This past weekend at the Air Cadet League of Canada-Ontario Provincial Committee’s Annual General Meeting the 197 Typhoon Squadron proved it is small but might. With more than 8,000 Cadets in Ontario, WO2 Amit Mehta of Acton received the Peter Stickley Memorial Award for Top Leadership Cadet of Ontario, and F/Sgt Mark Crha of Rockwood received Top Cadet Pilot Award for Ontario.
Mehta and Crha received their awards from Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield and Guelph/Eramosa Township councillor John Scott. Hadfield was the guest speaker at the awards dinner and during his speech he recognized that a large part of his leadership abilities came from the Air Cadet program, starting with the summer camp for leadership that he was on during that time.
Air Cadets was also where Hadfield received his first pilot’s license in a long line of licenses that allowed him to attract the world’s attention as the Command of the International Space Station. It would seem that these two Cadets are well on their way to following his lead in believing that y0u can achieve anything you set your mind to.
The Cadets of 197 all have one thing in common. They are supported by a large group of individuals that believe in them. From the staff and Officers, the Parent Sponsoring Committee, the parents and guardians of these cadets and the teachers and staff of the schools that they attend. Not to forget the businesses that employs the Cadets and are constantly changing their schedules to accommodate the busy schedule that these Cadets have.
The program for the Acton Air Cadets is free to all teenagers aged 12 to 18, in the area and as you can see; it has outstanding rewards for the youth of today.
by C/O Capt Katie Nutall, The Acton Tanner