Today is the last Home Training for our recruits as they complete the first two terms of their Cadet experience. A big thank you to the SUO and his team for their constant commitment in attending O Group every Monday to plan and executing the Training Program every Friday. Our Company Commanders and CSMs have done a great job in leading their rank and recruits and Company spirit is high.
Next week, Pioneers and Engineers are heading to the Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym for an enjoyable afternoon of bouldering and climbing. Please ensure you have sent in your parent permission slips to Ms Stanley. Rank will have training specific to them as we complete the year on Friday, 24 November.
In the holidays, the inaugural WEC Trek camp will take place at Douglas Park as 30 of our cadets compete in navigation, ratel, field skills, leadership and teamwork for the Waverley Extension Camp Award. We wish them all the best for their preparation and competition.
A huge thank you to all our rank and staff for their excellent leadership in 2023. Corporals, Sergeants, Warrant Officers, Cadet Under Officers and Directing Staff, I thank you all for your commitment and passion and belief in the vision of this youth development program.
We look forward to seeing you all again on Friday, 2 February 2024 and ask that you take a moment to note the Key Dates for the 2024 Cadet Year below.
Click here to view the Cadets Key Dates 2024
I wish you all a safe and relaxing holiday and a very Merry Christmas.
Friday, 17 November is the final Home Training for our recruits for this year.
It can be difficult as we approach the Christmas holidays to remain focussed on warm Friday afternoons and to treat Cadets and the members of our Cadet Unit with courtesy and respect. Last Friday, I spoke to the recruits about this very topic, following weeks of continual disrespect towards rank and staff.
Friday afternoons are about practising and preparing for the culminating activity of the recruit year, the Annual Field Exercise (AFX). Continual disrespectful behaviour from some of our recruits on Fridays is indicative, then, of the kind of behaviour we predict on AFX. Such behaviour on a military base poses a real safety concern and is not something I will tolerate.
Cadets is a vastly different context to the rest of the school week, and provides an excellent opportunity for growth, for tolerance, and for learning how to conduct oneself in a respectful and professional way. Our core tenets reflect those of the AAC and encourage Service, Courage, Integrity and Excellence, but it is Respect which must underpin everything we do to foster an inclusive, collaborative and positive experience in Cadets. I would encourage all to be mindful of keeping their interactions respectful at all times.
It takes courage for young people to check their behaviour, to think twice before acting and speaking, and it is not something that the instant, modern world facilitates. I ask all cadets to be vigilant with their own conduct, to ensure our platoons and companies are exhibiting behaviour of which we can all be proud.
While the recruits are on their Year 8 Camp, Cadets on Friday, 24 November will be for senior cadets only.
Various activities are planned for the day, including a CPX for Senior Rank, a CPL session and an excursion to the Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym for our Pioneers, Engineers and X Platoons. Please keep an eye on your emails and the Routine Orders for more information.
Remembrance Day is an opportunity for our College community to come together and reflect on the blessings of our lives; blessings that are possible because of the altruism of our servicemen and women in the defence of our country.
On Friday, 10 November, the Cadet Unit is proud to conduct Ceremonial Parades for both Waverley College and St Catherine’s School at 10:45am, and on Saturday, 11 November, our Catafalque Party and Flag Bearers will be assisting Waverley Council with their service in Waverley Park.
We thank the following cadets for their service to the community and for their many hours of rehearsal.
| Rohan | BAKER |
| Kimmi | BILMON |
| James | BIRBAS |
| Patrick | BLACKALL |
| Oliver | BRACIC |
| Anika | BRADFORD |
| Daniela | COMINO |
| Ruby | CONGDON |
| Cate | DARLING |
| Toby | FERNANDES |
| Remy | FRAMPTON |
| James | GRANT |
| Natalie | HA |
| Emma | HARTWIG |
| Yannick | HOTT |
| Lachlan | HOY |
| Lachlan | JONES |
| Lara | KARLOVSKY |
| Blake | KHOR |
| Georgina | KIMPTON |
| Julia | MALLAM |
| Chiara | MARSHALL |
| Declan | MCAULIFFE |
| Finnian | MCCARTHY |
| Zoe | NGU |
| Meg | O’CONNOR |
| Ethan | OOI |
| Luca | PATRICK-WATKINS |
| Renato | ROVACCHI |
| Abigail | SALEM |
| Amelie | SALEM |
| Lauren | SHEEHAN |
| Fox | STAPLETON |
| Jamie | VANDERKEMP |
| Benjamin | WEBB |
| Zara | WISEMAN |
Cadets is an inclusive and varied co-curricular activity providing many different experiences and opportunities in which our cadets can develop leadership, initiative, service and excellence.
This Term will see our leaders serving the community with three Remembrance Day Ceremonial Parades – for Waverley College, for St Catherine’s School and for Waverley Council.
Some of our lucky cadets will travel to Holsworthy Barracks tomorrow for a Live Fire activity and in December we are holding our inaugural WEC Trek Camp. This exciting initiative is a camp to extend some of our seniors in field skills and teamwork as they compete in a scenario-based activity for the Silver Award. Next year, a Gold Award will also be on offer. This camp is designed as a pre-cursor to the National Adventure Training Award (ATA) and is also excellent preparation for AFX.
