A new cadet unit has launched in Airdrie, offering boys and girls aged 9 to 12 the opportunity to learn military-level discipline alongside valuable skills such as knot-tying, boatmanship, navigation and radio communications. Part of the Navy League of Canada Cadets (NLCC), the new corps is called Holger Storm, said acting Sub-Lieutenant Brian Warrington – named after a former Navy Commander who helped with the NLCC upon his retirement. Entry cadets with Holger Storm will conduct weekly parade exercises in the gymnasium at Coopers Crossing School on Wednesdays from 6:15 to 9:00 p.m, Warrington said. “First things first, we like them there for 6:15. At 6:30 they’re on deck, or on parade,” he said. “There’s an inspection, which we call colours and prayers. We sing O Canada. We don’t have a flag mast yet, but we’re going to be getting one.” Following the initial procedures, Warrington said, the entry cadets are dismissed for lessons for the remainder of the evening. “That could be anything from learning parts of a boat, to learning knots and lashings like a good sailor, learning safety procedures of boating and also drill marching,” he said. The NLCC spent three years trying to establish a cadet unit in Airdrie, according to Warrington. While the city already has sea, air and army cadets programs (operated through the Department of National Defence), Warrington said the NLCC is a slightly different entity. It caters to younger ages – 9 to 12 instead of 12 to 18 – and the officers are volunteers. “As far as we know, there’s never been a Navy League cadet corps in Airdrie,” he said. “[Airdrie] is such a young community, and the other three cadet corps are all going very strong.” While there is no military commitment to join the NLCC, Warrington said, there is still a military theme and soldierly procedures that go along with it. “For every 12- to-18-year-old in the sea, air and army cadets, there are younger siblings looking at their older brothers or sisters, and thinking, ‘Gee, I wish I could be doing that,’” he said. The unit’s first evening of drills and lessons took place Sept. 19, with 20 kids taking part, according to Warrington. The unit will continue to conduct its drills on Wednesday evenings until June. Warrington said he expects more kids to sign up in future weeks and the corps will likely be capped at 40 entry cadets. “We don’t want to get too big, too soon,” he said. Weekly drills will not be the only activities for the new cadets. According to Warrington, the unit will also participate in a Remembrance Day service and will do community events throughout the year, such as cleaning the tombstones of veterans. On Oct. 7, Warrington said, the cadets will undergo a search-and-rescue exercise in Nose Creek Park that simulates finding a fallen pilot. The cadets will use GPS devices to navigate and military radio-speak to report their findings. “It’s kind of like a geocaching exercise,” he said. “They’ll also learn to use radio military communications – whiskey, tango foxtrot, that kind of thing.” The NLCC will also offer a day at a shooting range in December for the cadets to practise their marksmanship, as well as weekend camps in the fall and spring. Two summer camps will also be included, Warrington said, adding a highlight of the year will be a sailing camp for the cadets on Lake Chestermere Aug. 11 to 16. Attending the sailing camp costs an extra $400, but Warrington said the NLC has a monthly payment system, and that there is a bursary for at least one cadet.
