A Squad of air cadets proved they were on target when they swept up second place at the military skills competition The Elworthy Trophy.

Chigwell Cadets (Back row left to right: Cadet Deon Vermaak, Cadet Lewis McLean, Corporal Marius Vermaak, Corporal Bradley Wilkins, Cadet Ryan Dickens. Front row left to right: Cadet Clare O’Keefe, Flight Sergeant Helen O’Keefe, Cadet Sam Davidson)

Chigwell Cadets, based in Squirrels Lane, Buckhurst Hill, took on a series of challenges including an obstacle course, march and shoot competition, and orienteering to finish in the runner-up spot for the Trophy, with events taking place at the Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex.

The Elworthy Trophy sees ten teams of Army, Sea and Air Cadets from across Greater London competing against each other.

This year, the Chigwell team of cadets included two sets of siblings: brothers Marius and Deon Vermaak and sisters Helen and Clare O’Keefe.

Flight Sergeant Helen O’Keefe, 16, a student at West Hatch High School, in Chigwell, has been a member of the Chigwell Cadets for three and a half years.

She said: “It’s been great fun this weekend and the first time that any of our team has taken part in the competition.

“We’ve enjoyed all the activities but the rafting was the best, even though we came second last in that event, because the team spirit was there. For me, that’s been the highlight of the competition.”

The eventual winners on the day were Army Cadet Force Middlesex.

A team of Air Cadets from London have just returned victorious, having successfully conquered the Drakensberg or “Dragon Mountains” – as they were called by early settlers – a 200km long mountainous wonderland in South Africa.

The team complete the Drakensberg trek

In what was undoubtedly the challenge of a lifetime, the cadets spent 5 days completing the arduous 71km unsupported trek through the isolated region of the Drakensberg Mountains, the highest mountain range in South Africa – during their winter – where temperatures dropped as low as -15 at night! The 16 cadets and 6 staff had already been in South Africa for 3 days, flying into Johannesburg they traveled to Pretoria to meet the South Africa Air Force. The group, representing the Air Cadet Organisation, met Major General Ngema and Brigadier General Jacobs at the Swarkop Air force Museum to give a presentation about the Air Cadet Organisation in the United Kingdom. There is significant interest within South Africa to reignite a cadet force and naturally, the UK Air Cadets is a good model to look at. Following the presentation, the team traveled to Sani on the border of Lesotho and South Africa to undertake the trek. The plan from the outset was to mount a challenging trek and within hours of starting Squadron Leader Julian Loxton the Expedition Leader, was eating his words of a few weeks before. Foolishly he had made a passing comment to the expeditions Technical Officer Flt Lt Dan O’Mahoney that he thought it might actually be fairly easy, but it was fair from it:

“From Sani we traveled by road up to Sani Lodge, which is at the top of Sani Pass. We gained a 1000m in height over

Presentation to the SAAF

a short 2km which took us up to nearly 3000m. As a result of the height, we were soon panting like we were running a marathon, not hiking on a trek!’ Over the course of the massive 71.6km trek, the cadets traveled from the Sani Pass, through the Pholela Valley to the Rhino Peak (3056m) where they were treated to stunning views. The group also climbed Tsepeng (3431m), – a seldom visited corner of Lesotho – before finishing off in the culturally and historically rich area of the Bushman’s Nek pass.

The trek was extremely challenging and was a test of fitness, technical ability, equipment, endurance, determination and teamwork. The preparation over the preceding 12 months had been robust – seeing the group complete practice expeditions in Sussex, the Brecon Beacons and the Lake District – which stood them in good stead for the actual trek. Each member of the team carried over 22kg of equipment and food, over the long trek through the spectacular landscape which proved to be a truly awe inspiring experience for all.

Cadets meet local villagers in Lesotho

Cadet Martin Ekeocha (17) from 1475 (Dulwich) Squadron in South East London, reflected on his experience “At first I thought the challenge was simply to make it through the five days but once there I learnt that the real challenge was working together to achieve our goal. From this adventure I have acquired great confidence in my own skills and in that of my team, for which I am most grateful.” After completing the trek the team kicked back a little for their second week in South Africa by flying to Port Elizabeth to travel by road along the famous Garden Route to Cape Town. Along the way the cadets engaged in various outward bound activities including zip-line tours and caving before ending in Cape Town to visit Table Mountain which overlooks the city, where the team experienced more stunning panoramic views. Finally the group visited the prison on Robben Island where Nelson Mandella was held during the infamous period of Apartheid which was a truly moving experience for the whole group.
The ethos from the initial planning of the trip in 2007 was to undertake a physically demanding trek and the whole

Cadets Hirst, Main and Blowers take a breather

expedition was summed up by Cadet Sergeant Ette Armstrong (17) from 48F (Hampstead) Squadron, a veteran of numerous Nijmegen marches; “I enjoyed the expedition enormously, despite the fact that the trek was more taxing than I had anticipated. The trek was extremely arduous, both physically and mentally, but at the same time very rewarding. The sense of isolation was immense and the beauty of the mountain landscape was astounding. I really appreciated the teamwork when things got tough -everyone pulled together to support each other. We were given the opportunity to take part in some really exciting activities such as the zip wire tour, and saw some beautiful scenery on our drive from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. I feel that I was very lucky to be chosen to take part in the expedition and I am sure it is something that I will remember for the rest of my life”. The group would like to thank Cotswold Outdoor, the Ulysses Trust and the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) for their generous support of the trip which enabled it to happen.