Page 13 - QARANC Vol 19 No 1 2021

Well the WHO Year of the Nurse and Midwife threw us the curve ball of all curve balls! The first thing to say is ‘Thank You All’ for everything you have done and are doing at this most challenging time. We are literally living through history and just as many of us have read about the ‘Spanish Flu’ of over 100 years ago, in years to come books will be read and history studied with regard to what we are living through now. Many of you will feature I am sure.
You will know that I commenced my term as Colonel Commandant in May of 2020. Suffice to say it’s been a very strange start but also an opportunity to utilise technology to gain reach out to our people. A number of people have commented and congratulated me on becoming the first male to become a Colonel Commandant. While this is historical fact I am not one to see gender defining our profession as all that helpful. I say that as a nurse of forty three years and a former RAMC NO. Men have been fully integrated into the QARANC for nearly thirty years and it has been a huge success. It has made us more cohesive, inclusive, tolerant, and dare I say, utterly professional. In my view integration has been the making of us and our Corps identity. Having said all that I now have a Mess Kit and Service Dress that have never been worn before in the configuration I now wear mine so I guess there is a bit of history in that.
I was wondering how to connect in the early days of my tenure and decided on a cross trainer challenge as we were in lockdown and I have the machine of torture in my garage. 10K a day for 10 days raised just shy of £2K for the Corps charity and thank you to
My last meeting of NATO Med Reserves as President. Quebec 2019
The Gazette QARANC Association 11
Not quite the start I expected to a Colonel Commandant term!
all who supported me. This year might be 5 in 5 rather than 10 in 10 but we shall see. Anyone fancy joining me? We could do a virtual 5k a day run, row, cross trainer, walk your choice for the five days running up to Corps Day with a Just Giving page to raise some funds. I would also like to thank others of course who have supported us in their own way and it has been great to see.
Taking part in virtual visits to JHG (S) and QEMH has shown me that we have talent, commitment and leadership and so many levels. We should be proud and indeed confident that we have the future of the Corps
well taken care of and I don’t just mean the current leadership. I saw and heard from raw talent that we will nurture and develop. I am really looking forward to getting out and about when able but I think patience is the key byword for now. It should bring a sense of great pride to us to acknowledge that a QA was in the RMA Sandhurst Pace Stick Competition for the first time and that a QA will soon Command 2nd Medical Brigade, the Army’s medical force projection element. Another first.
RHQ and the Association Branches have been very active in keeping in touch with our people. Thanks to the Welsh Branch for the Christmas
QA Mess Kit configured as Colonel Commandant