The WCACU community will be pleased to hear of a recent appointment at HQ AAC 2nd Brigade. Anthony Evans, Waverley Old Boy and long serving member of our Cadet Unit, has just been appointed the Assistant Commander of 2nd Brigade at Holsworthy. We congratulate LTCOL(AAC) Evans on his new appointment and look forward to working closely with him in all our endeavours.
On Saturday, 28 October 2023, 40 lucky cadets are travelling to Holsworthy Army Base for a Live Shoot run by HQ AAC 2nd Brigade. I know all our candidates are really looking forward to this extraordinary opportunity. Earlier in the day, Randwick Barracks are holding an Open Day for the general public from 9am-12pm which would be a great adjunct to the afternoon’s activity. Please see the details below.
Over the course of this Term, all cadets will be swim tested in their DPCU cadet uniform in preparation for AFX. This is a pre-requisite to being able to participate in any water activities on camp. Please keep an eye on the Routine Orders from week to week to see when your son needs to complete this and ensure they come to school with their PE uniform and towel in a plastic bag.
Term 4 is a short term in the Cadet Calendar – just six Fridays for the Recruits! Dress Code for recruits will be 4B Summer Field Dress which means the DPCU shirt with shirt sleeves down, DPCU trousers bloused and the field hat. In warmer weather, recruits chose not to wear an undershirt but the DPCU shirt must always be worn. Under no circumstances should the undershirt be worn alone.
As of next week, we have a number of exciting external activities including Archery, Laser Tag, Snake Man and Swim Testing. Please keep an eye on the Waverley App and the Routine Orders from week to week to know what to bring.
Tomorrow, Saturday 14 October, our CAS Milskills Team will compete against Barker, Knox, St Aloysius’ and Trinity for the coveted Military Skills Trophy. Our team has been diligently training for weeks to bring their skills up to speed, and we are very proud of their dedication and teamwork.
A big thank you to WO2 Lachlan Isaac and SGT Rohan Baker for their initiative and leadership. We wish the Team all the best for the competition.
| BAKER | Rohan |
| BALLESTY | Harry |
| COFFEY | Alexandra |
| COMINO | Daniela |
| DIMOPOULOS | Anna |
| GRANT | James |
| HA | Natalie |
| HOTT | Yannick |
| HOY | Lachlan |
| ISAAC | Lachlan |
| ROVACCHI | Renato |
| SALEM | Amelie |
| STAPLETON | Fox |
| VANDERKEMP | Jamie |
| WEBB | Benjamin |
| BRACIC | Oliver |
| FERNANDES | Toby |
| LYNN | Taj |
| SIMCOCKS | Lucas |
| CONGDON | Ruby |
| KIMPTON | Georgina |
| MCCARTHY | Campbell |
| RIZOS-PARKER | Eve-Jasmine |
| TRUSTRUM | Jasmine |
Friday, 8 September is the final Unit Training for Term 3. We thank our recruits for an excellent start to their Cadet journey and for their enthusiasm for Bivouac, which will give some context to their training between now and AFX in 2024.
The first training back in Term 4 will be Friday, 13 October. Dress for recruits will be Summer Field – DPCU shirt sleeves down, DPCU trousers bloused, field hat (essential), undershirt (optional).
We wish our CAS Milskills Team all the best for their final preparations and for their competition against Barker, Knox, St Aloysius’ and Trinity on Saturday, 14 October. Thank you to WO2 Lachlan Isaac and SGT Rohan Baker for their excellent leadership in running the Milskills training sessions.
Those who were invited to express interest in the AAC Live Fire on Saturday, 28 October will receive a permission slip this week. Please ensure these are returned quickly to lock in our numbers for this exciting opportunity.
Thank you to the WCACU community for supporting our Legacy Day fundraising. The boys raised over $900 to this worthy cause and we thank them for their service in the cold wind tunnels around Bondi and Waverley on Friday morning.
Bivouac is fast approaching, and we are looking forward to taking our recruits on their first Cadet adventure.
On Friday, 25 August, cadets are asked to come to school in their DPCU Field Dress, complete with field hat, and their backpack labelled and packed with their gear. There will be designated areas on the lower tennis courts to store bags in Company locations until lunchtime.
Cadets will form up in bus lines on the Centenary Quad directly after lunch.
The Cadet Unit will be supporting local Legacy branches by selling badges and bears on Friday, 1 September to the local community. There will be cadets at Charing Cross and Bondi Junction, so please look out for them and support this worthy cause. Merchandise will also be available in the Staff Common Room and to students at recess. Cash only, I’m afraid, so please come prepared.
Image: courtesy Legacy website
The Cadet Bivouac is an important event on the Cadet calendar and requires all members of the Unit to attend. This is the first chance our recruits have to put their Friday afternoons into context, and it gives our new rank the chance to put into practice their newly-honed leadership skills in the field.
