Diamond Wedding Anniversary, Mr and Mrs Walker, Cumnock
Mr and Mrs Walker of Cumnock recently celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary and were presented with a Special Anniversary Message from Her Majesty The Queen by Deputy Lieutenant Richard Vernon. The couple were also presented with a floral arrangement by Cllr John Campbell, Depute Provost of East Ayrshire and Cllr Kathy Morrice.
Diamond Wedding Anniversary, Mr and Mrs Bucke, Waterside, Kilmarnock
Mr and Mrs Bucke of Waterside near Kilmarnock recently celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary and were presented with a Special Anniversary Message from Her Majesty The Queen by Deputy Lieutenant William Stafford. The couple were also presented with a floral arrangement by Cllr John Campbell, Depute Provost of East Ayrshire and Cllr John Mc Fadzean.
Presentation of Certificate of Meritorious Service to Sergeant Major Instructor David Rooney, West Lowland Battalion, Army Cadet Force.
Sergeant Major David Rooney was recently presented with a Certificate for Meritorious Service by H.M. Lord - Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran John Duncan, CVO, QPM. He was awarded by this prestigious certificate for his outstanding loyalty and commitment to the Army Cadet Force.
SMI Rooney joined West Lowland Battalion as an adult instructor in March 2007. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in July 2009 then to Sergeant Major Instructor in October 2011. He served as Company Sergeant Major for 5 years. He was the Company Training Officer responsible for adult and senior cadet training and took the appointment of Company Shooting Officer in 2015 where he successfully took his team to win the Battalion Shooting competition in 2016.
David also used his expertise from when he served in the Royal Signals to become the 51 Brigade Signals Officer providing support and training for Signals to all battalions in Scotland. David moved to the Development Wing of the Battalion in August 2016 where he assists in the training and development of cadets and adults throughout the battalion. His commitment and loyalty to the Army Cadet Force is notable and much appreciated by all concerned.
Eagle Troop,West Lowland Battalion, Army Cadet Force.
The Lord - Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran, Mr John Duncan,CVO, QPM, recently attended the inaugural weekend camp of the West Lowland Battalion's Eagle Troop.
Eagle Troop is for cadets who hold 2 star or above to develop their skills and gain qualifications with some specialised senior training. The training is designed to develop the next top cadets as highly competent instructors, mentors and leaders within the ACF and lead them to achieve more themselves.
Eagle Troop is led by Cadet RSM Tony Sockell. As the most senior cadet in the Battalion, Tony leads from the front to help develop the next top cadets. 54 cadets attended the first weekend where they took part in a Junior Cadet Instructor Cadre, learned how to do correct cane drill and rifle drill, had advanced weapons training and were introduced to leadership & management techniques.
Cadets will continue this advanced training over the next year and will gain qualifications such as the SQA Level 5 leadership award, Duke of Edinburgh’s awards, first aid qualifications and get them ready to attend the ACF Master Cadet Course at Cadet Training Centre, Frimley Park.
Further information on the recent activities of the West Lowland Army Cadet Force can be found on the Facebook page