Page 35 - Cadet Review Summer 2021

ONWARDS AND
Commander Land Forces Certificate of Good Service presented
During the final parade at the Colts Canter March and Shoot competition the Cadet Executive Officer of Humberside and
South Yorkshire ACF, Major Tony Griffiths, was both surprised and delighted to be presented with the Commander Land Forces Certificate of Good Service he was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours announced in June 2012 and which was presented to him by Brigadier Greville Bibby CBE, Commander 15 (North East) Brigade.
His citation included the facts
that Major Griffiths has been a
member of the ACF since 2005, having served for many years in the Royal Corps of Transport and latterly the Royal Logistics Corps, where his last appointment was as OC Donnington Support Unit in Shropshire. He was appointed as CEO in October 2005 and has always strived to ensure the well-being and enjoyment of the cadets and instructors alike in the county, fully supporting members of the HQ team, whether volunteers or permanent staff. In addition he has gained the respect of the many officers, instructors and cadets who have worked with him since he joined the ACF.
He fully participates in all aspects of running the county, which at times can be a thankless task, and his advice and guidance has been invaluable. He can be relied upon to give sound, professional, practical and pragmatic advice to all ranks, from the Commandant to the most junior Detachment Commander and leads by example, never being afraid to participate in any event to support the county and is regularly to be found at the Cadet Training Centre at weekends and visiting units on evenings during the week, something which all ranks who work with him appreciate keenly.
Since being appointed he has brought stability and a new sense of purpose to the running of the county from the HQ and has guided many projects from conception to fruition by his determination to see that the cadets and adults alike have the facilities they deserve. The improvements he has been responsible for making to the CTC and detachments around the county are numerous and varied from project management at CTC to new builds and refurbishment of detachments. His sense of humour is keen and he partic- ipates in all aspects of life in the ACF, from social events
to sports and shooting where he will regularly support to ensure the cadets are able to take part in events across the county and regionally.
His dedication to the ACF, above and beyond his normal duties, is fully deserving of this recognition.
First published in the Spring 2013 edition of the Cadet Review
UPWARDS FOR
MICHELLE!
The county’s newest ‘Captain’, Michelle Blackburn, really has had a meteoric rise through the ranks since she first joined A Company as a ‘Potential Adult Instructor’ in 2005. As soon as she joined it became quite clear to the senior Officers of the County that it would not be a languid and meandering route to who knows where for Michelle but it would be ‘as the crow flies’ all the way to the top for her!
Michelle (32) was an ex-Army Cadet
who decided to come back as an
Adult Instructor to ‘give back’ to other
youngsters what she felt she herself
had gained from the ACF. She said “I
really enjoyed myself as a Cadet and always intended coming back as an Adult Instructor and once I was in a position where I was settled in my employment and had the spare time, that’s exactly what I did”. In the eight years since she joined she has made a very quick progress through the ranks firstly as a Sergeant Instructor, then becoming commissioned in the rank of Second Lieutenant in July 2008, then a Lieutenant in July 2010 and finally receiving her promotion to the rank of Captain in January 2013.
Michelle has held the role of Administration Officer and Second in Command of A Company for the last three years and is responsible for all administrative duties for the eight separate detachments
in the Company in addition to the Company Headquarters at Northallerton. Her remit can vary from sorting out transport for
all A Company events, financial accountancy through to being responsible for the welfare of the cadets during camps.
In her ‘civilian’ full time employment she is a teacher at a
school in Scarborough which promotes the personal and intel- lectual development of pupils between the ages of 8 to 16 who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Michelle finds that
her experiences in both her full time and ACF roles have been mutually beneficial and have led to improved self-confidence, leadership skills and as an example of a direct influence, she has taken her knowledge of BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) vocational training which is a key element of the Army Cadet Force curriculum into her ‘day job’ as she is now running
a BTEC in ‘Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills” with the pupils of her school. In fact such is the benefit of being in the ACF Michelle has even been given permission by The Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association’ (RFCA) in Yorkshire to use the Cadet Centre in Scarborough as a ‘base’ for this!
Michelle’s next goal is to become ‘Officer Commanding’ A Company which everyone who knows her will feel is well within
her capabilities and nor would they bet against her becoming the Commandant in the future. This is one lady who knows what she wants and is more than capable of getting it! When asked if she felt that coming back into the ACF as an Adult Instructor was a ‘good move’ for her Michelle stated “I love my ACF life and it really has benefitted me hugely in everything I do. If anyone reading this is considering becoming an Instructor in the ACF I would say DO IT as you will never ever look back and a whole world of new opportuni- ties await you!”
First published in the Summer 2013 edition of the Cadet Review
CADET REVIEW SUMMER 2021 35