One of the most significant opportunities for a Cadet Unit to support their local community is on ANZAC Day. Across the Nation, 230 Cadet Units will be sending cadets to assist in Dawn Services, Council Commemorations and RSL and school events. The Waverley College Cadet Unit is no exception and on Sunday, our Catafalque Party, Flag Orderlies and the SUO, CUO Mark Gaponov, will be assisting Waverley Council and Bondi RSL in their ANZAC Day Service at the Waverley Park Cenotaph.
To be a member of the Catafalque Party is such an honour. The Catafalque represents a coffin and the four guards, standing at the four points of the compass, protect the lost lives of those defending our country. What a privilege for our young men and women. We thank CUO James Privett, WO2 Hugo Defina-Sperando, WO2 Darcy Ferguson and WO2 Zachary Straker for assuming this important responsibility. They will be assisted by Flag Orderlies proudly representing Allied Countries: CUO Bryn Parry, CUO Hayden Walker, WO2 Charles Alexander, WO2 Daniel Di Francesco, WO2 Brandon Reid, WO2 Sophia Voigt, WO2 Alison Zaczek, SGT Sachiel Bass and SGT Owen Punch.
On Monday 26 April, Waverley College will commemorate ANZAC Day in a special whole school assembly, where students and cadets will mark this solemn occasion with a Liturgy and Parade. Selected members of the Cadet Unit will rehearse for this event on Friday 23 April.
The Cadet Unit, as a whole, will come back together on Friday 30 April. We are so excited to welcome back so many of our recruits – who are now officially cadets, having graduated from their induction year. These young men and women have been able to see past the impact of COVID and embrace AFX wholeheartedly. They have been able to put into context the training of Friday afternoons, the importance of Section Commanders and Platoon Sergeants, and they have recognised that their contribution to the Unit matters. These cadets are our leaders of the future, and we are so privileged to be with them at the beginning of their journey.
MAJ(AAC) Julie-Ann de Kantzow
Commanding Officer – WCCU
Remembrance Day 2020
Remembrance Day 2020
Remembrance Day 2020
I was so very proud of the recruits and rank who chose to engage with AFX over the course of Cadet Camp 2021. AFX this year was a unique experience in the recent history of the Unit and our cadets rose to the challenge of six days in the field, without electricity, without running water, without technology, without four walls and a bed. And my, didn’t they enjoy it!
To quote one of our Directing Staff, “I never thought I would see the day when Waverley cadets would be chasing rainbows.” Our cadets have had the opportunity to extend themselves, to place themselves outside their comfort zones and to thrive, to cook their own meals, to make their own shelter, to engage in team building activities, to urge each other on in high ropes and obstacle courses, to support each other on Company endurance marches, to connect with their Corporals and Sergeants and Warrant Officers and CUOs, to connect with their Directing Staff, to be exhilarated by night activities, and to wake to a beautiful dawn overlooking the hills and valleys of Canberra.
Senior Rank B Company
Our recruits now have context. They now have an understanding of what Cadets is all about. What we do every Friday afternoon is in preparation for AFX. The discipline, the lessons, the rank structure; these are all in the Training Program to develop good habits to keep us safe on camp. Without camp, it is difficult to see the point. I hope our recruits can now appreciate the extension of their time in the Unit to give them this opportunity.
A huge thank you to our hard-working staff and rank, without whom our cadets could not have flourished as they did. Their incredible work ethic kept the Unit fed and watered and entertained and supported for the entire week. Their diligence and initiative in creating exciting activities gave our cadets an exciting week of new experiences and an appreciation of their Rank, of Support Company and of Cadets as a whole.
Starry night
All recruits have now been sent their Intention Forms allowing them to decide whether to continue Cadets for another year. Whether you choose to stay or go, I want you all to know how much I appreciate your participation over these past 15 months. You have all learnt something about yourselves, you can now appreciate the resilience and tenacity and strength of character that Cadets can develop, you have all formed new relationships that you would not otherwise have done, you all now have a shared experience, a collective memory that binds you to each other, and binds you to every cadet that has been through the Waverley College Cadet Unit since its inception in 1911. Well done on completing your Recruit Induction!
Making Fire the Indigenous Way
For those continuing, Cadets will recommence for the whole Unit on Friday 30 April.
Friday 23 April is reserved for Anzac Day rehearsals and relevant participants will be emailed separately. This term will be one of pomp and ceremony as we concentrate on preparation for the graduation of our Year 12 cadets at Passing Out Parade and Dining In Night on Sunday 6 June!
High ropes
High ropes
High ropes
Over Water Obstacle Course
LT(AAC) Addison – one of our hardworking Cadet Staff
The SUO (CUO Mark Gaponov) and TRGO (CUO Bryn Parry)
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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