News

The William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre, East End was the scene of much pageantry and fanfare last Saturday as the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps (CICC) welcomed 43 new members during its annual Passing out Parade.

The ‘Passing out Parade’ marked the end of twelve weeks of intense basic cadet training, and allowed newly initiated Cadets to showcase what they have learned, particularly in the area of Drill.

“Officers, instructors and senior cadets have invested many hours into the lives of the recruits over the past three months. It is a reward and a pleasure to see the transition from recruit to cadet on display. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the pride in the eyes of parents and guardians as the cadets demonstrated the fruits of their labour on parade,” noted Commandant Lt Col Bobeth O’Garro. “We look forward to further development of our new cadets as we mould future leaders of our islands,” she continued.

The CICC also used the opportunity to openly recognise the achievements of its most outstanding recruits, all of whom, were young women.

Accordingly, Cadet Winsome Campbell was recognised as Best Recruit from the Clifton Hunter High School Detachment, Best Recruit in Drill, in Academics as well as Most Outstanding Recruit. Cadets Keveenah Hill and Haylie Kirkwood were also recognised as the Best Recruits from the John Gray and Layman Scott High School detachments respectively; while each new cadet received a half star badge and certificate.

The Cadet Corps provides high school students aged 12 to 17 with training that emphasises the value of citizenship, leadership, community service, personal responsibility, a sense of accomplishment, self-esteem, teamwork, and self-discipline.

As part of its training in community service, the Cadets render their assistance at some of the islands’ major events including the annual Agricultural Show.

Just last week, a team of approximately 20-25 cadets were on hand at the Agricultural Show to showcase their musical skill and volunteer their services in traffic and parking management; a practice that has been customary for the past decade.

Contact CICC by telephone at 946-9810 or by email at cadetcorps@gov.ky for more information on the Cadet Corps and its services.