Page 41 - RAPTC Year of 2019

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Into my last few months in Cyprus in what has yet again been another whirlwind period, not quite sure I can remember the days and weeks moving quite so fast in the slightly cooler and
grey climate of Edinburgh during my previous post, obviously no disrespect to the fine capital of Scotland however time does seem to fly that little bit quicker, in the sun.
Lots going on during the past training year and our first priority was the implementation of the new physical training standards being pushed out, by way off SCR’s and obviously not forgetting implementation of APTS to the Joint Service environment in which we administer. To be fair from the fellow Services point of view, there has been no real push back and if all being told there seems to be a real positive response across the board.. ‘RAF and Navy’ take note, not sure if it’s the delivery from the PT staff or the ‘charlie charlie’ from the General, however attendance on PT is good across the station and feedback on the type & style of training is very positive.
It is also been productive to have the Resident Infantry Battalion (2 Mercians) housed within our Gym, SSgt Williams AKA Rambo and his team have also been doing a great job in dealing with similar scenarios and intricacies that comes with a busy Infantry Bn. Being able to bounce of each other and have insight into how the changes have been received has been productive, myself and my AAPTI have benefited from assisting in area’s we would normally not get to cover within the station set up, so it keeps us up to date and in that Army only bubble.
The sporting scene continues to flourish on Island and from an organisational point of view there is a ridiculous amount of events to cover, this does include a lot of the community stuff that goes hand in hand with the Episkopi Stn job, however the community ethos within Station is vital so the importance is not lost on me, Cpl Hobbs (AAPTI) and the Cypriot lieutenant Big Andros as he is known.
SSgt Wood (not sure about the pink) Community Engagement Football Match vs Cypriot National Guard
The jewel in our crown is obviously Gym 2 Gym (BFC - Half Marathon Championships) with well over 300 competitors again this year it is a real firm favourite with service personnel and the community alike. As in 2019 the RAPTC performance traditions were well upheld with Maj (MAA) I Bareham RAPTC, (OC CJSTW) & SSgt (SSI) Williams RAPTC (2 Mercian SSI) winning their respective categories, SSgt Williams was also the overall event winner in a time of 1:20:41. slightly slower than his 2019 time but he says it was the strong head wind, I personally would have called it a breeze however there is 40kg between us, say no more.
On writing this it is an uncertain time for all given the current pandemic sweeping the world, the BFC community have been no different from our UK counterparts and BFC were very sharp to implement the required restrictions to try and contain and keep everyone as safe as possible. From a support perspective the PT Staff have put their hand to several tasks to help support the Episkopi community, from Op TOSCA support, delivery of meals, letter drops, recycling collections and implementation of the C3F secondary care facility set up in our gymnasium) it has been a turbulent but busy month or so. Hopefully there will be some light at the end of the tunnel soon and we can get our gymnasium back to normal jogging before too long.
By the time this edition of MBS goes live and COVID 19 dependent, I may or should have moved on to pastures new, I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the PD support elements during my tenure here from Maj (MAA) M Warwick and Maj (MAA) P Douglas in an SO2 Capacity, Davison & Williams RIB SSI’s, the AAPTI cohort Cpls’ Day, Shelmerdine and the current incumbent Hobbs, and last but not least the Cypriot Lieutenant Andros Karasavvas, as I am sure all previous SSI’s would vouch he really is the continuity within this role, it would be a much tougher job without his assistance and hopefully he continues in role for many years to come, to assist and help fellow RAPTCI’s enjoy this job as much as I have.
Ola ta kalytera & kali tychi (best wishes & good luck).
EPISKOPI & TROODOS STATION
SSgt (SSI) C A Wood RAPTC
SSgt Wood & Williams (the budgie smuggler debate)