Page 132 - Mind, Body & Spirit Number 104 2020/21

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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
It is with absolute honour and respect that I write this short introduction to the ASPT update. I took over Command
of the ASPT from Lt Col (MAA) “Jimmy” Hendrickson MBE RAPTC on 09 Sep 20. In what is unprecedented times, not being able to recognise those members of the Corps that have left the service with a Dine out is hugely frustrating and disappointing, and for Col Jimmy this was no different. I am however pleased to report that we did
manage to recognise his last day in uniform, in a traditional, albeit socially distanced manner as we extracted him from camp.
In the middle of an international pandemic the training of PTIs has needed to be conducted differently and I would like to congratulate Col Jimmy and his team of Officers, SNCOs and Civilians in putting in place procedures that have ensured the safety of all staff and students. At the time of writing this article the ASPT have not had one incident of C-19 that has seen any student self-isolate or miss any training and I wholeheartedly believe this is down to the actions and professionalism of all staff and students, it has been a fantastic team effort and one that all should be rightly proud.
As many of you know there is a huge churn of military staff at the ASPT, less so civilians, however this year we have seen two
absolute stalwarts of our Civil Servants take up the opportunity of retirement, many of you will know them, Mr Chris Burnet and Mrs Liz Scrogie. Chris joined the ASPT on 23 Oct 2001, he has administered over 60 RAPTC Selection courses, worked for 13 different 2ICs and seen 11 COs make their way out of the gates to retirement. Liz took over the role of AAPTI Courses Clerk in 2014, she has worked with 5 different Course Assurance and Validation Officers (CAVOs) and administered over 24 AAPTI courses processing as many as 4800 course applications. I have no doubt that many of you will have had dealings with these two outstanding individuals and I am sure they have helped many of you during your careers, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them both, on your behalf for their outstanding commitment to the ASPT and RAPTC.
The ASPT is a fantastic place to work, as a team we have a huge responsibility to ensure the Corps future is secured through facilitating the development of the next generation of RAPTCIs and AAPTIs. We are always looking for enthusiastic, intelligent and charismatic RAPTCIs at all levels to join the team, for those of you willing to take that leap and help to secure the Corps future then our doors are always open should you wish to pop in and see what we do.
“The ASPT, Training the Army’s PTIs since 1860”
ARMY SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL TRAINING
Lt Col (MAA) C Deed MBE RAPTC
Socially Distanced Handover of ‘The Commanding Officers Baton