Term 1 ended on a high as the Cadets’ skills were tested at Rockface Climbing Centre (pun intended). It didn’t take long for the Cadets to get into the swing of climbing the many varied walls as well as taking their turn at belaying each other.

During the first week of the school holidays, we had a fun, educational and hot time in Kalgoorlie.

The train ride up on Tuesday was an early rise and a new experience for the majority, and the cadets were expectant on what was lying ahead.

That evening, after settling into our dorms and enjoying our dinner, we headed off to join in the Kalgoorlie/Boulder SES training session. During the evening cadets upskilled their map reading abilities, sharpened their search skills and used their problem-solving skills to jack up a truck to save ‘Bluey’ who was trapped underneath.

Wednesday we headed out to Hannans Tourist Mine where we struck gold! (But only the minutest amount). Cadets were able to pan for gold, watch a gold pour, learn some history of the region and get a feel for the difficulty of life at the time. This was compared with the enormity of the giant trucks that were available to climb all over. A picnic lunch was enjoyed at the Chinese Reflection Garden before heading into town to do a bit more exploring. By the time we finished roller skating that evening, Cadets were ready for some sleep.

Thursday was another big morning heading out to the Super Pit. We met up with the emergency response team who set us through our paces making pully systems, dismantling cars and learning how to put out fires with the heavy truck hose. We had the opportunity to relax in the afternoon spending time at Hammond Park, a green oasis in the middle of the red dust. We were entertained that evening line dancing with the majority enjoying themselves after being ‘encouraged’ to participate. It turned out to be a lot of fun with a lot of laughs.

After a hectic week the cadets were happy to spend some quiet time on the train and weren’t overly concerned that the train was arriving back later than scheduled.

Our older Cadets are to be congratulated on receiving their Recreational Skippers Ticket at the start of this term and are excited to be able to put it to good use. The weather at Hillarys played its part to make a very enjoyable day on the water.

Our calendar has been updated on SEQTA if you are unsure of dates at any time as we look forward to another busy term.

If you have any queries relating to the Cadet program, please contact Mrs Jenny Pontarelli on 9300 744 or via email Jenny.Pontarelli@ljbc.wa.edu.au.

Jenny Pontarelli

Unit Leader