the area and the standards were very high. The cadets have been training hard and were thrilled with the results, as was their commanding officer Lt Kevin Milligan RNR and the team manager. Family and friends followed the team down to Portsmouth to watch.

Camberley Win Piping Competition

Camberley unit came first at the Surrey District Piping competition which was held at Farnham Sea Cadet unit on 18th Feburary. The team was trained by civilian instructor Tony Doran at the unit looked smart and sounded great as they pipied in front of proud parents and supporters. The unit also came second in the individual piping competition. The team is now looking forward to representing the district at the southern area competition on the 18th March which will be held at HMS EXCELLENT in Portsmouth.

The unit also entered the colour party competition and came third in this event and the junior piping team came fourth. All the cadets had a great day and the training team felt very proud of the achievements the cadets made on the day.

Cadets Visit Museums

Over the last 2 weeks cadets and juniors have visited museums across the south east and London. 15 cadets visited the RN Submarine museum and HMS Alliance which the cadets thought was great although some of the taller ones thought that Alliance was very small inside. Next was a visit to the Chocolate musuem for the cadets (they said it was for the staff).

The next week it was off to another type of ship for 15 cadets when they visited HMS Belfast in the Pool of London. After a visit to the ship looking at every area of her, the cadets headed off for the rest of the day visiting the Imperial War Musueum.

Great days out were had by all the cadets and more visits are planned for later in the year including Chatham Dockyard and Thorpe Park.

Cadets Pack Bags at Waitrose

On the 16th December a team of cadets and supporters headed by our parents supporters team went along to Waitrose in Frimley and spent the day helping the Christmas shoppers pack their bags. The shoppers between them donated a massive £710.68; this amount will help the unit to provide many things for the cadets next year and we would like to thank the shoppers of Waitrose for their genorosity and also Andrew Berstein and his team for helping the unit.

Lots of people commented on how smart and polite the cadets were and how efficient they were in packing the bags.

Presentation Evening

Cadets gathered together for the annunal presentation evening at the unit on 24th November and the District Officer, Lieutenant Commander (SCC) R Mitchell RNR, was on hand to make the awards.

Prizes were given out for the best cadet and junior of the year, drill, most improved female cadet, seamanship and boatwork. A special award was made to Mrs Gill Tibbetts for her support over many years in running the galley; Gill was awarded a certificate of merit signed by the Area Officer.

Best Cadet of the Year AC J Browne was awarded a bursary by the Camberley Royal Naval Association for a week on the SCC Flagship TS Royalist.

Lord Lieutenant's Cadet

Petty Officer Cadet William Edge was made Lord Lieutenant's cadet for Surrey at a presentation evening at the Redhill TA Centre by the Lord Lieutenant for Surrey, Mrs Goad. PO Cadet Edge was chosen from cadets of all the units in Surrey for this honour. During the year he had attended many courses and helped the staff within the unit. The highlight of his year was attending the Britannia Royal Naval College Course which he hopes will help him towards his chosen career as a marine engineering officer in the RN.

National Award Winner

Petty Officer Cadet Jessica Hassall has been awarded the Tod Trophy for senior cadet photography. It is the first time the award has been made and she received it in front of her parents and family at a presentation that took place after the national trafalgar day parade in London. PO Cdt Hassall entered a photo of "TS ROYALIST" at anchor between some sand dunes. The photo was taken whilst Jessica was sailing in the ship during this year's "Tall Ships Race". During this two week voyage she also gained her Offshore (Sail) Watch Leader qualification. Admiral Tod asked if he could take a photo of PO Cdt Hassall, as he never used a camera!

£500.00 Donation

The unit received a cheque for £500 for Rear Admiral Michael Stacey CB on behalf of the New Trafalgar Despatch for all the work the unit did in support of the events last year to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The main event was a concert held at Bagshot Park; the unit provided a parking service, a colour party and a Royal Guard for HRH the Earl of Wessex, as well as other support. Admiral Stacey in thanking the unit said the event could not have taken place without the sea cadets.

Surrey District Parade

Camberley unit had the honour of hosting the district parade this year. On 15th October cadets and staff from all over Surrey marched through the streets of Camberley to St Michael's Church on the London Road for a service. The Parade was led by the Band of Reigate Sea Cadets and a guard made up of cadets. It was the first time that Camberley unit had paraded their unit colour.

Following the church service the parade of 187 cadets marched dowwn the Frimley Road towards the saluting dias where the Mayor of Surrey Heath took the salute. The parade ended in Cadet Training Centre, Frimley Park.

The mayor then presented cadet forces medals to S/Lt(SCC)Steve Bennett RNR & Chief Petty Officer (SCC) Adam Garland from the Staines unit before going into Camberley unit for tea and cake

122 Portsmouth Road, Frimley, Camberley, Surrey, GU16 7AA
Tel: 01276 64165  Email:

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