Congratulations to Cadet Flight Sergeant Rory Donoghue from 1094 (City of Ely) Squadron Air Training Corps who last night at Waterbeach Barracks was appointed as Lord Lieutenants Cadet for Cambridgeshire by Her Majesties Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Julie Spence OBE QPM.
Also present and pictured below Wing Commander Anthony Kelly FCMI RAFAC Officer Commanding Beds & Cambs Wing ATC who nominated Flight Sergeant Donoghue for this most prestigious award.
Seventeen year old Flight Sergeant Donoghue joined the Air Cadets at Ely Squadron four years ago as soon as he was old enough.
From the moment he joined Rory threw himself into every activity the Air Training Corps has to offer and certainly has got the most out of his cadet experience to date.
He has attended Easter and summer camps away at RAF and MOD establishments every year both in the UK and abroad participating in a wide range of adventurous activities such as white water kayaking, scuba diving, mountain biking, mountain climbing, sailing, and windsurfing.
In the Last year alone – as well as taking his GCSE’s- Rory attended The National Aerospace Camp, the Air Cadet Leadership Course at RAF Cranwell, the Air Cadet Adventure Training Camp at RAF Troodos in Cyprus.
Rory also represented Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Wing and Central and East Region in athletics, football and rugby leading to him being a member of the Corps Championship winning rugby team and being awarded the Wing Sportsman of the year trophy.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Rory also attended a static line parachute jump course at MOD Netheravon with the Army Parachute Association Instructors and spent a week embedded with the Army Cadet Force on Saint Martins Plain Military Training Ground taking part in their advanced leadership course living out in the field on exercise using blank firing weapons and pyrotechnics .
This year Flight Sergeant Donoghue will complete his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award When heads to The Peak District for his final expedition.
Looking forwards to his future career plans Rory hopes to join the RAF and he has just been selected to spend a week with the RAF Regiment at the Regiment’s home of RAF Honnington gaining an insight to life as part of the RAF’s Force Protection.
“I’ve enjoyed so many challenging and interesting activities within The Corps and I would encourage any cadet to simply apply for every opportunity and in doing so learn about yourself, both who you are and who you want to be. It’s important to constantly challenge and push yourself.”
Speaking of his time in the Corps, Flight Sergeant Donoghue said;
“Despite all I’ve achieved so far, there are still so many opportunities available to me and this year my goals are to complete my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and if possible I hope to be able to go solo in a glider.”
“Being an Air Cadet offers so many wide and varied experiences and exciting opportunities but it’s the lessons I’ve learned about myself and the friendships I’ve formed during those experiences that have been -for me- the most important aspect of being an Air Cadet.”
From 1094 Ely Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets
