Promotions
Officers
NCOs
9 Aug
CDTF/SCDTF/S Cadet Flight Sergeant (rank), formally FSgt. or FSGT. Wilcox to CDTW/OCDTW/O Cadet Warrant Officer (rank), formally WO.
CDTW/O Howie to OFFCDT
11 Aug
CDTSGTCDTSGT Cadet Sergeant (rank), formally Sgt. or SGT. Taylor to CDTF/S
21 Jun
CDTLAC Parsons to CDTCPLCDTCPL Cadet Corporal (rank), formally CPL.
CDTSGT Betts to CDTF/S
2 Jun
CDTLAC Henshaw to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Cummins to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Pascoe to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Thompson to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Koster to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Taukamo to CDTCPL
CDTCPL Kho to CDTSGT
CDTCPL Copplestone to CDTSGT
CDTA/SGT Daymon to CDTSGT
CDTA/SGT Wilson to CDTSGT
CDTA/SGT Trenleman to CDTSGT
CDTA/SGT Zamperini to CDTSGT
18 Mar
CDTCPL Howie to CDTA/SGT
CDTCPL Yao to CDTA/SGT
CDTA/SGT Stephens to CDTSGT
CDTLAC Yockney to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Hood to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Britten to CDTCPL
CDLLAC Abarratigue to CDTA/CPL
17 Feb
CDTLAC Bowkett to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Dukie to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Pandya to CDTCPL
CDTLAC Davis to CDTCPL
CDTCPL Daymon to CDTA/SGT
Events
18 September NCO/Officer Catch Up
18 September Battle of Britain Parade
17 September 3 SQN RNZAFRNZAF Royal New Zealand Air Force. Visit
27 August Virtual IACE
17 SQN was one of three unit’s who took up the call to act as cultural ambassadors to Number 401 Squadron Hong Kong Air Cadets. Five of our NCO’s worked together to create presentations on New Zealand culture, Aviation opportunities in NZ, and NZCFNZCF New Zealand Cadet Forces. life. These were then presented over zoom to members of 4401 Squadron. Cadets also enjoyed presentations from the HK Air Cadets. This was such a success that what was supposed to be a two hour zoom call turned into a three and a half hour event.
26-28 August Excercise Ardua (Westmelton Rifle Range)
14 August Inter-unit Shoot (Aylesbury Range)
29-31 July NCO ABL (Quail Island)
11-12 June Waimakariri Dog Agility Championships Volunteer Activity (Canterbury Agricultural Park)
7 Jun Top Gun: Maverick Movie Fundraiser (Hoyts Northlands)
27-29 May Ex. Top Squad (Staveley Youth Camp)
Held by Ashburton Cadet Unit
On the 27th of May 2022, several teams representing 17 Squadron left the Wigram Base in an army bus, travelling to Staveley Camp, Ashburton. As a new cadet, Top Squad was a completely new experience. Luckily, more experienced personnel were there to lead teams around activities, and eventually, to a 1st and 2nd placing at the end of the camp.We were assigned cabins, briefed in the mess and treated to a fantastic dinner later. Our first night was slightly intimidating, although uninterrupted by fire drills. The next day was packed full of exciting activities for teams, including real life Pac-Man ( fun involving a lot of hopping wildly) navigation testing, first aid scenarios, pulling vans with rope and pulleys, catch-the-tennis-ball-flung-from-a-ball-thrower-in-buckets, sewing, battleships and blindfolded obstacle courses. These activities operated on and off the campsite, and were designed for teambuilding and maximum problem solving. As these activities progressed, so did team spirits. “Bin Chickens on 3!” became a common motto heard through the forest. Quiz Night entailed lots of Tradies, some fairy princesses, and ‘hippies,’ arrayed in teams and ready to rack up points. Sunday morning, dawning after an exciting fire drill, included more group activities including a 3 legged race through the bush, cleanup and prizegiving, of which 17 Squadron emerged victorious. It was also the first time a mixed team had placed at Top Squad.Overall, Top Squad was a great success that involved getting to know cadets from Army and Navy squadrons, those within 17, and gaining new skills and experiences. – CDTCDT Cadet (rank). Morrison-Clarke
22 May Paintball (Mcleans Island Paintball)
25 April ANZAC Day
17 SQN provided support for 3 parades on ANZAC Day
Hornby Primary School- Hornby Residents Association. Cenotaph guard
Templeton RSA- Templeton RSA. Flag Bearers
Christchurch Transitional Cathedral- Citizen’s Service. Standard Party
22-23 April Poppy Day
We supported the Templeton RSA selling poppy’s at Z Station Carmen Road.
