90
CLUB CULTURE Dartmouth Sea Cadets
TOP FIVE FACTS: Membership: 35 Price: £25 senior, £12.50 junior (per term) Meetings: Monday 6.30pm – 8.30pm for seniors. Thursday 6.30pm-8.30pm for juniors and seniors Volunteer staff: 8 Aim: To have fun and teach children valuable life skills
W
hile other children are watching television or playing on their X Box there’s a hardy group
of 10 to 18 year olds who’re having fun on the River Dart – in canoes, kayaks, sailing boats and cruising around on military ribs. Children who join the Sea Ca- dets can learn all sorts of new skills from orienteering to powerboat racing. They can take part in water-based competitions across the country, travel around Britain in a tall ship and gain life skills which could help them get a job. The Dartmouth branch is led by Will who joined the Boys Brigade when he was 13 and is now a Chief Petty Officer. “We have 35 members and a wait- ing list! I think people want to be a part of it because you get to do such adventurous things in the evening.” The juniors are aged 10 to 12 and the seniors are 13 to 18. The group spends the summer sessions down on the water at Sandquay - making use of the naval college’s whalers, rowing boats and powerboats. “They learn about water safety and get to use boats they would perhaps never usually come across. Whilst on the water they’re taught about seamanship, navigation and teamwork,” says Will. Each child joins the organisa- tion as a ‘new entry’ then every week they work towards gaining their next rank. Although the cadets work together they are each on an indi- vidual journey. They take their exams when they’re
“I think people want to be a part of it because you get to do such adventurous things in the evening.”
ready and then move up through the ranks from Cadet to 1st Class Cadet and eventually to the top title of Petit Officer. In the winter they meet at their base on the naval college site and spend their time working on the theory side - learning about the history of the Royal Navy as well as rope tying and ceremonial drill. Will says, in the past the Sea Cadets movement was about getting young people ready to serve in the forces, teaching them about morals
and the military ethos - the motto was ‘Serious Fun’. “There is still a sense of that today and indeed many do go on to join the Marines or the Navy, but that isn’t our main aim. The Sea Cadets is about helping young people to use their initiative and learn important skills, which will hopefully help them grow in confidence, excel at school and do well in job interviews.”
Will
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
