Page 66 - Mind, Body & Spirit Number 104 2020/21

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10 THE QUEENS OWN GURKHA LOGISTIC REGIMENT
SSgt (SSI) A Stoby RAPTC
My second year attached to 10 QOGLR has been worlds apart from the first. Sqn PT, Commanders PT, Commanders Sword Competition and OCs challenges feel like a distant
memory in their traditional format. The latest Force Health Protection Instruction (FHPI) dictates how training is delivered and this has tested the adaptability of the Unit, ensuring it was safe and effective through the various stages of the pandemic.
With the country plunged into a national lockdown, adaption was needed immediately. A Regimental Defence Connect PD page was created as, for the first time in mine and many other people careers, we were told to work from home. Within a week, with some help from SSgt ‘Excel’ Moody, the Defence Connect page was up and running. This included individual workouts, lockdown challenges, nutritional advice and also links to key information that would ordinarily be distributed by the AAPTIs to their Sqns.
With the P&RTC closed, working from home was the new normal. And it was now quickly realised that some individuals needed a little motivation to do more than the prescribed 1 hour walk that was permitted in this unprecedented time. Zoom was the chosen platform to deliver a dispersed PTP and this was fine for Sqn level. However, for Commanders PT an upgraded account was needed as there were 350+ service personnel logging in each Friday. The Commander and RSM were especially pleased as this maintained a sense of Unit cohesion, with a platform to address the Regiment as a whole.
I was now delivering three sessions a week on Zoom and also validating Sqn PT being delivered by the AAPTIs. This method of delivery wasn’t taught on the Class One Course, but flare and intuition are second nature to an RAPTCI. I used this new opportunity to employ my children, Symeon and Rosa-May, to assist in these sessions. With a set of my spare whites my newly assembled team were ready to go, to the surprise of the Commander and RSM who at first assumed I’d taken an AAPTI home.
After the lockdown there was a return to Regimental life, this time with strict restrictions to ensure training was safe. 10 QOGLR were held at Very High Readiness (VHR), meaning they had to conduct all MATTs. Conducting an AFT was challenging because for years as a PTI we’d stressed “close the gaps”. Now it was a case of “keep your distance”, which took some time to get used to during the build-up training. Once adequately prepared, the Regiment conducted numerous AFTs and achieved 92% pass rate on ODR.
We have had an extremely disrupted year, with nearly all sport and AT cancelled. The Regiment have supported various methodology to ensure we have kept training engaging, varied and safe while achieving the aim. It hasn’t been easy but looking back I’ve enjoyed the challenge and all the PT Staff have developed in the process.
SSgt (SSI) Stoby and Symeon Stoby