Sea Cadets plan special parade to mark 50 years
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FOR 50 years a youth organisation has helped teach hundreds of youngsters in Caithness about the values of friendship, responsibility and teamwork.
Now Thurso Sea Cadet corps is preparing to mark its milestone birthday in style by holding a number of special events in the town during the year.
Plans are at an early stage to organise a special parade through Thurso town centre in the summer to honour the contribution the group has made to youth development in the west of the county, as well as a special event in December, which was the month in which the corps was first set up.
Chief Petty Officer Martin Sutherland told the John O'Groat Journal that the Sea Cadets corps has had a vital role to play in the development of its young members to prepare them for adult life.
"We do not act as a pre-service organisation for the Royal Navy, although several of our former sea cadets have gone on to careers in the forces," he said.
"Our main aim is to get kids to grow up into responsible adulthood, using the navy as a theme and teaching self-discipline to educate them into the rights and wrong of life."
Thurso Sea Cadets Corps was established in December 1962 by a committee of local people who met on a weekly basis in public buildings.
After a uniformed staff was set up and as membership grew, the committee started to fundraise to build a facility of its own with proper storage areas for boats and equipment.
The committee obtained land from the late Lord Thurso at Sir Archibald Road on which to build a unit and the corps is still based there today.
There are currently 20 members in the organisation and it is open to people aged from 10 to 18 that want to get involved in activities such as boating, kayaking, windsurfing and rowing during the summer.
In the winter period, members get take part in advancement and specialisation programmes, studying such subjects as meteorology, communications and engineering.
Mr Sutherland said the group is hoping that more members will join the organisation during its half centenary, saying that the corps has a lot to
offer young people in the west of the county
"Friendship, education and a feeling of being wanted are what we offer our members," he said.
"A lot of what we do is learning how to work as team. We get kids who turn up every week who are so enthusiastic about being involved and want to take their friends along.
"It is good fun and everyone enjoys being part of it, which is why we've lasted for 50 years."
For more information about the group visit www.thursoseacadets.com
