Page 55 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2015-16

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command is a Reservist and in fact 70% of the NIGSU staff are civilians. This is why I guess I was so wrong in my assumption.
Having very little exposure to civil servants, my initial response was “this is going to be a nightmare”. Capt (MAA) R Bailey RAPTC was the SO3 PD at 38X HQ, luckily with his guidance the adaptation of this assignment was lessened signi cantly as he’d been here a while and knew the system inside out.
Before long I found myself, once again, being the Station RSM which I think was by default given that I’d just been in a RSM position for the past 10 months at my previous assignment in Afghanistan. The QMSI & RSM role allowed me to change how the culture of PT was viewed, not just for NIGSU but the 38X HQ elements too.
During the last 15 months I’ve tried to encourage the senior of cers in order to fast-track the culture change with PT, by
hitting this from the top down seems to be working well. During this paradigm shift Capt (MAA) Lisa Dunne RAPTC was assigned to 38X HQ as the SO3 PD, which has just accelerated the new driven passion for PT and sport in NI.
Whilst writing this article I have started preparation for my new assignment to Gibraltar on promotion to SMI and my family and I are truly looking forward to this next challenge!
Over the last 12 months 2 RIFLES have successfully completed a 6 month operational tour, Op HERRICK 21/ Op TORAL assisting with the withdrawal of British troops
from Afghanistan, whilst providing mobility support and QRF for the Kabul province. Throughout the tour the Bn’s attitude and spirits were high, especially when we received the order from HQ ISAF that our occupying camp was to close down imminently. This gave me the opportunity to transition across to the Afghan National Army Of cer Academy, where I took up the role as a G7 PT Mentor under the command of Capt (MAA) A Humes. This was a great opportunity for me to embed in amongst the Afghan culture and it was very rewarding to know we may have left a little bit of legacy and in uence on the of cers we were training day to day.
Within this time the Bn also managed to move the unit and families from Ballykinler Training Centre to Lisburn Station. The Rear Ops Group was responsible for carrying out this major move and for setting up the new Bn and Coy lines. This was a major task and was completed well, as on our return from tour we seamlessly transitioned into our new Bn home. The facilities in Lisburn Station are fantastic, having a choice of 2 gyms, swimming pool and a PCRF. However, the new location offers other challenges with the limited real estate, so a considerable amount of time is spent travelling to various training areas to carry out Coy training and cadres.
Coy Training PT
To summarise 2 RIFLES is a physically tuned unit with a good attitude towards PD. The Bn now look forward to deploying to Kenya on Ex ASKARI THUNDER and completing 4 weeks of Type 2 AT in Germany this Summer. Whilst I’ve had a great time with 2 RIFLES I now look forward to moving on to my new post with the Engineers in sunny Kinloss.
Inter Coy Sports Day
2ND BATTALION THE RIFLES
SSgt (SSI) S Hughes RAPTC