:: The Commandant's Page

Colonel Andrew Blowers is the Commandant of Surrey Army Cadet Force having been appointed to the role in 2004 after serving for five years as Deputy to his predecessor.

In addition to his role in Surrey he has been instrumental in organising many national competitions and overseas trips and events and he served, until recently, as a member of the National ACF Recruiting Marketing Group before taking on the role of Representative Commandant where he represents all ACF Commandants at national level. Further external roles as Chairman of the Independent Advisory Panel for the Army Training Regiment in Pirbright and as a members of the Surrey Committee of the Army Benevolent Fund ensure that he is kept rather busy!

Out of uniform his day job is in the insurance industry and he is the Chief Executive Officer of Swiftcover.com. a company that he founded two years ago having sold his previous Company to Churchill Insurance.

When time permits his hobbies include shooting, performance cars and wine and he enjoys spending time with his wife and their children.

:: Commandant's Christmas Message - 9 December 2006

It is often said that one of the signs of getting old is the speed with which time seems to pass. On the basis of this theory I must be getting very, very old because it seems as if it was only yesterday that we were packing up to come home from Fremington Training Camp. Fremington was undoubtedly one of our best annual camps in terms of the quality of training, the large numbers attending and, perhaps more importantly, the number of new challenges and opportunities for fun that camp presented to our Cadets.

Two weeks ago I was privileged to attend a Dinner Night organised by our senior cadets and I was very moved by a most insightful farewell speech delivered by CUO Chris North on behalf of all of the senior cadets now finishing their cadet service and off “out into the big wide world” to pursue their careers. Several are going on to university, some to service in the Regular Army and one to the Police Force.

Now it would be arrogant to assume that the Army Cadet Force was the catalyst for their achievements and aspirations. Certainly by joining the ACF in the first place each of Cadets showed strong indications of their desire to achieve and to be different, but I like to think that in many ways the time spent by these individuals in the ACF has in some small way equipped them to better understand the challenges that they will face in life and perhaps encouraged them to push themselves further to achieve. They are a quite excellent group of young people and they will be missed, but such is our lot in the ACF!

As a part of his speech CUO North listed a number of the opportunities and successes of our seniors in the last few years. These included our Australian Exchange programme, a (now ongoing and annual) parachute course for Senior Cadets, various Military Skills competitions including a win at Exercise Tiger Cub and, only a few days before the dinner, another almost clean sweep at the National Orienteering Championships. His list was too long to mention here but, as he pointed out in his thanks to all of the adults who make up Surrey ACF, none of this would have happened without their serious hard work and organisational input.

So, we’ve done a huge amount in the last year and achieved a large number of important milestones, many through the strenuous efforts of our seniors, and it’s clear that those following on behind have a tough act to follow. It’s a task, however, that I’m sure, from my knowledge of the next ‘generation’, to which they are certainly equal!

Next year sees one of the most active programmes ever. In addition to the normal “business as usual” hard work at Detachment and Company level there are many events planned from Parachuting in Cyprus to another Australian exchange. Two areas that really need our focus in 2007, and I’ve recognised this by the appointment of two top quality officers, is in the areas of shooting and Duke of Edinburgh Award, where our performance has been for some time uninspiring.

Our Annual Camp next year is more local at Longmoor where we have, in recent years, had a very successful camp and we’ll be taking the opportunity to invite parents and other guests to visit us to see what actually goes on at annual camp. Major Newman, the Battalion Commander, has promised me 400 Cadets at Longmoor and, by achieving these numbers, we’ll beat all previous records since the shrinking of the County boundaries many, many years ago.

In closing I would like to take the opportunity to wish all ranks a very Happy Christmas and to implore you all to ensure that we make 2007 an even more successful year than that now passing.

Colonel Andrew Blowers
Commandant

:: Commandant's Post-camp Message - 27 August 2006

A message from the Commandant to all those Officers and Instructors who attended Annual Camp this year.

Thanks to all those of you who made our Annual Camp at Fremington the huge success that it undoubtedly was.

I believed that last year was one of the very best Camps that Surrey had experienced for many years and, from talking to our Cadets, I think that this one was even better for the majority.

Our ‘all up’ Cadet total was 319 Cadets (some attending for part of Camp only) a huge increase on the sub-200 figure of last year and a great testament to the hard work done by everyone in their home Detachments.

The Cadres, AT and activities were well organised by dedicated staff and well supported by the Quartermastering and Messing functions. In fact, I was delighted to be told by the Camp Commandant that Surrey ACF was the smartest and best disciplined County that he had seen at the Camp (and this despite a few administration problems in the early part of Camp that might have biased his opinion otherwise!).

Additionally the Camp’s Permanent Quartermaster who spends much of his day out around the Camp made the comment to me that the quality of instruction that he witnessed was quite the best that he had ever seen!

These remarks from unbiased external observers are hugely encouraging as were the positive comments of the many senior officers who visited us throughout the first week.

But more important indicators of a successful Camp were also much in evidence. We had fewer Cadets go home through home sickness (showing the high level of pastoral care from all) and fewer visits the MI room than in the last two years, despite an over 50% increase in numbers attending Camp. The number of APC passes was also quite the highest for sometime.

Perhaps the best indicator however was the happy smiling faces of our Cadets and this is the true testament of the hard work done by all.

Very well done and thank you for the part that you played in making Fremington 2006 such a successful Annual Camp.

Colonel Andrew Blowers
Commandant

:: Commandant's Easter Message - April 2006

What a fantastic start to the year! 

It really hasn’t stopped; the Detachment Annual Inspections are well and truly on us and the first few reports to come back have some very encouraging grades and comments.

