Page 4 - RADC Bulletin 2022

FOREWORD
Foreword
Col Tim Davies QHDS, Chief Dental Officer (Army)
2022 has to be remembered for the truly sad occurrence of the passing of our Sovereign of over 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II. We in the Royal Army Dental Corps, along with the whole of the British Military, the country, the Commonwealth and the world mourned the loss of our much-loved monarch who we in the Armed Forces were honoured and proud to serve. Her selfless commitment and dedication to the nation and her subjects was an inspiration and example to all. It may have been surprising to some the extent of the emotional impact this had upon many of us but within the military the announcement of “Sunray down”, the loss of the Commanding Officer, is always a traumatic event and to lose the Head of the Armed Forces who has been such a constant in all our lives was a truly mighty blow.
However, I am extremely proud of the
way our military paid their respects over
the period of mourning and on the day of
the funeral itself I do not believe those on duty could have delivered a finer effort. Our Representative Col Commandant, Col (Rtd) Irene Amberton, wrote to His Majesty the King in order to pass on the respects of the Corps and to inform him that our thoughts and prayers were with him and the Royal Family at this time of grief and profound sadness. She also assured His Majesty of the continuing and unfailing loyalty of the Royal
Army Dental Corps to both him and the Queen Consort.
All in all, it’s been an extremely busy and challenging year. I do not think the term “post Covid” is a truism but the way we
deal with issues such as this must be built upon; we have all contributed to supporting our Armed Forces’ ongoing recovery from the global epidemic, work which continues and is able to be delivered due to the hard work and sheer ability of our personnel.
The versatility of our personnel has been written about previously, but I do wish to make it clear that the physical robustness and flexibility of our RADC Soldiers and Officers has yet again enabled support to prioritised units to occur, in the firm base and on deployments. This support would not have occurred without such capable people with the correct mindset. Indeed, as CDO(A), I have made this abundantly clear to the Chain of Command and as a DPHC PDO I have been extremely grateful for the capacity provided by the RADC personnel within my Region. I wrote in the last edition of Dental Readiness Preparation Teams (DRPT) and these have continued to be successful however the future utilisation of Field Army Dental Teams will be looked at in the context of extreme need when the number of Dental Teams within Field Army are reduced from 9 to 6 under Future Soldier.
Our Corps Event, postponed from
September, successfully took place in November at DMS Whittington and I was especially pleased to see a large proportion of the Corps present, including those of
the RADC Reserve. Not only is this event vital for the passage of relevant information but it also provides opportunity for RADC personnel to meet up and converse with colleagues face to face. This is something that has been missing from our lives over the past few years and is so important given the Corps are physically distant from each other for much of the time due to the nature of our business. Although the virtual world can provide some level of connectivity I must confess there was nothing virtual about the physical competitiveness at the sports afternoon! I also attended a highly successful RADC Reserve conference in Edinburgh and look forward to the next event in Wales in 2023.
Much work has been done, with further work ongoing to support the future of Army Dentistry. As many of you will realise, Future Soldier will see reductions in the operational
FOREWORD
Foreword
Representative Sergeant Major, WO1 Naomi Leon
It gives me great pleasure to contribute to the Corps Bulletin as the RADC Rep SM. I took on this role just 7 months ago and it has been truly rewarding to see just how much a small Corps can achieve.
We have a number of soldiers successfully competing for and undertaking E2 posts, roles which are highly sought after
across the Army. We continue to drive
force preparation through our footprint in DPHC(D) and single service roles and have excelled in providing an innovative and highly effective answer to surge capability through Dental Readiness Preparation Teams (DRPTs). As always, we punch above our weight as a small Corps with respect
to individual charity events and sporting achievements.
Taking up the role of Rep SM alongside a demanding role has meant I have been
extremely busy and continue to be so, but what has been truly remarkable, is how despite your own busy schedules, how many of you have voluntarily stepped up to support me in this role and for that I am very grateful.
September saw a sad time as we said goodbye to our longest-reigning sovereign and for all of us currently serving, the only one we have ever known, HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Some of us will continue to reflect on our time whilst under her reign and the impact she made, but it is also important to look forward to what our next monarch will bring, HRH King Charles III. Whilst we all continue to face our daily challenges we must remember to support and talk to one another. Your mental wellbeing is what matters the most so look after yourself and your family, ask for
help if you are struggling whether that’s
at work or home life. Being a mother of 3 and upholding a job, for me has seen some daily battles like many of us but it has been the support from my Corps colleagues and friends that has got me through these times. Take the time to ask how your colleagues are and lastly stay safe.
2 RADC BULLETIN 2022