OLDS — The Olds Air Cadet Squadron 185 has tentative plans to meet again this fall in the COVID era.
Plans call for the squadron to begin meeting in person in the Cadet Hall starting Oct. 1.
A change of command is expected to occur during that meeting as well.
Until then, the plan is to meet virtually.
Mindy Focker, chair of the 185 Squadron, said she received official word of that plan from cadet headquarters last week.
“I think what they’re trying to see is how it goes the first month back to school, to see if there’s a spike or not,” Focker said during an interview.
Meanwhile, she plans to attend the Sept. 3 Community Showcase to recruit more cadets.
This year, instead of the usual location – the Sportsplex – the showcase will be held at the newly-built Rotary Athletic Park, located just north of Walmart, along 70th Avenue.
Focker hoped to obtain more information on the way forward from cadet headquarters on Aug. 27.
She said cadets certainly can meet online, but there are some things that just can’t be done that way.
For example, training on how to fly gliders.
“Our fall gliding has been postponed,” Focker said.
She noted it’s pretty tough for a student and instructor to do any social distancing in a glider.
Focker was asked if she’s concerned that a COVID flare-up might occur this fall and that that could put cadets in danger as they meet in person.
“I can’t stop the disease from coming. We will protect our cadets in every way possible,” she said.
Focker said 'all the protocols' will be followed during those meetings, including requiring all those present to wear face masks, which she said will be paid for by the Department of National Defence.
The COVID-19 lockdown not only kept cadets apart, but took a huge bite out of the group’s revenues because they weren’t able to organize or attend in-person fundraisers, she said.
“It was a big hit. We’ve lost quite a bit of money on our fundraisers,” she said.
For example, she said they usually raise about $3,000 from their annual bottle drive. This year, it brought in less than $200.
The air cadets also normally help out during Oldstoberfest and other events, but they’ve been cancelled, due to pandemic protocols.
Fortunately, the squadron has still been able to rent out its hall to churches and other groups and that has brought in much-needed revenue.
Also, renovations undertaken last year to convert to solar power have really cut the hall’s power bills.
That said, there’s nothing like meeting in person to help cadets train properly; to build camaraderie and self-esteem, she noted.
“So we’re doing our best to maintain, absolutely, and give the cadets that opportunity,” she said. “But I mean, it is what it is at this point.”
She remains hopeful that things will return to normal – if not this fall, then early next year.
