Three teenagers to share role of Mayor’s cadet

THREE teenagers will share the role of cadet to the new Mayor of Henley.

Army cadet Corporal Angelika Gwiazda, 15, air cadet Aleks Kluch, 17, and Royal Marine cadet Sergeant Angus Timblicka-Statham, 17, were officially appointed by Councillor Kellie Hinton at a ceremony at the Drill Hall in Friday Street on Wednesday last week.

The event was Cllr Hinton’s first official engagement since being made Mayor following Sarah Miller’s resignation due to ill health.

The cadets will accompany her at official engagements, such as the launch of the Poppy Appeal on October 28 and next month’s Remembrance Sunday service in Market Place.

To be selected for the role, the trio had to demonstrate exemplary leadership skills and commitment to their units as well as undertake an interview.

Councillor Hinton, who presented each cadet with a certificate and badge, said: “I’m really excited to be back at the Drill Hall. I haven’t been here since covid.

“I’m looking forward to being able to spend more time here as well as meeting the cadets properly and getting to know them better.”

Angelika, a pupil at Gillotts School, said she was proud to represent the Henley Army Cadets, adding: “I can spread the word and get other people to join.” She was encouraged to join the cadets by her sister Patrycja, 17, who is now a colour serjeant.

Angelika said: “My sister told me it’s really fun but I was a bit scared because I thought, ‘The Army — oh, that’s really intimidating’.

“But then I came and everyone was so nice and they immediately welcomed me.

“I started off doing a fieldcraft lesson outside. It was just lots of running around and everyone was laughing and I got to know them.”

She now enjoys camping outside under a tarpaulin and practising drill.

Angelika said: “I really like fieldcraft because you do lots of hands-on skills and running around. A lot of people complain about camping but you really get into it.”

Angus, from Didcot, said: “I’ve been in cadets for seven years. I was a sea cadet initially and then transferred to the marine cadets during covid.

“I am much nearer the end of my cadet career than the start so being the Mayor’s cadet feels like it has come to a peak.

“It’s a nice way to end it and to do something for the community.”

He described being in the cadets as “one of the best things you can do as a young adult”.

Angus said: “You get to do a huge range of stuff. I’m going to national shooting competitions later this year and I’m a drill instructor, which means I get to shout at people marching.” Aleks, who attends The Henley College, joined the cadets in September last year and has been training with the Henley detachment since they returned to the Drill Hall in May following the covid-19 pandemic.

He said he was “very excited” to be chosen, adding: “I’ve heard about different opportunities that come from being the Mayor’s cadet.”

His flight officer Ian Stanley said: “We’re very proud. He has come on quite a bit since he has been with us and hopefully within the next 12 months we might think about promoting him.”

Colour Serjeant Matthew Case, detachment commander of the Henley Army Cadets, said: “To be a Mayor’s cadet or to be nominated you have to be good at speaking, good at liaising and supporting your detachment.

“You have to make sure you can vocalise your thoughts and present yourself well to the public and in the community.

“You also have to generally be a good person, someone who has shown that they’ve developed and has general good leadership and is worthy of having this opportunity.”

He served as Mayor’s cadet to Lorraine Hillier in 2016.

“I really enjoyed it,” said Colour Serjeant Case. “I got the opportunity to speak in front of the whole town on the remembrance weekend and got a lot of recognition for it. That was thoroughly enjoyable.”

The Henley Army Cadets are part of Oxfordshire Batallion Army Cadet Force, which is affiliated to the Rifles Regiment.