The Air Cadet League of Canada is proud to announce the three winners of the 2025 of the National Effective Speaking Competition.
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On June 14, the Effective Speaking National Competition took place in Ottawa. Every province and the Northwest Territories were represented. During the competition, 11 speakers demonstrated their oral skills by presenting a prepared speech, as well as an impromptu speech.&nbsp;
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SKACL highlights WO2 Amelia Wood from 574 Dakota who represented Saskatchewan at the 2025 National Effective Speaking Competition.&nbsp;
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Congratulations to all the 11 participants and Amelia Wood for winning the provincial competition and representing Saskatchewan on the national stage!

2025 National Effective Speaking Competition

Every June, the local air cadets hold the Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR), a ceremony that marks the culmination of a year&rsquo;s hard work, dedication, and achievement. The ACR consists of the final parade of the training year, giving cadets the chance to demonstrate their skills and progress.
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Colin Kunkel, Civilian Instructor with 574 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron notes the benefit of the air cadet program, such as &ldquo;learning about yourself and what you can accomplish through hard work&rdquo; and learning skills like &ldquo;time management and leadership skills throughout the year, and learning how to be good citizens.&rdquo;
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Kunkel also stated that the experience within the cadet program is useful to include on a resume, as the skills learned can be used outside the program. He also expresses that oftentimes participants form long lasting friendships.
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&ldquo;The Cadet program is a hidden gem and by far the best youth organization in Canada,&rdquo; Kunkel said, adding that many notable Canadians such as Chris Hadfield, current Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the first female Snowbird pilot Maryse Carmichael, and former Saskatchewan Lt. Governor Gordon Barnhart, all participated in the Air Cadet Program.
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&ldquo;I have many friends who have and still serve in the RCAF and they always say they wouldn&rsquo;t be where they are without their experience in the Cadet program.&rdquo;
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With a legacy of producing confident, capable, and community-minded young people, the Air Cadet program continues to make a powerful difference in the lives of Saskatchewan youth.
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The photos and information are credited to the Martensville Messenger and Clarks Crossing Gazette.

Martensville Messenger Highlights the Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) 

Camp Saskadet is celebrating its 50th anniversary! In celebration, we are hosting an event at Camp Saskadet from June 27 to June 29.
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<div dir="ltr">for the&nbsp;Full Weekend Package&nbsp;meals will include: toast and coffee for breakfast (Saturday and Sunday), burgers and hot dogs and chips for lunch and smoked meat on a bun and salads for the banquet. (This meat will be smoked by the one and only&nbsp;Gerald!)&nbsp;</div>
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<div dir="ltr">for the&nbsp;Banquet &amp; Concert Package&nbsp;the only meal provided will be the banquet meal and there will be no option for barrack accommodation or camping on the property.</div>
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&nbsp;The fire will be ready for your own s'mores and other cooking adventures!
For any questions, please contact Larry Sinnett: larrys@skacl.ca
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<img src="https://_/storage/uploads/2025/04/04/IMG_4852_uid_67ef4f055baa2.jpeg" alt="" />

