FLYER Club Member
Tue Sep 06, 2016 11:26 am
#1482502
Great post, Mr. Lefty 
Our local cadets got booted-out many years ago....they were rehoused on an industrial area, some miles away....went past it a couple of weeks ago........a forlorn fortress behind a huge fence, with a huge banner plastered acruss one end, soliciting volunteers..
As a civic-minded fellow, who , in the past has helped in "cubs", i gave it a few seconds' thought.....but between this thread and "the dark side",- I have come to the conclusion the organisation has outlived it's usefulness to the Armed Forces, who appear bent on destroying it.
It's pretty obvious we are not expecting to engage in another major war on the scale of WW1 and WW2....Therefore, the "feeder" programme, to enthuse and educate youngsters with the values and ethos of the RAF, is largely redundant.
It really is a crying shame...perhaps a less parochial viewpoint would have allowed the Air-Scout movement to take over the facilities that have been peremptorily shut-down, leaving disillusioned kids and volunteers,who have the difficult job of persuading these youngsters that duplicity and dishonesty does not apply to all such organisations.
As a kid, I joined the Sea Cadets...I was proud to wear H. M's uniform and occasionally parade behind our band, through the streets.....but, the fact I never even saw a boat, let alone sailed or rowed one, led to my resignation. I kept my end of the bargain,..learned the "spit and polish" , the drills, the working parties to keep the hut up to scratch....but apart from a few knots, a very brief demo of dismantling/rebuilding a Lee-Enfield .303........
The ramifications of this Air-cadets debacle run a lot deeper than would at first appear.
A demonstration of appalling incompetence and a cavalier attitude to the up-coming generation.
Our local cadets got booted-out many years ago....they were rehoused on an industrial area, some miles away....went past it a couple of weeks ago........a forlorn fortress behind a huge fence, with a huge banner plastered acruss one end, soliciting volunteers..As a civic-minded fellow, who , in the past has helped in "cubs", i gave it a few seconds' thought.....but between this thread and "the dark side",- I have come to the conclusion the organisation has outlived it's usefulness to the Armed Forces, who appear bent on destroying it.
It's pretty obvious we are not expecting to engage in another major war on the scale of WW1 and WW2....Therefore, the "feeder" programme, to enthuse and educate youngsters with the values and ethos of the RAF, is largely redundant.
It really is a crying shame...perhaps a less parochial viewpoint would have allowed the Air-Scout movement to take over the facilities that have been peremptorily shut-down, leaving disillusioned kids and volunteers,who have the difficult job of persuading these youngsters that duplicity and dishonesty does not apply to all such organisations.
As a kid, I joined the Sea Cadets...I was proud to wear H. M's uniform and occasionally parade behind our band, through the streets.....but, the fact I never even saw a boat, let alone sailed or rowed one, led to my resignation. I kept my end of the bargain,..learned the "spit and polish" , the drills, the working parties to keep the hut up to scratch....but apart from a few knots, a very brief demo of dismantling/rebuilding a Lee-Enfield .303........
The ramifications of this Air-cadets debacle run a lot deeper than would at first appear.
A demonstration of appalling incompetence and a cavalier attitude to the up-coming generation.
garethep liked this
