Page 129 - RAPTC Year of 2019

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PCRF SANDHURST
Sgt (SI) C Spence RAPTC
It has been an incredibly busy year at PCRF RMAS, we have a fantastic team who all have a great spirit and drive towards delivering the best service possible to those under our care.
We have had multiple changeovers of staff both military and civilian. Sadly, we said goodbye to our receptionist Maria who has been working within the Academy for almost 40 years, ten of which were in the PCRF. We welcomed in Coreen who has brought a whirlwind of enthusiasm to our department.
SSgt Rowley moved off to greener pastures handing over to Sgt Pun who has recently completed his ERI course. We have had a lot to celebrate with the head physio Mrs Keeling turning 60 and the arrival of two healthy babies, India Curtis and Daniel Geelen. Capt Curtis has now returned from maternity leave to resume her position as OC Lucknow and was relieved to find we had not burned down the department in her absence.
The primary task of the department has been continuing to care for the officer cadets both on course and within the rehab platoon “Lucknow”. We have had some fantastic success stories, among them commissioning 4 individuals who had spent 12 months in Lucknow. One individual in particular made us all very proud when despite his complicated injury and long time in Lucknow he gained the Sword of Honour on commissioning, recognising him as the best cadet of the intake.
Sgt Pun has taken on his first ERI role with ease and has been very well received by the cadets within our platoon. His attention to detail and ability to create a relaxed environment has been second to none. With the biggest numbers in Lucknow I have seen, these skills have been invaluable. Sgt Pun likes to
keep his hand in with RAPTC basketball and is a regular visitor to the weightlifting suite, followed by the game ready machine.
Army Weightlifting Championships SSgt Spence
I myself have had a full-on year lifting as many weights possible. I have been lucky enough to travel all over the world with my CrossFit team on our mission to gain a spot at the CrossFit Games, including a short trip to China where we visited pandas but resisted the temptation to eat any bats.
I have had an incredible year competition wise including personally placing 1st at the European Championships (CrossFit) and as a team with the Army taking first place at the Inter-Services Weightlifting Championships. However, one of my proudest moments was offered to me by the military when I was invited to speak about my fitness journey at the Army Servicewoman’s Network Conference. This was a fantastic opportunity to promote health and fitness and talk to hundreds of women about the reality of being a working mother while trying to stay fit and compete.
The PCRF has continued to thrive in a hubbub of fixing people, family matters and fitness related goings on. We have faced the most recent challenges as a team and will continue to do so in the uncertain times ahead. As Sandhurst continues to train officer cadets so will this department continue to offer support to that goal. We are looking forward to the year ahead.
Sword of Honour on commissioning with SSgt Spence