Annual Camp is just around the corner and we look like having higher numbers attending than we have for many years. This is a great reflection of all of the hard work going on in the Companies and Detachments.

In addition to the usual full Calendar of Events with Company Exercises and Training Days and Weekends we’ve just about had time to fit in a number of the additional activities that can be seen reported elsewhere on the site.

There has been considerable involvement in the local community; Horley Detachment were, once more, awarded the trophy for winning the Lord Lieutenant’s Poppy Appeal Competition (and raising nearly £3,000 for the Royal British Legion!) and a ‘star-studded cast’ turned out a few weeks ago to recognise the stunning achievements of SMI Cooper and Walton Detachment in their Youth and Community Project in Walton which has brought vandalism and graffiti to a full stop locally. Early next month will see Farnham Detachment piloting a supermarket collection for the Army Benevolent Fund and raising money for needy ex.servicemen and their dependants.

On 13^th April a party of 28 all ranks from Surrey ACF under the Command of Major Alan Mulder were privileged to attend the Maundy Service at Guildford Cathedral with Her Majesty the Queen and to assist in helping attendees to their seats and in the forming of a Guard of Honour.

Add into this mix a very successful Battlefield Tour, the opening, by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, of our completely rebuilt Detachment at Leatherhead and a challenging selection weekend for our potential officers and the ACF really does live up to the slogan “A life full of adventure”.

And despite the lead up to our Annual Camp there is more still to come with forthcoming Adventure Training and Signals courses, the Divisional Military Skills Competition and another Outreach programme to name but a few.

I’m also personally very excited that Surrey ACF will once more be sending senior cadets overseas on a parachuting course and perhaps more so because the party will be led by AUO Paice who attended the first course that I ran some twelve years ago as a Cadet!

The area of Adult Training has not been neglected either, in addition to the excellent Potential Officer Selection Weekend mentioned above we are shortly to begin a new Adult Induction Course and through the superb efforts of our Chief Clerk, Jo Bentinck, we have managed to secure more places on courses at the Cadet Training Centre at Frimley Park than ever before – and, very pleasingly, our staff are getting some excellent grades with many being asked back as Assistant Directing Staff.

That all of this has been possible is due, as ever, to some quite phenomenal efforts from both our volunteer and permanent staff. In the increasingly litigious and rule based society in which we live organising stimulating activities for our cadets becomes more and more difficult and time consuming and the fact that we have nearly one hundred and sixty Officers and Adult Instructors in the County who are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get the job done speaks volumes for the volunteer ethos! Thank you all and keep up the good work.

:: Commandant's New Year Message -  Jan 2006

2005 was a year of consolidating on a number of changes to our structure and saw a positive move forward in terms of the development of training and organisation.

By October we had reached the stage, due in no small part to the national marketing campaign and the following efforts of the Company Commanders and Headquarters staff in exploiting this, where we were nearly fully recruited for adult instructors. There remains a large shortfall in terms of officers and this can only come in time as members of adult staff are selected to attend the new ACF Commissioning Board at Westbury. I make no apology for this being our immediate focus above all else as the number and quality of our adult leaders have a direct bearing on the quantity, quality and variety of the training that we are able to deliver to our cadets.

The year also saw a sustained focus on ensuring that our adult staff achieve more qualifications for Adventure Training as this too enables us to deliver the breadth of varied and exciting training that our cadets have come to expect.

Due largely to the support of SACFA, our own Charitable Trust, we now have new kayaks, mountain bikes and shotguns to enable us to deliver training with modern, efficient and state of the art equipment.

Annual Camp in Norfolk proved to be a huge success. Many thought that this was one of the best camps that we had attended in recent years and my only disappointment was that there were thirty or so fewer cadets on the ground that were able to take advantage of this than in the previous year. Everyone on camp managed to undertake a good amount of both military and adventure training and every cadet had at least one helicopter ride thanks to the Army Air Corps and the RAF.

After camp we had a party of instructors and senior cadets who visited our affiliated cadet unit in Western Australia for three weeks which was truly the “trip of a lifetime”.

Surrey ACF were also honoured after camp by being selected to march off the old ACF Banner when the Duke of Edinburgh (our Colonel in Chief) presented a new Banner to the ACF at Sandhurst. The four cadets who formed the banner party had a private audience with the Duke of Edinburgh who showed great interest in their personal achievements and ambitions.

Further personal achievements are recognised by several of our instructors passing the new Cadet Force Commissioning Board and by the award of Lord Lieutenant’s Certificates and ACF Certificates of Good Service. In fact more of these certificates were awarded to members of Surrey ACF in 2005 than in any other year in memory.

For the forthcoming year our focus has to be building on the success of 2005. Our new Company structure is beginning to come together and the Cooper’s Cask Competition (originating from our new and much welcomed affiliation with the Worshipful Company of Coopers) should further cement the units within their Companies and establish some invigorating competition.

It is important too that we don’t take our eye off the ball with regard to recruiting and ‘selling’ the ACF to potential new adult recruits must remain the focus of every adult instructor within the organisation.

However the most important focus that must exercise us all in 2006, is in the area of communication. We have too many instances where our cadets miss out on opportunities for training, courses and travel due to poor communication and this is inexcusable. Communication is the responsibility of everyone at every level!

For Annual Camp this year we have finally settled on Fremington (after just a few changes due to poor facilities in other potential camps) and it will be the first time that we have visited Fremington Camp for some years. Certainly there exist many opportunities for a challenging training programme in this area of Devon and lots of adventure training activities will be undertaken in addition to the normal military syllabus.

Let’s make 2006 another year to remember; we now have most of the tools to do the job in terms of equipment, people in the right places and a good cadre of senior cadets so there really can be no excuses! 

Colonel Andrew Blowers
Commandant