Let the 2022 Cadet Year Begin!

Let the 2022 Cadet Year Begin! 

Upon the commencement of Term 4, Ivanhoe Grammar School proudly announced the leadership roles within the Ivanhoe Grammar School Cadet Unit for the 2021-2022 cadet year. Throughout the year, cadets will be engaging in weekly cadet programs, camps, and ceremonial events. 

Each year, the Cadet Unit is led by four key roles. While acting as a united team, the Senior CUO, Executive Officer, Regiment Sergeant Major and Head of Training and Assessment each offer a specialised contribution to the operations of the unit. Below are descriptions of each of the roles.

Plenty Campus SCUO: Luciano Mercuri

The Ridgeway Campus SCUO: Thomas Pringuer

The Cadet Unit Senior CUO (SCUO) is in charge of the general oversight of the running of cadets, making decisions and communications supervising staff such as Mr Doman and Mr Barnett. Throughout the Senior CUOs time at Ivanhoe, we spend the majority of our time ensuring that the entire unit runs smoothly and as planned, while making sure lessons, drills and exercises are as engaging and practical as possible. 

With the majority of responsibility around deciding what occurs within Ivanhoe Grammar School's Cadet Unit, it is our responsibility on a weekly basis to facilitate the Senior Leadership Teams ideas and implement them – whether it be around planning Tuesday cadet lessons or structuring the activities on camp, the SCUO plays a major role in everything that happens within cadets. 

On a weekly basis, we spend our time planning out future camps and what is to happen in the following weeks, communicating with Cadet staff and condensing information into more readily understandable messages.

Plenty XO: Samuel Bevacqua 

Ridgeway XO: Mia Giannopoulos 

The XO (Executive Officer) of the Cadet Unit is responsible for the administrative and logistical running of cadets. They are responsible for planning the BIVOUAC and Annual camps and the weekly Tuesday sessions. The XO is second in command to the SCUO and spends the majority of the time making sure people are where they are meant to be, on time and prepared. As an extension of this, the XO plays a large part in manifesting and enacting many of the ideas the collective Senior Team proposes into the weekly Tuesday sessions and annual camps.

Promoting through the ranks within cadets we both have developed many key leadership skills that continue to serve us to this day and we are both extremely honoured that we can follow in the footsteps of Frank and Jordan as XO. Whilst the jurisdiction of the XO remains consistent every year (as described above), we both have personally endeavoured – and will continue to - make the XO a more approachable and sociable role within the unit, not simply resigned to the menial tasks of administration.

The XO’s work directly overlaps with the work of the unit Adjutant (Sasha Braybrooke, Avjay Bhar) and OC’s (Feny Patel, Nayan Naidu and Abhi Patel at Plenty Campus and Angus McCreadie, Ryan Godfrey, Ethan Chieng and Koen Dubrow at The Ridgeway Campus) and as we both are close with these individuals, we expect – and hope – that this coming cadet year the unit will act as a cohesive and unified unit. Coming out of COVID into the final year of cadets (with Bivouac around two weeks away) we feel particularly excited to make the most of cadets and hope everyone reading this does as well.

We hope this helps those curious about the role of XO within the cadet unit and if anyone has any questions about cadets, XO or just in general feel free to contact our school emails (sbevac22@igs.vic.edu.au and mgiann22@igs.vic.edu.au).

Plenty RSM: Kiaara Latimer

Ridgeway RSM: Katelyn Shadbolt

The IGS Cadet Unit Regiment Sergeant Major (RSM) is responsible for promoting and maintaining discipline within the unit. Throughout their service, the RSM of a unit is expected to lead by example in terms of uniform, drill and demeanour. The RSM is the primary ceremonial leader of the unit on all parades. Each year, the RSM proudly represents Ivanhoe Grammar School in events significant to the army culture including the ANZAC Day March and Remembrance Day assemblies. For a cadet, the RSM is a member of the unit to be looked to as an example of pride and respect for the Cadet Unit, which upholds the core values and principles.

During weekly cadet sessions, the RSM is responsible for overseeing or engaging in uniform checks, running parades, and supervising the drill and demeanour of their fellow cadets. On camps, the RSM is responsible for facilitating meal distributions, calling to the parade, and running activities while continuing to uphold their responsibility to promote respect and pride for the unit.

Plenty HoTNA: Tapu Nicol

Ridgeway HoTNA: Ella Ray

The Ivanhoe Grammar School Cadet Unit Head of Training and Assessment (HoTNA) has many roles within the unit. As the Plenty Campus Head of Training and Assessment (HoTnA) for 2022, one of my main roles is to ensure that the unit as a whole is being taught the relevant content to a correct and fair standard, and all is equal across the board for the unit.

Unlike other seniors, the HoTNA have their own platoon known as Training and Assessment (TNA). The HoTNA have to work closely with both TNA and the other specialist platoons to ensure that the same information is being taught to the same standard to the whole unit. Throughout the cadet year, there are several different awards/prizes known as “Shields” to be won by the platoons. The HoTNA and TNA are in charge of the “Redhead shield competition”. The Redhead shield is awarded to the platoon across the entire unit, both Plenty and Ridgeway Campus who have won the most merits (points) over the course of the cadet year. Essentially, they are considered the “best” platoon in the unit. In order to do this, it is in the HoTNA’s job to ensure that exercises, dress inspections, Tuesday lessons and demerits are to be marked to the same standard, both correctly and fairly across the unit to provide fair competition.

During weekly cadet sessions, the HoTNA is in charge of the creation and distribution of marking sheets. These marking sheets allow the members of TNA to assess corporals and sergeants on the delivery of their lessons to the cadets. They also oversee any other marking situations such as dress inspections, other activities that the seniors have decided to run, etc. The HoTNA play an important role in upholding the standard of knowledge for the cadet unit.

As The Ridgeway Campus Head of Training and Assessment (HoTnA) for 2022, my role is to organise the assessment of cadet lessons and oversee the specialist platoons. Along with Tapu, we crafted a new and updated marking sheet to account for the hindrances caused by COVID-19, which will hopefully allow for the unit to return to its pre-pandemic state with the conclusion of this training year. So far, I’ve had to train up the new cohort of TnA corporals and sergeants by teaching them how to accurately mark through the use of quantitative assessment sheets. 

There are different types of marking sheets depending on the activity – there are different ones for theory and drill lessons, as well as activity-specific ones, such as for navigations and team games. By collecting each platoon’s marking sheets after every Tuesday session and throughout camp, I’m able to see what areas need to be improved in, such as platoon behaviour, using training aids or having good presenter skills. Beyond this, I work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to help plan camps and other unit-wide events, as well as regularly meeting with the heads of specialist platoons to assist with their training aids and planning. 

I am extremely grateful for being appointed HoTnA for this training year. It’s the position I’ve wanted since I joined cadets in 2018 – it was almost unreal when I found out that I had been promoted to the role. Being a senior cadet is very stressful, but the work is so rewarding and a whole lot of fun as well. The role of HoTnA is crucial to Tuesday sessions running smoothly, and I’ve enjoyed it very much so far. For anyone who is interested in applying for it in 2023, I could not recommend it enough, especially if you’ve been in specialist platoons throughout your time in the unit. I really look forward to engaging with all cadets throughout this year, especially on bivouac!!