Page 9 - QARANC Vol 19 No 2 2021

To celebrate Lee’s achievement, he kindly agreed to answer a few questions about his role put to him by Sarah Young, the Association Office Manager.
How was it being the first
QARANC Corps RSM?
I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t difficult and sometimes challenging, but I was also extremely grateful to have had the first non RAMC Corps Colonel during my tenure to share those challenging times with. Having spent a few years previously as the QARANC Corps SM, I was determined to embrace the four Corps’ perspective and lead a united front. I might have been the first QA (and hopefully not the last) to be appointed but It was very important to me to ensure the primary function was as the AMS SM. I see the AMS as one big family, and even though its ok for siblings to quarrel we should never underestimate the power of our four Sovereign Corps when working together.
How did you find the role?
COVID-19 aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the role, but two years was just not long enough to see things through. The pinnacle of any soldier’s career is to become an RSM and I genuinely surpassed my own expectations in having the honour and privilege to be the QA and AMS SM. The opportunity to give back to those soldiers starting out in their careers and ensure they were looked after and represented kept me focused every single day. What I never took for granted was the quality and professionalism of those around me. I felt blessed to have had the cohort of RSM’s and Warrant Officers around me during my tenure; they are truly top quality and continue to ensure our soldiers are looked after.
What did you enjoy the
most about the role?
Without a doubt, meeting soldiers and their families. I tried my utmost to be at each Phase 1 Pass off Parade to meet every new AMS soldier and have an opportunity to speak with their families. When I couldn’t achieve that, the other Corps Representative SM’s stepped in and ensured every soldier
Corps RSM Lee Richens (centre) with AMS soldiers at Army Training Centre, Pirbright
The Gazette QARANC Association 7
Lee Richens – the first QARANC AMS Corps RSM
was welcomed into the AMS. It was always great to be a part of one of the proudest moments in their life to date.
What was your proudest moment?
Ironically my proudest moments are some of the legacy work I leave behind. The introduction of the AMS Festival of Sport which eventually happened in July 2021 and the approval and recognition of the AMS Sports Union emblem which I started to see appear at the Festival of Sport on sports strips and memorabilia. I hope my last piece of legacy work will come to fruition and the inaugural AMS Sports Union Awards Dinner will hopefully take place in 2022. These were created to recognise the countless individuals who take on these secondary roles, which very often impinge on their own personal time in order to deliver an array of sports to our officers and soldiers. Some may question why sport took such a primary place in my role as the AMS SM. I wouldn’t deny that COVID-19 may have shaped that outcome, but it was always something I wanted to reinvigorate within the AMS. At the 2019 Army Sports Awards, CGS reminded the audience about the other purpose of the event: “This is about getting the whole Army back into Sport, reminding ourselves why we love it and why it’s important”; “Sport today is a vital part of the Army’s identity and its lifeblood”. I couldn’t echo that enough and I’m proud to be part of a unit that
recognises and embraces Wednesday afternoon sports. We must ensure sport is brought back to our units and allow our personnel to compete and be challenged in a safe environment.
What advice do you have
for future Corps RSM’s?
The best advice I could give to anyone starting out in their careers is to make sure you take every opportunity afforded to you. It might seem like a chore at the time, but it’s in these moments you’ll have a lived experience with a future Commanding Officer, Chief Nursing Officer or RSM who will eventually become a friend or request your counsel. Ensure you expand your social groups to include ALL four Corps of the AMS and the wider army because as you go up in rank you will need that breadth and depth in experience and comradeship to call upon when you need it. Try to be better than your peers but never neglect them. Be mindful of the difference between healthy competition and conflict. There will always be haters and you must learn to rise above the negativity and keep true to yourself and your values. Lastly, it never comes for free, you have to put in the work and strive for the next goal, which leads me to end on one of my favoured quotes, “The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary ”.
Captain Lee Richens 4 Medical Regiment