PICTURES: Inverness army cadets urge others to follow their lead
Two teenage army cadets say an international exchange trip to Canada was the “experience of a lifetime”.
Cadet Corporals Freya Johnson and Samuel Stubbs, both from 1st Battalion The Highlanders’ Raigmore Detachment, spent their six-week school holidays living and training alongside counterparts of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
The annual Exercise Oak Leaf exchange has been held since 1972 and involves up to 45 cadets crossing the Atlantic with the aim of strengthening UK-Canadian relations.
The pair were selected for an instructor course, giving cadets more experience in expeditions, adventure and survival training.
But while Cpl Johnson spent her time based at the Argonaut Cadet Training Centre, near New Brunswick on the east coast, Cpl Stubbs attended the Whitehorse Cadet Training Centre in the Yukon, in the far west of Canada.
After working with cadets from English, French and Aboriginal backgrounds, Cpl Johnson said: “The first couple of days felt like we were learning a new language, trying to piece together their different accents.
“After spending two weeks brushing up on first aid and hillwalking, the third week brought the 18-day expedition which was what drew me to this course and what makes it so prestigious.”
In all, there were 18 days canoeing, a week of walking and a week cycling. For Cpl Stubbs, the weeks’ worth of canoeing was his most enjoyable part of the trip, as he improved technique and teamwork skills, as well as managing level six rapids, waterfalls and choppy currents along the Yukon and Takhini Rivers.
Following more weeks of adventure training, the pair took part in a 30-hour solo expedition, which included making a shelter and surviving out in the field alone.
Cpl Stubbs added: “I’ll always be grateful for this experience.”
