Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans of Canada present financial donation to Manitoulin Sea Cadet Corps
M’CHIGEENG – The Manitoulin-North Shore unit of the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans of Canada (ANAVETS), which was established earlier this year, made a financial donation to the 348 Manitoulin Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps this past Monday evening. The evening also provided the opportunity to recognize three members of the sea cadet corps who first qualified for, and then competed in the provincial sea cadets orienteering competition, held this past weekend.
“We have a couple of special guests this evening,” said Sub-Lieutenant Sylvain Boucher, commanding officer of the Manitoulin RCSSC, on Monday.
Dennis Blake, a member of the Manitoulin-North Shore ANAVETS said, “members of army, naval and air force veterans and law enforcement, has been around over 100 years. The local group received their charter within the past year for the North Shore-Manitoulin area. They have been very active in fundraising with two goals: to assist other veterans, as well as financially supporting the 348 Manitoulin Sea Cadets.”
Mr. Blake introduced North Shore-Manitoulin ANAVETS vice-president Jim Machum, ANAVETs member Roy Eaton, and Manitoulin Navy League president Bob Jewell.
“We are here as members of the ANAVETS, but also as a member of the of the Little Current branch of the Royal Canadian Legion,” stated Mr. Eaton. “It is a pleasure to be able give poppies to the sea cadet members for you to help sell, and that you attend our ceremonies such as Decoration Day and Remembrance Day. We thank you for your participation. A number of you will be at the Remembrance Day ceremonies taking place at Little Current Public School, at the Manitoulin Centennial Manor and the ceremonies being held in Kagawong.”
“On behalf of the ANAVETS, veterans and Legions on the Island, we thank you very much for your efforts and salute you,” said Mr. Eaton.
The ANAVETS members presented a cheque in the amount of $200 to the 348 Manitoulin Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps. “We would like to thank the local ANAVETS group for your donation,” said Mr. Boucher. “We will keep working hard, and when you need us we will be there for you.”
Mr. Blake told the Recorder after the presentation that with the North Shore-Manitoulin ANAVETS having received their charter earlier this year, they began fundraising, including an event at the annual Haweater Weekend celebrations in Little Current this past summer. One of the members of the ANAVETS, Wayne Golden (from the Massey area), spent two days preparing 500 sticky buns to be sold during the weekend. They were sold quickly at $3 apiece.
This past weekend, 348 Manitoulin Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps members Leading Seaman Lydia Pennings, Ordinary Seaman Shea Williamson and Ordinary Seaman Jlyn Pangowish competed in the provincial sea cadet orienteering competition. The trio had placed third in the sea cadets regional competition held in Sudbury to qualify for the provincials.
Orienteering is a sport that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, using a specially prepared orienteering map, which they use to find control points.
“We were in Ottawa to take part in the (provincial) orienteering competition,” said Ms. Pennings.
Ms. Williamson pointed out the cadets’ competition ran from Friday at noon hour until Sunday at 4 pm.
“Yes, this was the first year I have been in this, orienteering, it is basically like a huge scavenger hunt. You have to find points, using a map and a compass—that is in the team competition,” said Ms. Pennings.
The cadets explained that, for individual competition, participants had to find certain flags in a certain order.
“We only found two flags in the individual competition,” said Ms. Pennings, and Ms. Williamson pointed out there were 87 participants in their group.
“The main thing is it was fun, we met a lot of other cadets from around the province and made a lot of new friends,” added Ms. Pennings.
Mr. Boucher pointed out, “we had one of the cadets going to the competition, and two of our cadets were here for practice on the first night (this year). I said, ‘would you be interested in taking part in the orienteering competition’ and they said ‘yes.’ So I showed them how and what they were going to have to do and they went from there. Then they placed third in the regional competition, which is amazing.”
ANAVETS is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veteran’s organization) founded in 1840, with more than 18,000 members throughout Canada. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of members and also affiliated members. In 1840, Queen Victoria gave a charter to create an ANAVETs unit in Montreal. But units may have dated back to as early as the Conquest of New France in the 1700s.
