Page 18 - Chiron Autumn 2017

16 CHIRON CALLING
In July 2015 I received an assignment to 1st Military Working Dog Regiment’s Light Aid Detachment (LAD). As a tennis fan I always volunteer to be part of the history of the all England Lawn Tennis Championship Wimbledon – I have been fortunate that 1 MWD Regt have supported this in both 2016 and 2017. This is one of the UK’s most iconic sporting events and one of the four prestigious Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments. Wimbledon has been an important part of British culture since it rst took place at the All England Club in 1877. Wimbledon is known for its famous all-white dress code, its close association with the Royal Family and its iconic strawberries and cream. The Championships is also closely linked to the British Armed Forces and has been for many decades. Since Wimbledon often coincides with national Armed Forces Day, the tournament is a fantastic opportunity for spectators to salute the efforts of people that serve in the Armed Forces.
Every year, over three hundred Armed Forces personnel volunteer as stewards and other staff at Wimbledon. We are required to act as stewards in high pro le posts such as the Royal Box, Centre Court, number one court as well as the players’ facilities. I would love to see the RAVC being part of that history and the
By Cpl Ndebele
experience as well as the Wimbledon atmosphere. The application process is published within a Defence Information Note (DIN) every year between January and February. The process is self- explanatory and on completion it is simply a waiting game to see if you have been fortunate and selected. Given the fantastic opportunity this is, I would volunteer every year for this amazing experience.
On successful selection you receive a detailed administration instruction with all the relevant information and the rules and regulations of the Wimbledon Championship. On arrival at the grounds you will meet the administration team in CSV; the place where your dining area and changing rooms are located. They will direct you to the appointed section leaders and I/C who are your point of contact through-out the tournament. They tell you where you will be working, in teams of three or four; in most cases it’s one of each of the three Services with at least one SNCO. Your team leader will give you your accreditation for you daily meals and access to the grounds. Around 1255 hrs everyone gets changed to their no 2 Dress for a brief in number one court where you receive the safety brief. When I arrived on the rst day of the tournament I went to the CSV for my full English breakfast and
straight after that I went to go change to my barrack dress as I was the rst one on the shift that morning. This year around my post was in Court Number 2 gangway 8 and 9 for the disabled and the media entrance. As soon as I nished dressing up I went for the daily brief where the rest of the section gather to receive any points raised from the Section leaders I/C meetings they have every morning. After our section brief around 1030 hrs the gates were open to the public and they started ltering into the courts to check their seats.
Our role was to make sure the staircase and gangways are kept clear, restrict movement during play, scrutinise tickets and direct spectators to their seats and ensuring the good behaviour standards of Wimbledon are upheld. We work as a team throughout the tournament and sometimes we work with the Wimbledon Honorary Stewards and the Metropolitan Police. Some of the service stewards get an opportunity to work in the Royal Box in Centre Court which is a very high pro le post. This year once again was another phenomenal year at Wimbledon and I urge you if you haven’t been to give it a go. I worked with some Service Stewards that have done Wimbledon before and they said they will return again given the opportunity.
Cpl Ndebele (Michael) with upcoming young youth Tennis players
Tri-Service Wimbledon 2017