The ambitious yomp started with a dawn run to the 1982 memorial at Teal Inlet and finished off with an eyes right as the cadets marched passed the 1982 memorial on Ross Road in Stanley and a warm reception by well wishers on Sunday evening. The Cadets morale remained high throughout the weekend despite many suffering from sore feet and ankles, blisters.  The total distance marched was just over 34 miles but included a wide variety of terrain including hard road, rocky ground and bog and included route planning and navigation. The hardest part was probably the last few miles with battered feet along Moody Brook along the rough track and into Stanley. The tasks included leadership and command tasks, 2 gruesome and realistic first aid stands (featuring landslide and helicopter crash casualties with missing arms and eyes!), field sketching, memory tests, stalking by night, camouflage and concealment, using field craft to retrieve messages left by a secret agent and sentry duties until the early hours.  The cadets were very cheerful, helpful and threw themselves into the yomp and challenges with great enthusiasm and displayed great team spirit in helping each other through the various tasks.

A special mention should also be made of the tremendous achievement of several new recruits including  Scot…who has only been in cadets for two weeks and completed the entire distance in borrowed shoes!  The event was a tremendous endurance achievement by all cadets involved, they were a real credit to the Marine Cadets and all participants should be very proud of their performance – many fit soldiers would have found the route very tough!.

 Apart from training the main aim of the Cadet Challenge was to raise £2,400 for new cadet equipment, and this yomp was one several fund raising events over coming months. Look out for other events that you can support.   The Marine Cadets are very grateful for the donations received so far, but donations/sponsorship are always very welcome and can be made via Ken Newton, at the Stanley Sea Cadets 

 

 

The Cadets and staff were very grateful to Evelyn Station and Estancia farms for providing excellent camping facilities and also to other farmers for permission to walk across their land. A special mention of thanks should also be made to all the adult helpers, drivers and staff involved in the detailed exercise including Lt Cdr Maskell-Bott who provided some wonderful field kitchen food and also Janet Nicholson who provided some very realistic and bloody casualties!

 

The Marine Cadets parade Monday and Wednesday nights between 7pm and 9.00pm and always welcomes new recruits. The training programme consists of physical fitness, military, first aid, expedition, team/leadership and other character-building   training.