08/12/2024
300 ACU Unit Spotlight #1 - LT Watson
For the first edition of 300 ACU’s Unit Spotlight, we catch up with 2LT Watson to discuss his experiences returning to the organisation as an Adult Cadet Staff (ACS) member, his take on skills learnt throughout the program and how he found the recent Exercise Emu
How have you found being an ACS?
“I started cadets in 2009, I was I believe in Year 9 at the time. My final year in cadets was 2013. And obviously now I’ve come back, as staff 10 years later, now that I’m in a position to do so – and I’m loving it.”
“Just
having something that I can commit time to, that I can do outside of work is really awesome.”
How did you find going from being a cadet to ACS?
“When I was in cadets, it never really crossed my mind. I did briefly consider it, when I first moved back to Ballarat (2016), but wasn’t really tenable at that moment. Fast forward to earlier on this year, and I thought it was the right time. I saw some of the posts that had been made on Facebook, I saw that the unit was really thriving.”
“It’s quite different to being in the cadets – as staff, there’s a lot more dealing with incidents and more paperwork. Basically I’m a volunteer, I’m here to help the cadets. I came back because I want to give back to an organisation that has done a whole lot for me that really helped me. I love the enthusiasm and the quality of the youth here, so I want to support that.”
What sort of things do you do within the unit?
“At the moment I haven’t got a specific role, I sort of dip my toes into everything. But mainly I’m here to assist so that we’ve got enough staff to run activities. Here to be a good role model, and help with whatever we need doing – running stuff around, or talking
with parents or dealing with issues. Basically just an all-rounder at the moment -- I’m there to help support as best that I can.”
Had you done JLC?
“I
did JLC (Junior Leadership Course), SLC (Senior Leadership Course). When I left, I was a Sergeant. I had the opportunity to do CUOWO’s, but I chose to ADS instead.” “I actually ADS’ed with Captain Middlin from Sebastopol ACU – we were in the same platoon, she was running the platoon and I was assisting her.”
How did you find Exercise Emu?
“Emu was great. Being on Emu as an ACS versus cadets is very different. And obviously its changed dramatically in the past decade.” “My job on Emu is basically keeping the morale up – making sure that everyone is getting fed – keeping everything safe, making sure
that we’re dealing with any problems before they become major issues. All in all, Emu went down pretty well.”
In talking, 2LT Watson reflected on his experiences of his first Exercise Emu, sharing some funny memories from what was a crazy first Annual Field Exercise:
“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard, but ‘09 was pretty notorious for Emu. 2009 was the year that it basically just poured with rain the whole week. So that was a really different experience as a recruit, coming in as your first Emu.
It was definitely a different time – but yeah, ‘09 was pretty notorious, “The Great Floods”.
that was my experience for my first Emu.”
How was it to observe the cadets?
“[the obstacle course] was one example that was really just amazing to see.”
“It’s really inspiring to see the people pushing it, working together, getting involved with it, just getting into it a lot, it’s really great. As staff that’s what I’m here for, to develop people like that and see that.”
“Being on Emu was really insightful for me – getting to see the character – the character of everyone really came out, the people that really step up and absolutely look out for each other and thrive, and then I get to see some of the ones that don’t thrive as much and need a bit more help. It helped me as unit staff to get a sense of where everyone is at in the unit.”
Do you find that the skills you use in cadets as an ACS transfer into the civilian world?
“Having to respond to emails, a professionalism – all of these sorts of skills are very useful. I guess I haven’t been an ACS long enough, but I wouldn’t say there’s any hard skills, like learning nav isn’t going to be too relevant for me out there – but a lot of
the soft skills are, such as working in a professional environment, having responsibility, dealing with issues – having that experience is definitely useful for sure”
How do you find working with each other to bring an activity like Exercise Emu together?
“That's a very involved process, you spend most of the year working towards that. Having a really good team is really important for that sort of thing – people that can be on top of the organization for it, all the paperwork, having people that are willing to pick
up staff that get assigned or organise transportation for each other – it’s really important having a tight knit team, and we are a really good team as staff.”
“We do spend a lot on it, but it’s worth it when you see the cadets and what they’re getting out of it.”
“We do enjoy it ourselves as well, going out and having a bit of fun out in the field. But it is mostly at the end of the day about the cadets.”
How do you feel like the cadet program helps develop cadets?
“You learn a lot of specific hard-skills, which is great, but that’s not really what it’s about – what is way more useful and vital, is the confidence that you gain.”
“You get to meet other people from around the area and do fun stuff. As you progress through the cadet program, you get more responsibilities, basically dress and bearing, learning to present yourself well, these things translate so well in the real world, that
you can just see it – whether you’re going onto a new job, the people that have done cadets tend to be really well put together, mature and responsible.”
“Those are the big things, maturity, responsibility, confidence, these are the things that are probably the best to take away, as well as just great experiences and learning new things.”
Looking to gain unique experiences and give back while also paving the way for the youth of Australia? For more information on joining the Australian Army Cadets as a volunteer, follow the link below:
https://www.armycadets.gov.au/volunteer/
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- CDTLCPL Dunks
