HISTORIC HILLSBOROUGH CASTLE HOSTS THE RESERVE FORCES AND CADETS ASSOCIATION NORTHERN IRELAND FOR THEIR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Hillsborough Castle, the official residence of Her Majesty The Queen, was the setting for the Annual General Meeting of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for Northern Ireland (RFCA NI).

Over 70 members and guests of the Association, including Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenants, were welcomed to the Castle to hear about the latest Reservist and Cadet developments in the Province, before having an opportunity to mingle in the historic surroundings and to enjoy a delicious lunch.

Speakers at this year’s event included Captain Ian Robinson OBE RD RNR, (pictured below) Board Chairman at the Council of RFCAs, as well as the President of the Association, Mr Denis Desmond CBE, Lord Lieutenant for the County of Londonderry.

The audience were also honoured to welcome, for the first time, a cadet and a reservist from Northern Ireland, who both gave wonderful accounts of their experiences.

Cadet Company Sergeant Major Hannah Robinson of 1st (Northern Ireland) Battalion Army Cadet Force (ACF) gave an inspiring, humorous and moving presentation about her time in the ACF, including her trips to Canada and South Africa, which had both been life-changing experiences for her.

Lieutenant Ruairi Holohan RNR, from HMS Hibernia, then spoke of his time on Operation Weald, a migrant rescue operation in the Mediterranean aboard HMS Bulwark, for which he received the Best Reservist Award at the Sun Military Awards last year.  Ruairi was called up for duty for his linguistic skills, speaking French and Arabic to the thousands saved by the Royal Navy.  His account of this experience was truly fascinating and, again, extremely inspiring.

The Association would like to thank all of our speakers for giving up their time to remind us about the true value of Reservists and Cadets and the reason why the RFCAs exist today.