Promotions
Officers
July
W/O Sies to OFFCDT
June
PLTOFF Trenberth to FGOFF
May
SSM Davies to OFFCDT
SSM Tait to OFFCDT
OFFCDT Townsend to A/PLTOFF
NCOs
August
CPL Greene to SGT
CPL Brinkhurst to SGT
CPL Smith to SGT
LAC Howie to CPL
LAC Daymon to CPL
LAC Neil to CPL
LAC Stephens to CPL
July
F/S Howie to W/O
May
CDTCDT Cadet (rank). Copplestone to CPL
CDT Trentleman to CPL
CDT Wilson to CPL
A/SGT Betts to SGT
A/SGT Liswoyo to SGT
A/SGT Taylor to SGT
A/SGT Yang to SGT
March
CDT Yao to CPL
Events
20 November
Cadet Paintball
22-25 October
Exercise Taiaha- Kidson Lodge
10 October
NZOIA Support Rock Climbing
6-8 August
NCO ABL- Orohaki Outdoor Education Centre
17 July
Christchurch Units issued with new CWD
4-7 June
Exercise Frostybird- Cas Bay
28-30 May
Exercise Top Squad
Run by Ashburton Cadet Unit. Evacuated due to flooding at the end of day two. 17 Squadron declared the winners based on avalible results.
25 April
ANZAC DAY
Anzac Day is a day of remembrance of those who had served and died in all wars. To honour those who fought for New Zealand to give the world peace.The date itself the 25Th of April marks the anniversary of New Zealand and Australian soldiers – The ANZACs – landing on the Gallipoli peninsula in 1916 during the first world war. Since the first Anzac Day was marked in 1916, Kiwis and Australians gather from all around the world to show respect to those who have fallen before us. The New Zealand royal forces have always been present on Anzac’s days at wreath laying’s memorials, dawn parades, and other services throughout the day.
Cadet forces also take a huge part in these events during Anzac Day. Cadets all over New Zealand are encouraged to participate in their local services on Anzac Day to show their respect. Attending the Dawn Parade is a must! It was bitterly cold, and there was the stress of having a perfectly ironed uniform, and getting up to stand at 6am doesn’t seem enjoyable. But it was! I personally got to experience the Dawn Parade for the first time in cadets forces this year and overly enjoyed the day. It will not be one I’ll forget.
I had experienced other Anzac services beforehand, but I had never served in cadets at dawn parade before. I remember leading up to Anzac Day, at unit parades instead of practicing drill our junior and senior NCO’s would tell us to practice standing at attention in silence. When it came to the morning of Anzac Day, I remember feeling very tired and cold, but I also felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Being able to march out onto parade grounds at Cranmer Square, to the beat of our NZ marching band marching along beside us. We stood in silence, presidents, generals, and offices of the Royal New Zealand Force came up to present medals, awards as well as speeches about our history of those who had fallen. But also congratulating and remembering the successes and many achievements of our country because of those who fought for our freedom so many years ago. Lest we forget!
Written by LAC Lackie
19- 25 April
JNCO
On April 19th 2021 myself and three others from 17 Squadron travelled from Christchurch Air force museum to RNZAFRNZAF Royal New Zealand Air Force. Base Woodbourne, 8km away from Blenheim. We all got off the bus, thankful that we weren’t travelling any longer but worried about the week ahead of us. Knowing we could be continually tested to see if we were fit to be JNCO’s. During this course we had practice terminals and then terminals. Our week was filled to the brim with learning, practicing and then testing. Even the quick summary below reminds me of how much work I had to put in. ● Monday: Arrive and march in.
● Tuesday: Learning how to teach drill lessons and squad handle.
● Wednesday: Drill lesson practice, Squad handling practice, learning about GSMEAC and presentations.
● Thursday: GSMEAC practice and presentation practice.
● Friday: Drill lesson terminal and Squad handling terminal, organising our presentation terminals.
● Saturday: Leadership terminal and Speech terminal.
● Sunday: Prizegiving
● Monday: Home time!
Some of my favourite moments on this course were, singing happy birthday in the mess (and even getting a little bit told off because we didn’t have permission), shoe polishing sessions outside the barracks, bonding with my syndicate and at the very end of course. Most of all finding out my syndicate and I had passed all our terminals. I learnt a lot and I also had great chances to make new friends from all over the South Island. Overall I’m very proud of myself and the three others from 17 for making it through the course and I can’t wait to put my learning to good use.
Written by CPL Copplestone
LAC’s Trentelman, Copplestone, Baker and I were about to embark upon possibly the most challenging, yet most rewarding weeks of our lives, our Junior Non-Commissioned Officers Course. This year’s Juniors course was slightly different, as instead of being held at Burnham Military Camp, the course was to be held at RNZAF Base Woodbourne, which was amazing. Not to be a biased air cadet, but it’s one of the most interesting places to stay.
The 5 or so hour bus ride up there was an interesting one. A sense of nervousness hung over every other cadet. Likely increased due to the small scare of being stuck in Kaikoura for a while, not stopping to use the toilet anywhere (there was a basic toilet onboard). The week wasn’t as terrifying as I anticipated. I enjoyed being put into a syndicate they acted like family with one another. Which is part of the reason why my favorite part of this course was being able to meet new people from all round the south island. Juniors are a great opportunity to meet new people from different cores and learn about the life and culture of different units.
Another interesting part was definitely the barracks inspections, because we were inspected to such a high standard, it was incredibly rewarding when I was complimented for my bed space. The course finished on a definite high, I finished with a course report that I could definitely be proud of. The hard work I put into the course meant I came home not regretting anything. This course will be a week that I will definitely remember forever, due to how it gave me a better outlook on cadets as a whole.
Written by CPL Wilson L
19-21 March
Exercise Recruit- Burnham Military Camp
17-23 January
Exercise Takahe- Kidson Lodge
