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Antrim Cadet is all set for African expedition

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Darren Elliott, getting in some serious training in preparation for ‘Expedition Lesotho’. GA021101S

AN Antrim Cadet will be heading off to Africa this summer to join 'Expedition Lesotho'.

Cadet Sergeant Darren Elliott from the Antrim ACF Cadet Detachment won the 'once in a lifetime opportunity' in the face of countrywide competition.
Nationally, 60 cadets have been selected to represent the Combined Cadet Force, the Sea Cadet Corps, the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps on a three-week African odyssey - part of the year-long celebrations to mark 150 years of the Cadet movement.
There are seven Cadets in the Northern Irish contingent of the expedition party and they have already met up to start training for what promises to be a demanding trip through rugged terrain.
The Cadets will help with community projects in the impoverished but spectacularly beautiful and isolated Kingdom of Lesotho and they will traverse the unspoilt Drakensburg Mountains to visit remote hill villages.
The Cadets will undertake a number of challenging expeditions as well as canoeing around the Katse Dam and touring battlefields at Rorke's Drift and Islandwana.
Colonel John Nicholl, Commandant of the 2nd (Northern Ireland) Battalion Army Cadet Force, said: "This is very far from being a stroll in the park, but Darren and the other Northern Irish Cadets are well up for the challenges that lie ahead.
“They have already enjoyed very successful careers within the Cadet movement and have shown considerable commitment, determination and enthusiasm.
“I know they will bring those qualities to Expedition Lesotho and I am confident that they will be excellent ambassadors for their Cadet units, and, indeed, for their country.
“The expedition is undoubtedly ambitious but it also promises to provide the serious fun which has always been the hallmark of the Cadet movement."

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