9-10 Apr Exercise Korimako (Tramping Group)
18-20 Mar Exercise Recruit (Wigram Cadet HQ)
4-6 Mar Exercise Kākāpō (West Melton Rifle Range)
‘Twas a sunny and cheerful day when cars started pulling up, cadets loaded with their bags and baking as they piled out of their cars. Flight Sergeant Yang, the camp Warrant Officer was standing by the barracks, with his clipboard, telling people where to put their belongings. Sometime later, cadets were sorted into groups, Cadet Coffin already fell over on the cattle stops and grazed his elbow, and lessons began. Sergeant Wilson began our lesson. ‘So the title of this lesson is, Oh my goodness, it’s a plane!’ The lessons continued throughout the night until it was time for supper and cadets came in with their cups and got a generous helping of hot chocolate. Before too long it was bedtime, and cadets were rolling into their bunks for the night.
‘WAKE UPPPP!’ We were woken up when Flight Sergeant Willcox gracefully burst through the door and turned on the lights. Cadet Coffin had already fallen off his bunk in shock. After breakfast, we were on our way to the Canterbury Gliding Club. We were briefed there by the people who owned the club, told what all the instruments in the glider were, and told that we wouldn’t be flying until the fog cleared up. Stupid fog. The NCOs ran some lessons, Corporal Kho taught us how to play touch rugby, and Officer Cadet Sies gave us a first aid scenario which ended up with Flight Sergeant Willcox honking the unit van’s horn, and Corporal Davis hiding in the boot of the van. Eventually, the fog cleared and we could hear engine noises of the powered planes moving around. As people got to glide in the gliders, there was lots of eating, games, trips to the playground, sitting in the bus because it was roasting outside, and before I knew it, it was me. I was called into the glider, and the instructor got in and sealed the cabin shut. Clunk. With some quick instructions on what to do, the tow plane started revving its engine and we were starting to move. I could feel the wheels lift off the ground as the tow plane hit rotation speed and started to climb. And up and up we went, higher and higher with each second passing. The tow plane started to level its nose and the instructor told me to pull the big red tab. cluck! clunk! And the towline fell away into the open as we began to bank right. And all of a sudden there was a constant whoosh out of the plexiglass cabin. We start banking over the awesome south Canterbury farmland scenery. It felt like my stomach was going to leap out of my skin, and it felt like my head was going to explode as we banked a turn, while climbing up. ‘Do you want a go?’ the instructor asked. “Yes please” I replied as he handed over the joystick controls to me. The glider responded to any jolt I put into the joystick. ‘Bank left here.’ I start to tilt the joystick towards the left, the glider slowly banking towards the left. I held my breath. As I stabilize the glider, I breathe a sigh of relief as the glider leveled with the ground. 5 minutes later we were heading for the runway. With the instructor lining the glider to the airstrip perfectly, we began to descend. All of a sudden the trees that looked like toys moments ago were looking as real as ever. BANG! The wheels made contact with the ground and we came to a screeching halt at the end of the runway. Phew! We made it alive!
More hanging around, watching gliders take off and land, and the taxi planes’ engine noises all stopped around 4 o’clock when we cleaned all the bugs off the wings of the gliders -there were a lot of them too. Gross!-, put on their pyjamas (literally pyjamas) and before we knew it we were piling into the vans, heading for home. But the day wasn’t done yet. We still had our night ex to go. Dinner ended up with there being too much left-over jelly (there always is) and the officers were getting too desperate to get rid of it. They started piling it into Corporal Kho’s hand. Poor Corporal. Cadet Dellaca ended up eating
almost leatherised jelly for pudding. And finally, Flight Sergeant Greene had summoned us into the briefing room to be briefed about night ex. The goal was to get to all of the checkpoints and free the captured officer. After night ex finished, we all tried to play sneak up Granny, which didn’t work very well for Cadet Coffin as he had to wear a high-vis vest as he was wearing DPM. Sad to say but the hi-vis beat the DPM and he was caught immediately. That night, we had our favoured hot chocolates again, but this time there were too many marshmallows. Cadet Zamperini tried to cram as many marshmallows in his mug as he could as the officers poured in the hot chocolate. Marshmallow soup. Yum. We slept and awoke to the final day of camp.
Group 3 were to go flying as groups 1 and 2 had been the previous day, so that left groups one and 2 to tidy up all of the mess. Thanks group 3! After mopping floors and the like, it was almost time to go home. We packed our bags, cleaned our trusty with the help of Squadron Leader Cole, and set off in our cars. What a great camp, and thank you so much to all the people who helped make it possible.
– Written by CDT Currie-Cook
26 Feb NCO IT Weekend