Spotlight Capt. Rhonda Notschaele

Updated 2021-09-04


Squadron you belonged to as a cadet:#34 RCACS 

 

Current Position: Zone Training Officer Regina

 

  • What is one of your most memorable moments either as a cadet or working with cadets?
    • My most memorable moment as a cadet was traveling to Washington, DC on an Easter trip with 34 RCACS. It was a long bus trip, but that really allowed the cadets to get to know each other and the sites along the way were very interesting. We toured the Pentagon, all of the monuments, the Smithsonian and military bases which we stayed at. It was an amazing trip that I will always remember.
    • My most memorable moment as an officer was when my own two children joined 41 RCACS and became involved in the Biathlon program. My husband also joined as a CI to coach the Biathlon team and they went to Nationals three times. Branden and Sydney both medaled and Sydney won the Nikki Kedde award, which was awarded to the Top Junior Biathlete. I was very proud to have my children join Air Cadets, not that they had much choice. 
    • Another memorable moment was when I was awarded the Officer of the Year from the National Air Cadet League in 2015. I was lucky to have my parents present with me at the awards banquet as they are the reason I joined Air Cadets.
  • What are your personal passions/ interests? 
    • I have always been a crafty person and was making jewelry for a few years, but now I have switched to quilting and it has very quickly become my passion and favorite thing to do. 

 

  • Can you tell us about your career?
    • As I was a former cadet, I enrolled as an officer while attending the University of Regina and started working in summer transport positions. 26 years ago I was offered a part-time position in the Air Office at the Cadet Detachment which progressed to the position I have today of Zone Trg Officer which I think is the most amazing job. Every day is new with different tasks and challenges and I get to work with an amazing team headed by LCdr Cann and an equally amazing team of dedicated Commanding Officers and LHQ staff. Visiting the corps and squadrons and seeing the cadets training and having fun never seems like work, I truly love this position.

 

  • What skills have you learned through cadets? 
    • One of the skills that I have learned and improved on from the program was public speaking. I definitely regret not taking part in the Effective Speaking competitions as a cadet as I have witnessed many amazing speeches by cadets over the years and know that program would have made it much easier for me and would have given me the skills much sooner. 

 

  • What advice do you have for current or future cadets? 
    • The cadet program has so many different aspects to offer teens that they may not get from other youth activities or sports like citizenship, leadership, military values, and ethics. I do not know of any other program where you can go gliding one weekend and go on a field exercise the next. By putting in an honest effort as a cadet there are so many personal rewards, and I can honestly say you will definitely get more than you put in.

 

  • What training camps/ courses did you complete as a cadet? 
    • As I was a late joiner I only attended Basic in Penhold, AB (the current GT course), Airframe Technical Training in Borden for 6 weeks and was a Staff Cadet for Summer Transport in Moose Jaw for 7 weeks.

 

  • What advice would you give adults wanting to volunteer with cadets or become an officer?
    • I would say go for it. Leading and training cadets and seeing them grow from shy young 12-year-old cadets into confident and mature leaders at 18 is so very rewarding. There are also many training opportunities for the staff that not only help in the cadet program but also in your personal life.