Home sweet home for cadets

ATTENTION! The official opening of their renovated clubrooms was the icing on the cake for a hard working and highly successful Mangawhai Cadet Unit. Capping off a fantastic year for the group, they now have a place they can call home base. Around 250 supporters shared in the celebrations. Pictured with the Unit is The Commandant of NZ Cadet Forces, Commander Glen Stokes RNZN (in white) and next to him Unit Commander, Lieutenant Sandra Grayson. 

New Zealand’s newest cadet corps, Mangawhai Cadet Unit, finally moved into its own Settlement Road facility on Saturday November 24.

In 2008, after three years of commuting to Whangarei to the nearest Cadet Unit, two officers from Mangawhai made the move to establish their own unit in their own community.

On Anzac Day 2011 the unit was offered the lease of the old Hakaru Bowling Club building and has spent the time since then getting the building up to a habitable standard, which included getting a new roof, drainage, gutting the inside, rewiring and repainting.

Cadets, cubs and supporters held working bees with expert help and donations from local trades and businesses.

“With all the work now complete we can finally move in,” says Mangawhai Cadet Unit Commander, Lieutenant Sandra Grayson. “The support from the local community has been incredible. So many businesses have donated services and products.” 

Parading until now in the local public hall, Mangawhai Cadet Unit has been going from strength to strength with the simple philosophy of teamwork and hard work.

The unit has won the Regional Skills Competition in 2009, 2010, 2011 and just recently in 2012 with the team going on to win the National Skills Competition in 2011 and 2012.

Also attending the opening was Commandant of the New Zealand Cadet Forces, Commander Glen Stokes, RNZN, and other members of the NZ Defence Force and the local community.

Commander Stokes inspected the cadets, promoted Rachel Elliott to Lieutenant and announced they had also just won the Gunson Cup, a national shooting competition held in October. CDT Caprice Howard was awarded her marksman Badge, which can only be issued by the Commandant, for scoring over 80 at the Gunson Cup shoot.

Four cadets left for Singapore on December 1 for the international cadet exchange programme, a trip fully paid with a huge donation by The Club and the Kitty Hawks Bowling Club.

“It is humbling to see how people are willing to help,” said LT Grayson. “We would like to thank our supporters and sponsors for the huge commitment they have made to the youth of our community,” 

WOII Tahlia Howard addresses the official party.                                                     Drill demonstration by the Skills Team.

Eye-catching exterior paint job on clubroom.                                                          SGT Kupa raises the flag for the first time.

THANK YOU

The Mangawhai Cadets, Kaiwaka Cubs and their families for their hours and hours of work; ‘Project Manager’ Aaron Cameron for the huge amount of work he did; Hakaru RSA and Women’s section for their financial assistance; Mangawhai Roofing for an incredible deal on the new roof; Trillian Trust for the grant to purchase the new roof; Power Drainage for all of the external drainage at no cost; Hynds Pipes Warkworth for the donation of all of the pipes; Paul Greig Electrical and Pro Power Electrical for all of the rewiring; Matakana Butchery for feeding the workers and financial support; CJ Signs for the signs and artwork on the camouflage paint job; Kaiwaka Motorcycles for the lawnmower and chainsaw for the raffle; Laurie McLaughlan Flooring for the incredibly priced floor resurfacing; Pub Charities for a donation towards the paint; Preventative Security Services for the donation and installation of an alarm; Mangawhai Focus for financial support; Military Arts Club of Matakana for training support.