NAUJAAT
Members of the 3055 Naujaat Army Cadet Corps have been busy since the new cadet year began a little more than two months ago.

Naujaat cadets Master Cpl. Neevie Kidlapik and Master Warrant Officer Veronica Uttak, front row from left, and Cpl. Ernie Inaksajak, Master Cpl. Aaron Kopak, Master Warrant Officer Jonathan Ijjangiaq, Master Cpl. Susie Siusangnark, Cpl. Lorena Siusangnark and Capt. Lloyd Francis, back row from left, have a few laughs while training in Shilo, Man. - photo courtesy of Lloyd Francis

Naujaat's typical cadet year runs from mid-August until the end of the school year, with a number of cadets also heading out to summer camp in June.

The 3055 had 31 cadets on its final parade in 2014.

So far this year, the corps is parading close to 50 cadets.

Capt. Lloyd Francis said Remembrance Day is a huge date on the cadet calendar and this year, it will be followed by a sports-and-drill competition in Iqaluit during the first weekend in December.

He said the event features competition in volleyball, basketball, drill and marksmanship.

"The event is for Eastern Arctic cadets, which includes Iqaluit, Arctic Bay, Iglulik, Rankin Inlet and Naujaat.

"We can send eight cadets to the competition, and it's good for the kids in our region to meet each other.

"It's usually a pretty level playing field with those corps competing but we've shown we can compete successfully against the southern corps, too.

"We (Naujaat) won the 2014 Army Cadet Challenge in Shilo, against all the Manitoba corps, and Rankin Inlet won it this year."

Francis said the Naujaat young people involved with cadets like a structured atmosphere.

He said the fact there's almost always something to do with cadets is another strong drawing point with youth in the community.

"We remain pretty active, whether it's our corps training night on Wednesday, a community cleanup, sports and physical training on Saturday or marksmanship on Sunday.

"Add in our land trips and school overnights, and there's always something going on to keep them involved.

"We get a lot of support from the community, with the school (Tusarvik) being our sponsor.

"We use the school a lot, and, if we didn't have that option, there probably wouldn't be any cadet program here."

Francis remains the only uniformed officer in Naujaat.

The corps has five civilian instructors; four of whom are in the process of enroling to gain their officer status.

Francis has been in Naujaat for the past three years, and said the local cadets are split fairly evenly between those who enjoy sports and those who like marksmanship.

He said the split means they often see two different groups of young people out to the Saturday and Sunday sessions.

"Every cadet is expected to attend on Wednesday night from 5:30 to 8 p.m, because that's when we do our classes and learn about a wide range of issues such as survival, teamwork, leadership, drill and citizenship.

"I expect the 3055 to be around for a very long time, as long as we get some more uniformed officers in Naujaat.

"I don't plan on leaving anytime soon, but, hopefully, if I ever do decide to leave, we'll have more uniformed officers to carry the program forward.

"In the meantime, the corps continues to grow and all new cadets are welcome."

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