FERGUS – Captain Darren Storey thought there would be plenty of youth interested in joining a cadet program here – and boy, was he right.
“We had 30 youth sign up the first night, and now have more that 50 in the troop,” Storey said in a phone interview. “Turns out a lot of kids want to be involved.”
Originally, the Fergus troop was to be a satellite of the Orangeville group, but with such high interest, they are now their own troop: the 492 Lorne Scot Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
And they have a full schedule of events in October and November, including a field training exercise where they get to practice building shelters, and marksmanship practice where they learn the principles and safe practice of handling an air rifle.
Those events bookend Remembrance activities and Storey said the youth are excited to be helping local Legions with their poppy drives and marching in Remembrance Day parades.
As part of their citizenship classes, Storey said the cadets will learn about how local Legions support war veterans as well as the work of other service clubs.
“In citizenship class we focus on why we note Remembrance Day and how the Legions support veterans,” Storey said. “In the end, we want them to be good citizens who get involved.”
So expect to see the new cadets with poppy donation boxes outside busy retail outlets like liquor stores, grocery stores and Tim Hortons restaurants. The Legions are also affiliated with cadet troops in Guelph, who will also be in the area helping with poppy drives.
Storey said cadet programs offer “unique experiences” that aren’t generally available through other clubs.
Any youth interested in seeing what it’s all about can drop in and check it out.
The 492 Lorne Scot Royal Canadian Army Cadets meet on Monday nights from 6:15 to 9pm at the Fergus Legion, at 500 Blair St.
