Page 9 - The Gazette Autumn 2023

The Gazette QARANC Association 9
QARANC personnel taste success in Wessex Cup
Captain Evans and his team of seven QARANC personnel competed in the annual Countess of Wessex Cup at Gibraltar Barracks on 7 February.
HRH Sophie, Countess of Wessex (also the Duchess of Edinburgh), is Colonel in Chief to several military units who compete in the cup which bears her name. To win they must demonstrate their skills in disciplines, including communication, observation, march and shoot, heritage, and raft building.
The teams this year were The Lincoln and Welland Regiment (Canada), Rifles, REME, QARANC, RCAM and RAF Wittering.
The raft building and heritage tasks were judged personally by HRH, with QARANC personnel securing first place for the heritage of The Royal Corps of Army Music (RCAM) drum.
The day allowed soldiers and officers, regular and reserve, from JHG SE, RCDM, 3 Medical Regiment and 208 Field Hospital to meet, compete and create team cohesion which formed an outstanding team for the QARANC.
Later, all teams enjoyed an evening meal together. The Rifles Regiment spent time asking about the job roles of nurses and healthcare assistants and what is expected of us within our variety of postings.
Emily Skeels
Major marches
26km in memory of
beloved mum
Major Andy Robinson, the Senior Nursing Officer of 16 Medical Regiment, sadly lost his mum, Margaret, to a brain tumour when she was only 58, some 26 years ago.
Determined to honour her memory, he set himself a challenge this year to hike 26km around Merville Barracks, carrying 26kg on his back, in under 260 minutes to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
On 6 June Andy set off at 0800hrs from RHQ, cheered on by members of RHQ and wider 181 Sqn, and completed the challenge in four hours and 15 minutes (beating his target by a small margin) – he raised more than £840 in sponsorship.
Maj Robinson, 60, told the Gazette: “I lost my mum in the summer of 1997 just three months after she was diagnosed with a high-grade Glioblastoma, a particularly nasty brain tumour. I was working in Intensive Care in the NHS and would not have foreseen the direction my life would subsequently take.
“Fast forward to 2022, and I realised that I had reached the age at which mum had died, and it really hit home how much life had been taken from her and how much she had missed out on. I know mum would have been very proud of my army career, though the irony is I probably would never have had the courage to make the leap without the devastating catalyst of loss.”
Having returned to full fitness after Covid earlier this year, Andy set about training for his challenge this summer before retirement. He attributes his success to the “amazing support” from colleagues at 16 Medical, a good training regime and cool conditions. Extra funds were raised on the day by Andy’s wife
Jackie courtesy of her “famous cakes”.
Andy added: “Next year marks 27 years since mum’s passing, and 27 years is sadly, still, the average number of life years lost by those affected by brain tumours, the highest of any cancer.”
The Brain Tumour Charity is the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.
You can still donate via www. justgiving.com/page/andys- charity-march