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iiwffiNW the examiner Thursday 060 I3 979 Hers trainin to oun Centuryold cadet system flourises Every Thursday night at pm long after classes are over about 60 students from high schools and public schools in and around Bar rie meet at the city armoury for some extra curricular schooling of different kind Dressed in green military uniforms girls and boys alike they are here because they Share common interest in things military things they arent taught in school They are members of the Grey and Smicoe Foresters Army Cadet Corps No 2919 and are part of training system established too years ago to promote physical fitness and an interest in military service among students Here they will learn how to drill to work as team how to use weapons read compass and map and if they want to how to take care of themselves in the wilderness drive heavy vehicles or parachute out of plane They can join at the age of 12 and must leave when they reach 18 and for those of them who wish to pursue career in the Can dian Armed Forces these skills and ex periences will be tremendous advantage Many of them will find other careers as civilians however and hopefully if they have applied themselves they will have learned things which supporters of the cadet system claim will give them an edge in life Capt John Gilbert the corps ad ministrative officer and former com manding officer believes the cadet training system gives students developing qualities not encouraged by the school system These include leadership discipline sense of responsibility as well as in dependence confidence the ability to take orders and later to give them STRONGSllltlllTER Capt Gilbert 39 is an unabashed sup porter of the cadet system and has been with the corps since it began in 1973 former member of the regular forces Stress on merit like his father and grandfather before him he is convinced of the benefits students derive from the military training offered them by the corps We see friendships develop which wouldnt develop outside and we see leaders emerge he says We gradually increase the responsibility the cadets are given They can see it and they know what is expected of them Where do you get this in the school systerii The person who emerges after working his way through the cadet system says apt Examiner report by Richard Thomas Gilbert is someone who has personal pride in belonging as well as sense of achieve rnent having been recognized by his progress through the ranks He can see where he is going Capt Gilbert says Others who have not had this type of train ing tend to float he says The captain is quick to point out however that the cadet corps system with its military overtones and training is not designed to foster any love for war Besides the real purpose of the military is to prevent war not promote it he says We are not creating breed of young war riors we are providing leadership training physical fitness and companionship Cadet training never hurt anyone it can only be benefit to them CONFIDENCE BLIHHIR It all leads to instilling confidence in the young which helps them to make decisions Capt Gilbert says Cadet training useful veteran member says When Dave Schuett joined the Grey and Simcoe Foresters Army Cadet Corps No 2919 almost six years ago the only inkling he had about the military life had been gleaned from watching old war movies Anticipating all the trimmings of glamor such as the uniforms and the saluting ex pected to come in here and play soldier says the 18Ayearold student from Barrie Central Collegiate He was almost 13 then shy redhaired id who was too embarrased to perform in ront of his peers Today he has enough confidence and independence to be the corps assistant training officer teaching other cadets what he has learned He is also fullfledged corporal in the Grey and Simcoe Foresters militia regi ment having retired earlier this year as commander of the cadet corps with the rank of cadet captain He has worked his way from the bottom to the very top through system of training which he recommends highly to any stu dent even if they dont start as early as he did DAVE StlllFTT joined early Iiehard chauvinists who insist its still mans world are in for shock when they meet Lt Rebecca Light Foresters Army Cadet Corps for the past herself and her fellow cadets mostly malet that it just isnt so The 17ltyearold lieutenant was the first female to join the cadet corps when an amendment to the National Defence Act allowed girls to enrol and had actually belonged illegally before then Since 1975 about 19 girls have passed through the corps but Lt Light was the one who broke the ice and proved her sex didnt stop her from competing with men in military training It was hard at first because the guys said girls would stop them from doing things she says felt was on trial They soon learned different however when she was promoted to corporal after her first year They got quite upsetsays Lt Light As member of the Grey and Simcoe five years she has been busy proving to You can be in for only two years and still get lot out of it he says In almost six years with the cadet corps Schuett has gotten out of it just about everything cadet can In addition to regular training camps and courseshe has enjoyed experiences reserv ed for only the top cadets across anada such as an Arctic indoctrination course three summer ago where he learned to sure vive in the most inhospitable of climates as well as gain some appreciation for the area Last summer he was one of 30 cadets from across the country who was selected to go to Germany with the Third Royal Cana dian Regiment The cadets participated in NATO war games which took them to several Euro pean countries and Schuett considers it to have been the opportunity of lifetime doubt very much that unless go into the regular forces Ill ever be able to do pnything