Page 50 - Cadet review Summer 2022

HSY ACF
FIELDCRAFT AT 'HOME'
By 2Lt Kate Jackson
Like many detachments returning to training post pandemic, Manor Top has seen an influx of new cadets, along with the return of existing cadets eager to take part in as much training as possible. This has made for a really thriving detachment environment, achieving lots across the cadet experience and reshaping our detachment community. It has also presented us with challenges given the limitations
of numbers available on residential camps, so we recently thought a little differently to give cadets a fieldcraft experience a little closer to home...
During April, 34 Basic and One Star cadets took part in ‘Manor Fieldcraft Camp’ at our home location. The camp was a day and a half with One Stars, cadet Directing Staff (DS), and Adult Volunteers sleeping outside in bashas. For half of the cadets this was their first experience of an ACF camp, so they had the benefit of training in a known environment with
For half of the cadets this was their first experience of an ACF camp
familiar (albeit very camouflaged) faces of their friends and staff, and this has prepared them for larger company fieldcraft exercises/ annual camp later in the year.
We are fortunate to have a decent amount of green space at the unit, so whilst this didn’t make for any extreme navigation situations, it enabled
us to do a night stalk, Observation Posts, set up a linear harbour and have plenty of space for multiple fieldcraft lessons taking place throughout the weekend in our sections. The weekend was also
an opportunity for our Non Commissioned Officers NCOs (Challenger squad) to develop their leadership and mentoring skills. Our new Lance Corporals (LCpls) were able to learn from Cadet DS and visiting staff supporting from Wombwell detachment, and did a great job supporting and guiding the cadets throughout the weekend.
50 CADET REVIEW SPRING 2022