They got us to do an emu bob in the dark. -_-; WTF. As if anyone can see any rubbish at 5:30 in the morning. "If anybody sees any rubbish on the ground, and it would have to be a miracle if they did, you are to pick it up." I had my red-filtered torch with me, I shone it onto the ground and saw a whole lot of rubbish. I didn't pick it up. One of the other female CUOs from A Coy yelled at me to pick it up, but she couldn't tell who I was, and I just ignored her.
Packed everything away, went over to 2 Platoon's lines and cooked breakfast while some others tried to hotbox another cylinder of matches. It didn't work. They also used deodorant on some sugar, which didn't burn too well, but had a nice flamethrower effect. It also burned some dry grass. Just as I realised I was late, A Coy was called out to do emu bobs, so I ate while emu-bobbing.
I put my echelon bag, pack and webbing in a large pile with the rest of A Coy's stuff. Then we were formed up, and marched onto the parade 'ground' as a company. We were 5 Battalion. The parade 'ground' was really just a really large clearing where there were less trees than usual.
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321 321 321 321 321 321 (Platoons)
C B A C B A (Companies)
5 Battalion 4 Battalion 3 Battalion 2 Battalion 1 Battalion
(Tier 3) (Tier 2) (Tier 2) (Tier 1b) (Tier 1a)
+ Battalion CSM
* Person addressing Brigade
ATA Awards were given; CUO Brogan passed. Cadet of the Year Award was also given.
Were addressed by a number of high ranking people.
Also did some brigade drill - well, just shun and unshun. It feels good to be drilling with an entire battalion, even if it's just turns and shuns. CUO Carey was RSM for 5 Battalion. (Didn't think I'd see him again either.) I like to think that we were the best battalion there. 4 Battalion couldn't get themselves organised.
Afterwards, Cleggs marched A Coy back to our packs, said some stuff in the way of farewells, as well as telling us what we'd be doing to get back to our own units. At the end, he called, "Alpha Company, Dismissed!"
There was a whole lot of cheering, and some guys did a stacks thing. Zugai jumped in and got jumped on. Turned out they were piled on top of his stuff.
There was a long wait, during which I stole Zugai's bush hat a few times. "Bitch, get back here with my hat!" In fun, of course. By the end of a week out in the field, everyone is calling everyone else nicknames and swearing light-heartedly. He ended up giving me his fake swiss army knife. It was blunt, and he scratched his name into it. Gifts are meant to be accepted and kept, so that's what I'll do. Wrote something on his bush hat, because he asked me to.
We waited around for probably an hour before we actually started moving again. This time, people were with their units, so I was with Dene, Angus and Charlton. They were all having a bitch about blond bimbos, and shallow females being out in the field wearing makeup (*cough*Selby*cough*). I'm glad Bettice was my CUO. She was one of the few girls that deserved her rank. As Charlton said, "That group we went with across the paddock to investigate that singing, those were the best girls from A Coy. And that blond - not Selby, the other one (he meant CUO Bettice) - she was quite competent."
Then, we made our way slowly back to the water point - we ended up carrying the rubbish box for half the way before convincing someone else that our echies and the rubbish box made for too heavy a load - rejoined our respective units, and left on the buses.
During the long wait to leave, I saw Zugai several times, and his brother, Ethan, who actually goes to Baulko. He walked up to the Baulko unit from the Normanhurst unit, who were further down the road, to see some friends. He looks a lot like his brother (Joel). I said to him, "Tell your brother that he is bloody hot!" A while later, he said, "If you think my brother is hot, and I look like him, then am I hot too?" Ez, who was standing next to me, laughed. "Yes, but you're too young!" I replied, and grinned. "Damn!" He grinned back. Later, he headed back to the Normanhurst unit, calling, "Ok, anyone who wants to see my brother, come with me." A few from our unit went. They came back about 20min later and said to me, "Joel says hi."
I found Cdt Kelly, the girl who gave me the hairnet (which I ended up losing later ._.; ), with her unit. She was crying a bit, because it "would be the last time she'd be seeing any of the friends she'd made". She did my hair one last time, and I thanked her for it.
Went looking for water. Filled up Davo's and my water bottles from a jerry can a guy from another unit (total stranger; tier 2) had lugged up from the water point.
Walked up to where Villa-Lander and Sloggett were talking with a few of the girls from A Coy. They were talking about some dirt they'd heard about the girl who'd actually gotten that award.
I asked Villa-Lander about Sloggett and Selby. All he said was, "Sloggett and Selby were making babies last night. I saw one and it winked at me!"
Sloggett walked around me and commented, "Look at that! Every one of her pouches are done up. That is damn good. I reckon that she ought to have gotten the Cadet of the Year Award."
All in all, a very satisfying Annual. I'm glad I went. I hope I'll be able to go next year. If I get the chance, I will jump at it.
Phew, that took a while.
And here end my journal entries on the 2004 Cadet Annual Field Exercise.
Kunama, out.
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