like that again for the rest of my ife These experiences have enabled him to develop friendships with cadets in almost every major city across Canada and to mark his own progress In military camp you are able to ac compliin exactly what you set out to do and you can see it You feel you have ac cornplished it on your own STRESS 0N MERIT Individual merit is highly stressed Schuett says and the challenge never stops neither does the enthusiasm nor esprit de corps flag as everyone is doing the best they can The cadet corps system is fitted not to sti fle but to bring out the individual who ad justs to it and adds his own peronal touch Schuett says But there is no point joining unless you are truly interested You can mess it up for the others When he leaves school Schuett is deter mined to pursue career in electronics either with the regular forces or at the Royal Military College in Kingston His record and his experiences as cadet can only be an advantage He leaves the corps with confidence and independence way up as he puts it as well as the self discipline acquired from the system he says is responsible for it all Its not for everyone but if you are at all interested you can really go far Felt was on trial says female cadet pioneer But now they take their orders from her and learn from her instructions and ex perience So do cadets from other corps who attend training camps every summer at Canadian Forces Base Borden where Lt Light is an instructor and platoon com mander Last summer she took course herself in driver communication during which she learned how to handle 17000p0und two andahalf ton capacity truckand enjoyed rare opportunity to drive Leopard tank and an armored personnel carrier Lt Light who considers the corps hob by rather than stepping stone to career in the regular forces hopes to become graphic artist when she finishes Th corps she says has taught her self discipline and the ability to communicate with others which she never had before And what is more the cadet training system has done nothing to harm her sense of individuality am very individual am my own per son she says We have to know our goals where we are going and how we are going to get there In the cadet corps we teach these young people this and they can see tangible results If cadets are willing to give to the corps inc opwrtuiiities in terms of advancement ev jxriences and even travelling are unlimited systapt Gilbert We can offer these kids the world and we loit Training programs during the summer rfake this system ideal for those who like the outdoors Capt Gilbert says and cadets can take advantage of courses in parachute junip ing scuba diving rugged outward bound survival type course and even an Arctic inr dixtrination course during which senior cadets are selected to spend several weeks in the frozen north There is also National adet amp in Banff Alta for cadets who deserve special recognition for achievements as well as ex change programs with corps iri other coun tries such as England and Germany And last year for the first time 30 cadets from across Canada were selected to go to Germany to train with the Royal Canadian Regiment stationed there is The concept of cadet corps in Canada dates back to 1861 when Militia General Order authorized the Trinity College Volunteer Ri fle Company in Toronto The following year the amended militia bill authorized the formation of Associations for the Purpose of Drill and several sprung up over the next three years at schools mainly in Ontario Quebec and the Maritimes However most of these institutions did not restrict the upper age limit and most members were adults It was not until Nov 28 1879 that Associations for Drill in Educa tional Institute were authorized for young men over 14 years which is why this is con sidered the actual founding date of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets Over the next 30 years cadet corps as they became more popularly known continued tc expand under the direction of the ministry of it Barrie Armoury Examiner Photo Three of them were from llarrie says apt Gilbert There are also Cadet lnstruc tors lrists itll schools where senior cadets are trained as instructors he says This qualifies them in turn to teach the junior cadets at summer training camps for which they are well paid can guarantee work to any of my cadets over 11 during the summer as long as they fulfill my requirements says api Gilbert Since it started six years ago with 30 cadets the corps in Barrie has almost ltlllltlr ed Capt Gilbert describes the growth as slow but steady and while membership has been as high as 70 not all recruits stay long enough to become truly part of the corps It takes very special individual to sur vive and enjoy the military atmosphere he says Its not just play theres lot more to it than that They are required to con tribute Training in variety of military skills is offered Movement had its ups culture of the native people inhabiting the national defences militia department whicl supplied instructors to train teachers arms and equipment The corps providul its owr uniforms until the Second World Wart In exchange the provinces agreed to in clude physical training and military drill ii the school curriculum and to encourage tht formation of cadet corps Financial incentives were added througl instructional grants and other allowances made possible by $500000 fund founded ir 1909 by Lord Strathcona then Canadas high commissioner in England By this stage corps had already been given permission to attach themselves to regular militia units providing corps members were between the ages of 14 and 19 Students could also join corps which was not connected with any educational establish ment Todaythis is known as an open COIDS Vin Grey and Simcoe Foresters Army Cadet Corp 29l9 members meet at the Numbers swell during the recruiting period in September when Capt