Camp Saskadet - 50th Anniversary Celebration

Colin joined the cadet program in 1989, when he joined as a cadet at 107 Spitfire squadron in Saskatoon. He transitioned to serving as a CIC officer in the squadron afterwards. He worked as the Supply, Admin, UHRA, Band Officer and Training Officer during his time with 107 and also worked two summers with Summer Movements in Regina and four summers at Penhold Air Cadet Summer Training Centre. After a brief break, Colin rejoined the cadet program as a civilian instructor at 574 RCACS in Martensville, w here he has been since they started operating there.
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Speaking about his previous activities, Colin said:
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&ldquo;This will sound rather cheezy, but one favorite memory was putting on my uniform for the first time and stepping onto the parade square. Yes, I had creases in the wrong place, railroad tracks on my pants, maybe a loose thread or two on my shoulder flashes, but the feeling I had was nothing but excitement. I have a lot of fond memories throughout my cadet career, but I don't think anything matches the excitement of putting on that uniform for the first time. I do have another favorite memory and that is when I represented 107 RCACS at the 50th Anniversary Gathering of Air Cadets back in 1991, which celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Air Cadet League of Canada. Imagine one Air Cadet from every squadron in Canada (over 400 of us), gathering for one weekend in Quebec City. We toured all of the usual tourist spots, participated in a parade through Old Quebec, attended a huge air show and then had dinner with the Snowbirds after that air show. We climbed to the top of Mount St. Anne and went on a big river cruise down the St. Lawrence. That was the first big trip away from home for me and my first trip on an airliner. Any thoughts of being homesick quickly went away when I started meeting friends and hanging out...not to mention all of the fun activities that were planned for us. I kept in touch with some of those friends for a while, but like life, people drift apart and lose contact, but to this day, I still have very fond memories of that trip.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;Whether it has been as a volunteer, Civilian Instructor or CIC Officer, cadets has given me plenty of opportunities, from the smallest things like driving a van full of cadets to a MUSCON in Moose Jaw to working with many cadets, whether it be at summer camps or when I worked summer movements. Working with the cadets is and always has been the biggest and best opportunity afforded me while working as an adult staff member.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;I will always recommend the cadet program to anyone who will listen to me because it opens up so many doors for kids today, which you just cannot get with any other youth program in the country. What other program offers you a chance to get your glider or power license, sail on a real military ship during the summer, learn how to parachute, go visit another country? What other youth program gives you a sense of self, along with a sense of camaraderie than the cadet program?&rdquo;
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&ldquo;I think the biggest thing I have learned from being involved with cadets is the fact that it provides structure to a youth's life that they may not be able to get with any other kind of youth organization, or even organized sports. You can come in off the street as you are and almost immediately, given tools to succeed at anything you want to do. What you learn as a cadet will apply to anything you do in your life after your time in the program is over. You can be the shiest kid coming through the doors on day one and thinking you'll never be able to make a friend, and then next thing you know, that shy kid is no longer shy and has made many friends.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;I think other people should join the cadet program, whether it be as a cadet or as an adult staff member, because of the challenges that the program can present to a person. Cadets will always challenge you to become better at something, whether it's simply polishing your boots to putting a good lesson plan together for a class or organizing an entire sports or survival weekend. If you want to prove to yourself what you are capable of, cadets is ready to challenge you.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;If you're a young kid reading this and you've been thinking about cadets and whether it's for you, I highly urge you to give it a try.&rdquo;

Colin Kunkel Interview

Nominate an air cadet volunteer today! Four possible awards are available. Award nominations are due September 30th and any submitted after the date will be considered for the following year. Nominations can be sent to <a href="mailto:richardp@skacl.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">richardp@skacl.ca</a>&nbsp;when filled.
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Download and fill out the pdf below.
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IZwDwVnOXscRNUWgjGG2_o0gZxbKoUZ4/view?usp=sharing">SKACL Awards</a>

SKACL Award Nominations

Camp Saskadet is a Tri-Service Provincial Cadet Camp located at Round Lake. The building of the camp began on July 5, 1975 with construction being done by Air, Army and Sea Cadet programs. Today, Camp Saskadet provides opportunities for camping, outdoor recreation, physical fitness training, biathlon, and survival training! Next year Camp Saskadet will be celebrating its 50th anniversary!
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Stay tuned for more details on an anniversary celebration.

Announcing Upcoming Camp Saskadet 50th Anniversary

Do you have photos or cadet memories you would like to share? Or maybe even get it featured on our social media? Submit them to <a href="mailto:linzyz@skacl.ca">linzyz@skacl.ca</a> by August 31st to be entered into a general draw to win $75. Keep your eyes out as we share the entries over the next few months!
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We are accepting submissions throughout Canada.
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Check out our <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C93B6gTyrTb/">Instagram page.</a>
Check out our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/skacl.ca/posts/pfbid02QXSKVVp6uZQzoPbPWjVFcahBZXMjQABBpAU7JkimufvKKvEr7JzZEb1Rne2HwbPrl">Facebook page.</a>
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By submitting your photo(s), you acknowledge and agree that all submitted photos become the property of SKACL upon submission. SKACL reserves the right to use, reproduce, edit, display, and distribute all submitted photos for promotional purposes without further compensation.

Calling for Photos and Air Cadet Memories!

Cadets from #574 Martensville were features in the Martensville Messenger newspaper after they hosted their ACR. Take a look!
<img src="https://_/storage/uploads/2024/07/01/Martensville-Story-1_uid_66820a324a48d.png" alt="" /><img src="https://_/storage/uploads/2024/07/01/Martensville-Story-2_uid_66820a3293123.png" alt="" />

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