CCF Contingent Commander Simon Smale started the year by congratulating his long-standing colleague’s good service. Here is the speech he delivered to cadets new and old as they started their Friday 8 drill training on the quad last week.
Lt O’Connor joined Exeter School as a teacher of Chemistry in January 2021 from St Edmund’s School in Canterbury where he had been in the CCF for 10 years. He has brought his knowledge and experience to the unit and has been pro-active with his support for trips and for the CCF in general.
He is a good all-rounder and a reliable Cadet Force Adult Volunteer who will volunteer his skills wherever possible, whether it is on camps, overnight exercises or within the unit on parade afternoons.
Since joining Exeter School, Phil saw the need for more staff to be Skill At Arms trained and volunteered himself to go on the course which has proved extremely helpful for us to continue to deliver cadet weapon training to the required high standard to the Army cadets in the contingent.
He has been good support for the Army section on their field days and overnight exercises and has been heavily involved with the training of the Year 10 new recruits (approx.90) each year, showing enthusiasm and encouragement, which have brought healthy numbers into the Army section and to the CCF in general.
Possibly Mr O’Connor’s most exceptional moment was in 2022. We had taken a group of 26 cadets on an adventure training week to Snowdonia, the school’s first residential trips following the pandemic. A member of staff pulled out at short notice, just 3 days before the trip and he stepped in to not only help out but to run the catering for the group for the whole week and act as minibus driver. He did the same in 2023 and we are most appreciative of his above and beyond support.
Exeter School are very appreciative of Phil’s contribution and feel he is worthy of recognition so we nominated him for The Army Cadets Certificate of Good Service.
At the same time, Lt O’Connor received the cadet forces medal which marks 12 years of service in the CCF.