Gilbert and other instructors with the cadet corps such as Capt Ictcr Litscr commanding officer visit schools in the area By October says Capt Gilbert those who are in it for larkf or because parents in sisted are out We dont approve of having cadets who are told they have tojoin he says They do not give Compared to cadets from other countries those from aiidian corps are by far the best anytime the captain says He is of course especially proud of the Grey and Sinicoe ltltltl Army Cadet orps No 2910 as it has won the Strathcoria Shield for top cadet corps in Ontario for the past four years in row setting precedent These are damn good kids and they are going to go far in life he says From 1912 to 1918 the army cadet move ment thrived and at the end of the First World War there were over 64000 cadets enrolled Postwar apathy followed however and by 1934 instructional grants and allowances had been abolished and in several provinces cadet training all but disappeared The movement boomed once again during the Second World War when the title Royal was conferred by King George VI and grants were again made available along with uniforms By 1943 total of about 115000 boys were enrolled in the various corps of the now Royal Canadian Army Cadets In 1943 an InterService Cadet Committee was established consisting of the director of army cadets the commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Navys reserve division and the assistant director of manning with the Royal Canadian Air Force The purpose of the committee was to generally promote lht interests of cadets in all three services The end of the war brought considerable reorganization the main points being the authorization of two kinds of cadet corps open corps and school corps and max imum enrolment of 50000 which was thought to be the number which could be effectively trained and financed by the cadet corps Examiner Photo downs Changes in training methods also followed and cadets were soon being taught trades and allarms training common to militia units After the unification of all three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1900 the army cadets lost their guiding spirit the ar mvt but dedicated officers and NCOs step ped in to fill the void and keep the movement alive Administrative streamlining continued in the cadet movement during this period with the formation of directorate of cadets which set policies and coordinated activities ofvthe three branches All cadet corps were assrgn ed to Canadian Forces Bases such as CFB Borden for support services In 1971 the Army Cadet League was form ed to work with the department of national defence to further assist in administration of the cadet movement Other milestones in the development of the movement were an exchange program With Great Britain and Germany started in 1974 training schools in Ontario and Quebec for in structors in the cadet corps an amendment of the National Defence Act in 1975 which allowed girls in cadet corps and in 1978 the attachment of cadets to regular Canadian battalion in Europe for training for the first time Established roots here in high school by I899 ln Barrie there are about 164 cadets representing corps of all three branches of the service army navy and air force Of the three corps the Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron No 102 is the oldest and pro bably the largest Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Air Force Association 114 Huronia Wing the corps was established in 1941 the same year the Air Cadet League of Canada was founded says Capt William Jack commanding officer It now boasts about 63 members and is pro ud of the fact that it is one of the few air cadet squadrons which never ceased to function Capt Iack said The Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Bar rie founded in 1943 is the second oldest corps in the city and is sponsored by the Navy League of Canada says Capt Dianne Keene commanding officer The corps has about 44 members of which about 25 per cent are female cadets and was the first to accept girls in the ranks even before it was officially allowed in 1975 Capt Keene says The cadet corps movement is becoming more popular with girls she says because it is one the few organizations which treats females and males of this age equally Founded in 1973 the Grey and Simcoe Foresters Army Cadet Corp No 2919 is the newest corps in Barrie but has the longest traditional roots of the three Records of the Canada Gazette show that cadet corps alrady existed at the Barrie Col legiate Institute now Barrie Central Col legiatei as early zis1899 It was disbanded in 1962 At Barrie North Collegiate another army cadet corps was formed in 1937 but that too was disbanded in the early 19705 about the same time the corps sponsored by the Grey and Simcoe Foresters began NONE AFFILIATED NOW There are currently no school cadet corps in the city and all three of the existing ones are known as open corps being in no way affiliated with any educational institutions Apart from some private schools which still maintain cadet corps the concept of school corps is being phased out in favor of the open corps says Capt John Gilbert ad ministrative officer with the army cadet corp No 2919 and until recently its commanding officer Schools abandoned the idea because the corps was becoming an excuse to miss classes and concept of compulsory attendance was being questioned as satisfactory method of creating interest in the military Capt Gilbert says In addition the school corps were not fulfilling the requirements of an army cadet corps he says It was turning into more of boys club Today it is more common to find an army cadet corps attached to militia regimeiit such as the Grey and Simcoe Foresters says Capt Gilbert You find few of them sponsored by legions or service clubs and theyre good but they cant draw on the expertise of regi ment