Bivouac takes place from 1:35pm Friday, 25 August – 4:30pm Sunday, 27 August 2023 at St Mary’s Towers, Douglas Park, and is a published event in the College calendar.
Please review the Joining Instruction emailed to all families on 25 July 2023. To ensure the best care for your son on this camp, it is vital that we have the most up-to-date contact information and medical and special dietary requirements on the Google Form below.
Click here to view and complete the Google form
Thank you to all the families who have completed the Google Form with these details.
The Cadet Unit will be supporting local Legacy branches by selling badges and bears on Friday, 1 September to the local community. There will be cadets at Charing Cross and Bondi Junction, so please look out for them and support this worthy cause. Merchandise will also be available in the Staff Common Room. Cash only, I’m afraid, so please come prepared.
Thank you to all who nominated to be part of the CAS Milskills Team. Your Milskills captains will be in touch with you shortly regarding the training schedule in preparation for the competition at Scheyville National Park on Saturday, 14 October 2023.
Thank you also to all who nominated to be part of the AAC Live Fire Activity at Holsworthy Army Base on Saturday, 28 October. We are fortunate to be one of the few NSW 2nd Brigade Units to be included in this exciting initiative. Please keep an eye on your emails for further information.
This week, we start the more practical aspects of Cadets with Alpha, Charlie and Echo Companies learning the art of a weatherproof hutchie, and Bravo and Delta concentrating on ration packs and how to efficiently pack their trek pack. In just three short weeks, they will put these lessons into practice in the field.
A reminder to all that the Bivouac Google Form below needs to be completed for all members of the Unit by this evening please.
Click here to complete the Bivouac Google Form
Special guests from HMAS Watson will be joining us at lunch time on Tuesday, 8 August to present career options in the Navy to our Years 10 and 11 boys. All are welcome to bring their lunch and interact with ADF members in the PAC.
Click here to view the HMAS Watson flyer
Expressions of Interest are called for the 2023 CAS Milskills Team. The team competes with Cadet Units from Barker, Knox, St Aloysius’ and Trinity across a range of field craft skills on Saturday, 14 October. For further information, please see the Commanding Officer.
During the school holidays, 116 cadets gave a week of their precious holiday time to attend the Waverley College Cadet Promotions Courses, learning valuable skills in leadership, team development, instruction and field skills, in order to lead the Unit in the 2023/2024 Cadet Year. Successful candidates have been posted to their new positions of responsibility across the Unit and on Friday we will celebrate the promotion of our successful candidates at the Rank Induction Ceremonial Parade.
We congratulate the new Senior Cadet Under Officer, CUO Oliver Malzard, as he leads the Unit into the coming year. In an exciting milestone in the Unit’s 110 year history, we are very proud to announce the first female Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) for the Unit.
The strength of candidature this year was such that we made the decision to commence a new Recruit Company (Echo Company with Platoons 13, 14 and 15) and a new Support Company Platoon with Engineers. These developments provide additional leadership opportunities from now into the future, and allow the Unit to grow as it continues to flourish.
It gives me great pleasure to announce the leadership team for the 2023/24 Cadet Year.
Senior Cadet Under Officer (SUO) – CUO Oliver Malzard
Adjutant – CUO Deuchar Dezarnaulds
Training Officer – CUO Mitchel Ho
Operations Officer – CUO Julia Mallam
Logistics Officer – CUO Lachlan Miranda
Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) – WO1 Hayley Paddock
A COY COMD – CUO Emma Hartwig
B COY COMD – CUO Marcus Kastrissios
C COY COMD – CUO Meg O’Connor
D COY COMD – CUO James Birbas
E COY COMD – CUO Remy Frampton
SPT COY COMD – CUO Luca Patrick-Watkins
A COY – WO2 Renato Rovacchi
B COY – WO2 Amelie Salem
C COY – WO2 Yannick Hott
D COY – WO2 Daniela Comino
E COY – WO2 Natalie Ha
SPT COY – WO2 Lachlan Hoy
JLC Course – CPL Ryan Murphy
SLC Course – WO2 Lachlan Isaac
CUO Course – CUO Lachlan Miranda
JLC Course – CPL Zac Jones
SLC Course – WO2 Natalie Ha
CUO Course – WO1 Hayley Paddock
The whole Unit will parade for the first time on Friday, 28 July, and we are looking forward to an engaging and dynamic year ahead.
Commanding Officer – WCCU, MAJ(AAC) Julie-Ann de Kantzow
All recruits should now be equipped with their Cadet uniform and gear. Any uniform issues or exchanges can be done from week to week at the Q Store under the Grange Building on Wednesdays – recess, lunch or after school.
We are looking forward to welcoming our new Year 8 recruits to the Cadet Unit in Term 3. A reminder to all parents/carers that this weekend is the Cadet Uniform Issue Weekend and 10-minute appointments are available to book for Saturday, 17 and Sunday, 18 June at by clicking the button below:
Click here to select a timeslot
Uniform and gear is provided on loan for the duration of your son’s involvement in the Cadet Unit, and is issued from the Q Store located behind the Grange Building on Carrington Road.
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which Waverley College is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
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