At a recent ceremony in Melbourne, an agreement was concluded between the Royal Australian Air Force Association Victorian Division and the Australian Air Force Cadets National Council that will greatly benefit the AAFC’s national competition program. Under the agreement, the RAAFA Victorian Division will sponsor the annual AAFC National Fieldcraft Competition for the next three years.
The Fieldcraft Competition brings together teams from the eight AAFC Wings at a central bivouac site where the cadets are put through a series of events to assess their fieldcraft skills. The teams compete for the Lydia Stevens Trophy, which is named after WGCDR Lydia Stevens, a long time Director of the AAFC. The current holder of the trophy is Number 8 Wing from the Northern Territory.
At the signing ceremony (pictured), the President of the RAAFA Victorian Division, Mr. John McCrystal, indicated that the Division members were very keen to provide assistance to the AAFC. The Chairman of the AAFC National Council, AVM Dave Dunlop, added that although the RAAF provides logistic and administrative support for the competition, the sponsorship will add significantly to the total cadet experience by providing those items that Defence is unable to fund.
Exercise Green Eagle, the 2014 competition, will be held over the Easter long weekend at the Puckapunyal Military Area in Victoria.
The President of the RAAFA Victorian Division, Mr. John McCrystal, shakes hands with AVM Dave Dunlop, Chairman AAFC National Council at the sponsorship agreement signing while the Past President, Mr. Peter Colliver, looks on.
