Beccles Air Cadet

Remembrance Parade

The squadron has been out in force over the past month in the lead up to remembrance day. The Poppy Appeal raises money for The Royal British Legion which safeguards the welfare, interests and memory of those who are serving or who have served in the Armed Forces. So far this year the appeal has raised £4,392,007 and our cadets have contributed through weekend collections in Beccles supermarkets.

On remembrance Sunday our cadets, along with cadets from other youth organisations, emergency services and veterans paraded through Beccles. Wreaths were laid at Beccles war memorial, Cadet Chloe Smithson laid the wreath for the squadron. This was followed by a church service and march past in Beccles town centre.

Chloe Smithson is Carnival Princess

15-year-old Chloe Smithson a student at the Sir John Leman High School, is aiming high both in the Air Cadets and in her local town. Chloe was the youngest entrant in this years Lowestoft Carnival Queen competition. During the weekend of the competition, Chloe was at a local weekend camp in Holt Hall but left early in order to take part in the competition. On the night, over two hundred people came to support the entrants. A compere asked the contestants questions about their dreams and aspirations, when Chloe answered that she wanted to be a dental officer in the RAF; the compere was surprised (as he was unaware that there were so many job opportunities available in the RAF). Chloe was then short-listed and it was announced that she had made it into the top five candidates.
The five finalists were then asked a question they were unprepared for, once they had all answered the Judges deliberated while the finalists nervously waited backstage to find out who would take the title of the Lowestoft Carnival Queen 2009. When the finalists came back on stage, the compere announced the two attendants before announcing the winner. Chloe was the second attendant announced and was thrilled to have been selected out of so many people.
She said: “I am ecstatic to have been selected as one of the attendants and I cannot wait to take part in the carnival. I think that being a cadet has given me a lot of confidence and belief in myself, which helped me in the competition.”
W.O Dobson from 759 sqn said: “Chloe is a dedicated cadet who will try anything on offer at least once and has sometimes surprised herself in what she can achieve. Chloe has won cadet of the month on numerous occasions and was awarded the Best New Recruit last year.”

Six cadets have recently been awarded BTEC’s in Public Services ( the equivalent to 4 GCSE’s grade C or above). Gerard Vejrych (has just left the sqn to join the Marines) Received a Distinction, while Danny Cable, Joe Tyson (both from the Sir John Leaman High School), Gabby Wells (Norwich High School), Foggy Vincent (Wymondham Collage) and Matthew Miller (East Norfolk Sixth Form Collage) have all received the highest award a Distinction * (Distinction Star). Danny Cable said “The BTEC was hard work but quite easy to fit in around all my other studies, and now that I have received the top award it makes it all the more worthwhile.”

With this BTEC award and all his other achievements Matthew Miller has been nominated for the Duke of Westminster (a prestigious award which looks at the BTEC results and all the achievements of the individual both in and out of the cadets) He has been shortlisted so watch this space.

W.O Martin Dobson (Acting C.O) said:  “The Cadets work very hard at school as well as the sqn and to achieve this high standard is not only a credit to themselves but the sqn and the schools they attend. It is a nationally recognised award which shows they have done that something extra.”