Michelle Irvine has few concerns about her children becoming at-risk youth. They’re too busy to get into trouble.
Twice every week, David and Casandra Wilson don the uniform of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets 893 Beaufort Squadron, and they take part in a wide range of challenging sports and activities.
On Jan. 8 at Mount Washington, David, 15, took the silver medal in the senior male division in biathlon.
“That was just my second time skiing and my first time competing,” David said.
“It’s a combination of cross-country skiing and target shooting with a .22 rifle,” explained Casandra, 13, who placed seventh out of 12 in the junior girls division. “The rifles stay at the shooting station, though. You don’t pack them, like they do in the Olympics.”
With his medal finish, David qualified for the Provincial Biathlon Competition, which takes place on Feb. 5 at Mount Washington. On Jan. 22, he will undergo land training at the Henry Range in Parksville, then head to the mountain on Jan. 29.
“I’m supposed to shoot and run this weekend,” David said. “The idea is to get you running, then shoot when your heart rate is up. We’ll run eight kilometres in four circuits.”
But while it is great to take part in demanding sports, the Air Cadet program is about flying, and David and Casandra both enjoy getting up in the glider.
“It was kind of scary at first when the tow plane let go, but it was really fun,” Casandra said.
“She was so excited the first time she went up, she said, ‘Mom, looking down, the cars were the size of my fingernail,’” said Michelle, an Ahousaht First Nation member.
The goal of the training is to gradually introduce the students to handling the aircraft, David said.
“When we go up, the cadet-instructor sits in the back. Both seats have controls, and when you’re up, they let you have control for a while,” he explained.
Both cadets now aspire to become that instructor in the back seat. Their Dad, Jamie Irvine, said it is possible for cadets to certify as pilots by the time they complete the program at 18.
“But even if they don’t go on to become pilots, they still have this experience for the rest of their lives,” Jamie said.
David said he is considering two possibilities: to follow a track to become a commercial pilot or to attend military college to become a Canadian Forces pilot.
Casandra said she is a little uncertain about her opportunities, because she doesn’t have the required 20/20 vision to become a commercial pilot, although she has been advised that laser-corrected vision is acceptable.
David and Casandra joined the air cadets two years ago, after taking part in the local Navy League for several years. Jamie said the siblings are doing everything to keep all their life options open.
“They do well in school and they keep their grades up, and they’ve both won scholarships through the [Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council],” he said. The scholarships are matched by the Ahousaht nation.
“What I like is that all the hours they put in with cadets are worth credits in their school and count towards graduation,” Michelle said. “They are considered volunteer hours.”
Every Tuesday night, David and Casandra head over the Hump to the Beaufort Squadron base in Qualicum Beach for three hours of basic training. The sports and flight training take place on weekends.
“I like going on Tuesdays, because we learn drills and we learn about airplanes,” Casandra said. “Last week, we learned about the runway lighting and markings.”
David said he is learning about weather patterns and communications, “but I like biathlon best,” he added.
Michelle said the program involves a minimum of six hours of structured activity each week, not including commuting time. That part does put a stretch on a young family, she said, noting that her dad, Dave Dorward, does some of the driving to help out.
“It would help if there were more cadets in Port Alberni to share the load,” she said.
For that reason, the squadron is always trying to attract new cadets to take part in the program. At school, David said he and his sister get mixed reactions from their peers. While they like the sound of the glider training and the sports, they are a little iffy about the uniform and the military aspect of the program.
For Jamie, one of the benefits has been watching his kids grow in confidence and self-reliance. That was demonstrated one day last July when David saved the life of a swimmer in the Stamp River.
“We were all out swimming, just below the Bucket, when a woman fell out of her tube. She was tubing with a group of people, but she couldn’t swim,” he said.
“She popped up right in the middle of us, so we sent David to save her,” Michelle said, adding that, while the rescue never made the local newspapers, David did get a nice mention on The Peak radio station.
For more information about the cadet program, contact Lt. John Archer, Training and Supply Officer, 893 Beaufort Squadron, at 250-248-5848, or by e-mail at archerjb@shaw.ca.
