DUNGANNON ARMY CADET RIGHT ON TARGET IN CANADA

Cadet Sergeant Ben Hazelton (16), a member of 1st (Northern Ireland) Battalion Army Cadet Force, tells of his recent shooting experiences after he was selected for the Cadet Leadership and Marksmanship Course at Connaught, near Ottawa:

My trip with the UK team to Canada started at Bisley where I shot the pre-Bisley and V-club which went very well gaining medals. I then carried on to go and shoot at the main cadet shooting event over several days, with good and bad conditions for shooting. At the end of it all there was a large prize-giving event and I then had to start thinking about getting ready to go on my main trip across seas to Canada.

We had had a small meeting before this day where I was able to start seeing all the faces of the people I would be spending the next 6 weeks with. After the prize-giving, I then met up with the group I would be travelling with and we got all our bags together and figured everything out for travelling the next day.

The next morning we got up, showered and headed off to breakfast before getting on a bus to the airport where we cheeked our bags in and then got on the plane. After a long 8 hours we arrived in Canada where we were greeted by some of the highest cadets and adults in Connaught training centre. This was where we were going to be living and training for the next 6 weeks. We then arrived and unpacked in our new room before a lot of Canadians offered us a tour and asked us what we thought of the hot weather.

We were straight in to training after our first night, learning about the new rifles we would be using and the kit we were being given to use while we were there. We had 3 great meals a day which was an amazing standard of food to be getting at a shooting course. We were treated really well and always put first when it came to doing different things.

After a lot of practice and using the new rifles we started getting ready for competitions. We shot 3 large competitions when we where away and enjoyed shooting them all, getting a few medals from each. The level and intensity of training and teaching ability that the Canadians are at is a dream for any rifle shooter. We spent a lot of time on the range shooting in different wind and light conditions and gained so much experience that hopefully we can share with other cadets at shooting weekends.

 The Canadians were all such good people and we got to know many of them very well.  We as a group from the UK also got to know each other and develop friendships, with everyone helping each other.

It was an amazing trip; I would do it again if given the chance and I would encourage anyone who is keen on shooting to speak to their shooting officer about the opportunities.

The photo above shows Ben receiving a badge for Highest Possible Score and below, Ben can be seen in action on the range: