Central Senior Leaders Course

NZCF Senior Leaders Course 31/11 – 23-29 April 2011
Everyone arrived Saturday 23rd April.  Cadets from New Plymouth to Gisborne, right down to Wellington, cadet corporals, aged 15-17, from many different units) arrived at RNZAF Base Ohakea.
By 1330 all 26 students and 6 staff had arrived and the 31/11 senior leaders course was underway. Introductions, of students and staff, briefings, room key hand-outs and barrack layout standards were all a part of the first day of course.
Every morning the students were up at 0600, no earlier or later. The race to get to the showers was on, as 6 showers between 26 students was an interesting concept. We had breakfast in the combined mess, arriving at 0655 because “being on time is late.  From breakfast, we went down to the NZCF training centre to get straight into lessons at 0730 on Instructional Technique. These lessons were taught by the cadet staff and officers, CDT Squadron Leader Grant te Tau, CDT Captain Bonnie Hudson, CDT Pilot Officer Kristal Tamanui, CDT Under Officers Taylor Crouch and Timothy Clark and CDT Warrant Officer Sophie Webber.
The Senior Leaders course coincided with ANZAC Day, so the members of the course had our own ceremony at the NZCF training centre, complete with a catafalque party and drummer. Our own small dawn memorial, on  such  an important day to us and our  country was a memorable experience. Once this was over, lessons were as per usual and lesson practice was on the agenda, as the students were soon to be assessed on giving a theory and a practical lesson to their peers.
Wednesday and Thursday were devoted to leadership, a crucial part of the week long course. The leadership exercises were based around getting a team to work together with one leader and the tasks were the type of activities that a senior NCO might actually have to complete at their unit. For example they might be cleaning up the store room, packing away or setting up the recruiting trailer, putting up a 14x14 tent or getting certain items out from stores off a list – all in short spaces of time. These tasks really tested the students’ abilities and showed who was ready to go back to their units and lead a team of NCO’s and cadets. A highlight of this day was doing an emergency stretcher casualty task in the 3Sqn hanger. The students were very grateful and excited about how close to the helicopters they were.
Near the end of the course, the final working day, the CDT corporals were tested on their Flight Sergeant/ Platoon Sergeant drill. Once this was over, the entire course set off to watch the change of Chief of Air Force Parade outside the Pilot Training School. This was a highlight of the week for the students and staff alike, watching a full parade with colour party. The students were all excited to see that, in fact, their drill is no different to regular force drill. This gave them a great sense of pride.
Prize giving is always a highly anticipated part of the course.  The question of who will get the award for top of course is always floating around at this stage of the course. CDT Corporal Aarona Rio (Wanganui Cadet Unit) was awarded top student of syndicate one, CDT Corporal Daniel Shelton (No. 14 (City of Gisborne) SQN) was awarded top student of syndicate two as well as top student of the course and finally CDT Corporal Scott Unsworth (No. 13 (City of Napier) SQN) was awarded top student of syndicate three.
After a long seven days, at last came the time for course reports and pack up. Some students were glad to be going back to the comfort of home and family, but most made it clear that they wished they could stay longer in this challenging environment and with their new friends.
When Saturday the 30th finally came around and van-loads of students were being taken to bus stops, there were tears, smiles, laughter and memories but the most important thing the students took from their senior leaders course is the knowledge that they are the next generation of NZCF senior NCO’s and that they have the skills to take back to their respective units and start a new part of their NZCF life