Venture Part-2
From drills to dining etiquette: Life lessons at Venture Academy
At 1820 PO Breen appeared and rounded us all up so that we would be amassed in the Accommodation Block foyer by 1825. He stressed that from now on we should ensure that we arrived 5 minutes prior to any appointments to cater to possible exigencies such as our watches being set incorrectly. He then departed, and at exactly 1830, a group of senior cadets arrived to deliver our formal “welcome” to Venture.
A tall, blond young man in an impeccable battle dress uniform, with a strange, crossed-line insignia on each sleeve, introduced himself in a commanding voice as “Chief Cadet Captain Wolfe-Milner”. He went on to emphasize that from this moment forward, to us he might as well be “GOD”! He then spent several minutes revealing to us our true nature – the “lowest of the low”, the “moldy clay”, the “undisciplined, uneducated rabble” which was bequeathed to him and the other seniors – with the challenge to somehow transform such “dogmeat” into Junior Cadets. He next laid out the simple ground rules – seniors were the “good”, who could do nothing wrong, while we were the “scum” who were the “bad”, who could do nothing right. Henceforth, from “wakey-wakey” in the morning until “pipe down” at the end of the day, we would be immaculately dressed in the required rig for whatever activity we were undertaking. When we appeared outside we would always march – except when having to cross the parade square which we would do at double time. When we encountered a senior we should show the proper respect – immediately coming to attention, acknowledging any direction given, and doubling away to comply with the order. To be on time was a commandment, to be late – unforgivable.
The tirade seemed to last forever – however, he finally stopped with the question, “Is that clear?”, to which one our number, not already struck dumb, shouted “YES SIR!”. The reply was instantaneous, “DON”T CALL ME SIR – MY NAME IS CHIEF CADET CAPTAIN WOLFE-MILNER, YOU LITTLE WORM – DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” Now, that title is quite a mouthful and my unfortunate comrade took three attempts, interrupted each time by the order “SAY AGAIN”, to finally get it right.
The rest of the “welcome” is still a blur. I know we were separated into two divisions, Grant and Stephens, and our Cadet Captains and Lieutenants were introduced, but it was a cowed and shaken group of young men who were herded back to their cabins for the night. I imagine most of us thought that we had made a terrible mistake and had better investigate the possibility of getting out of this terrible place as soon as possible!
The next few days went by in a rush – rushing from the barber who took great delight in shaving our scalps; to the “Pusser’s Stores” where we received an amazing array of uniforms and kit, ; to the parade square where Lieut Anderson and PO Breen unmercifully began to teach us navy drill; to the dining room where CPO Draginda took delight in forcibly teaching us proper dining etiquette; finally to our quarters for a brief respite. But even in our cabins the pressure was unrelenting, as we struggled to learn how to attach the detachable collars to the collarless shirts; to properly iron the crease down the front of our trousers; to “spit shine” our boots and shoes, and to properly attach the snowy white lanyard around our necks which would identify us as junior cadets.
Then the academic calendar began and we commenced classes following the BC Grade twelve curriculum, augmented with naval knowledge, Chaplain’s hour, and demanding extracurricular activity on the sports field.
Our academic studies were led by our Naval Officer school teachers, (“schoolies”), – a mixed bag of characters (Lieutenants Vern Neate,- Chemistry, Bob Conway – English, Doug Mitchell – Physics, P. Smart – Mathematics, and B. McNally-Dawes – English). Each had their own remarkable idiosyncrasies and personalities, which quickly became apparent as they attempted to fill our minds with lessons, while at the same time attempting to keep us awake in face of the extreme physical demands on our bodies.
On the sports fields, Lieutenants Kingsley B Arnold and Geoff Craven instituted a demanding regimen of physical activity/ training, designed to not only increase our fitness but allow an outlet from the unrelenting pressures of cadet life. Most of us were used to American football and were a little unsure of how to handle the larger rugby ball and the strange rules governing this wonderful game, but after several days of learning how to “form a scrum”, pass backwards, and tackle properly, we embraced the game with the goal of finding a spot on either the Venture A or junior teams.
We were also introduced to boxing with some theoretical, then practical, training leading up to the inter-divisional boxing competition. During the competition I managed to win my first bout but then succumbed to a flurry of blows from the eventual welterweight finalist, JIm McKinley. I must admit I was happy enough to not have to go any further in the competition!
The hectic routine was occasionally interrupted by moments of social interaction with the outside world. Guided by the extensive explanation of naval etiquette contained in our “Neptune’s Notes” training manual (how to dress and perform in various social settings, the pitfalls of imbibing various wines & spirits, how to salute with your fedora, how and when to drop off your calling cards, how to respond to invitations and what to say in your thank you letter,etc.) we were exposed to carefully selected groups of civilians invited to the gunroom for tea.
Finally, after five weeks we were informed that we were soon to be allowed to “proceed ashore” for selected periods on weekends – after passing a pre-walking out inspection. So we spent extra effort in preparing our blue blazer and gray flannels, shining our walking shoes, and getting last minute haircuts, prior to standing to attention as the inspecting officer scrutinized every aspect of our appearance. Once approval was granted, we escaped into the sleepy confines of Victoria, luxuriating in the freedom from the rigorous daily routine and seniors’ persecution.
In mid-October we were informed that there would be a “Get Acquainted Dance” in the senior gun room where we would be allowed to mingle with some young ladies from Victoria. Those lucky enough to be from Victoria could invite their own dates while the rest of us would be “matched up” at the beginning of the evening. On the night of October 27th events commenced with the cadets without dates lining up on one side of the stairway while a line of “young lovelies” from the local area formed on the opposite side. With a flourish, both lines moved forward and the jostling of spaces in both lines began as those in either line began to perceive who they were to be paired up with. The music eventually started and the dancing got underway. The shyness on both sides quickly disappeared and the evening turned out to be a success – if only because there were new people of our own age to talk to.