The Olds cadets garnered high praise at the squadron's change of command ceremony on Oct. 9 at the Olds Recreation Center.
Lt.-Cmdr. Bob Newton presided over the occasion and said that Squadron No. 185 of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets was among the brightest groups he's inspected.
“I usually like to stand outside and tonight I stood outside and a lot of you stopped and said hello to me and I don't get that even from my own navy,” Newton said. “So I'm quite impressed with the leadership that's in (No.) 185 and even more impressed with the maturity.”
Newton challenged the cadets to invite friends to join the squadron, hoping to double its size.
A change of command occurs every three years and this time it was Capt. Andrew Sturrock handing leadership over to Capt. Ed Wiper.
“I'm looking forward to the next three years here. I've been left with a squadron in excellent shape here,” Wiper said.
The ceremony included a banner exchange, where Warrant Officer 2nd Class Caleb Ould, the squadron's highest-ranking cadet, marched the banner to the front of the room.
He passed the banner over to Sturrock, who handed it over to Newton.
Newton thanked Sturrock for his service before presenting the banner to Wiper.
Wiper then handed the banner back to Ould, who made a presentation that night on his International Air Cadet Exchange to Turkey.
Sturrock and Wiper then signed a change of command certificate.
“I appreciate all the support I've been given, especially from the parents and the organizations in this community who've stood behind the air cadets,” Sturrock said.
The evening also saw cadets share their experiences at summer training centres, which included attending camps that taught a variety of skills, from fitness, music, survival and flight.
