Staff Cadet PO1 Matt Steventon from the 204 Babine Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is aboard a navy vessel this summer, training other cadets. “It’s really amazing,” Steventon told The Interior News by phone from aboard the ship.
“I instruct them on how to be a member of the crew, how to perform while you’re on bridge watch … doing stuff like the position of lookout or the helm or navigation. I also teach them stuff like emergency exercises and how to respond to them – if a man were to fall overboard, how we would launch the zodiac to recover them and how to man the Zodiac.”
Steventon also instructs the other cadets in first aid and firefighting.
“We teach … the proper protocols for reacting to fires and we teach them how to properly use fire hoses and actual firefighting equipment – the bunker gear with the jackets and helmets and all that kind of stuff,” he said.
Steventon is aboard ORCA 55, which is one of eight steel-hulled Royal Canadian Navy training tender that is mainly used for one-to-six-week long ‘at sea’ components of naval officer training.
They are also used to train non-commissioned members and provide an at sea experience for the teenage members of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets.
Steventon will have taught roughly 50 cadets over the seven-week deployment.
“He’s a phenomenal cadet. He’s one of our top cadets in our program here in Smithers,” Daniel Cramer, president of Navy League of Canada’s Smithers Branch, said. “He’s just an outstanding cadet and future leader of tomorrow.”
Cramer said Steventon had taken six-week bosun’s mate course that taught him everything he needed to know about working on the ORCA.
Steventon recently received The Lord Strathcona Medal, which is the highest award which can be bestowed upon a Canadian cadet in recognition of exemplary performance in physical and military training.
The 17-year-old Steventon said even though he’s teaching, he is still learning and is working toward the position of coxswain.
“It’s been a big learning opportunity for me especially, even though I’m instructing, I’ve probably learned more than I’ve taught anybody here.” Steventon said. “It’s really interesting to see how all of these things work – learning so much about seamanship, about different skills; stuff like navigation – how to teach people, how to train people. Also learn about firefighting and damage control.”
He has been a cadet for five years and was drawn to the program because of a family and friend connection.
“I have an uncle in the navy, plus, I knew a couple of my friends who were already in the program. When I was old enough, I thought I’d give it a try and I was having some fun, so I stuck with it – and here I am.”
When Steventon heard of Cramer’s accolades, the modest teen was elated.
“It makes me feel good – there’s a lot of stuff this program can offer you and I strive to do my best,” he said.
Over the span of being a cadet, Steventon has learned a lot about himself.
“I’ve learned a lot about who I am as a leader in a group and what the best ways for me to lead people are, teamwork skills – how I can best work in a team and to be most effective – like what I need to do and what situation I need to be in.”
For the kids who are thinking of joining the cadet program, Steventon’s message is just try it out.
“Give it a try, stick it out for a few months – do as much as you can. I think the best things are the things that are kind of intimidating – going up to summer camp for a few weeks or going sailing or going on these deployments for a week – the more time you put in, the more you’ll get out of it.”
When Steventon ages out of Cadets at 19, he doesn’t know what career he’ll take yet, but his dream job is to work around the ocean.
“Oh that’s tough, that’s really tough. Honestly, I don’t know, but I’d love to work around the ocean – not so much the navy, I’d probably be interested in looking at the coast guard. That’s something that I’ve thought about a bit,” he said.
Steventon shipped out on Canada Day and will return to port Aug. 18.